Pope Benedict XVI announces his resignation at end of month
Pope Benedict XVI on Monday said he plans on resigning the papal office on February
28th. Below please find his announcement.
Full text of Pope's declaration
Dear
Brothers, I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonizations,
but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the
Church. After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to
the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an
adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry. I am well aware that this ministry, due
to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds,
but no less with prayer and suffering. However, in today’s world, subject to so many
rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in
order to govern the barque of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of
mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated
in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill
the ministry entrusted to me. For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of
this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome,
Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to me by the Cardinals on 19 April 2005, in such
a way, that as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of
Saint Peter, will be vacant and a Conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have
to be convoked by those whose competence it is. Dear Brothers, I thank you most
sincerely for all the love and work with which you have supported me in my ministry
and I ask pardon for all my defects. And now, let us entrust the Holy Church to the
care of Our Supreme Pastor, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and implore his holy Mother Mary,
so that she may assist the Cardinal Fathers with her maternal solicitude, in electing
a new Supreme Pontiff. With regard to myself, I wish to also devotedly serve the Holy
Church of God in the future through a life dedicated to prayer. From the Vatican,
10 February 2013