BBC News with Sue Montgomery
Pope Benedict will step down as head of the Roman Catholic Church at the end of this month. Benedict, who’s 85, said he no longer had the strength of mind or body to fulfil his duties. Though Vatican watchers could see Pope Benedict was becoming increasingly tired and frail, the resignation took even the pope’s closest aides by surprise. Allan Johnston is in Rome.
Nothing like this has happened since the Middle Ages. For centuries every pope has died in office-- they don’t resign. But speaking in Latin at a meeting in the Vatican, Pope Benedict explained that he just couldn’t go on. Events will now move swiftly. In just over a fortnight, Pope Benedict, regarded by his church as the successor to Saint Peter, will simply walk away from the leadership of the Catholic world. And the Vatican will try to ensure that his successor is in place in time for Easter.
The pope’s brother, Georg Ratzinger, has told the BBC that Benedict has reached an age achieved by very few of his predecessors and felt that he was gradually losing the abilities needed to fulfil his role, and he said his brother would not seek to influence the new pope.
“He will not interfere in the business of his successor. Where he is needed, he will make himself available. But he will not want to intervene in the affairs of his successor.”
President Obama has extended prayers and appreciation to Pope Benedict on behalf of the American people. There’ve also been tributes from many European leaders including the German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Emily Buchanan reports.
Shock and disbelief at the announcement have been followed by a widespread view that while a papal resignation is highly unusual, it seems a sensible pragmatic step for a man of 85. The German Chancellor Angela Merkel was one of many leaders who said she had the greatest respect for the pope’s difficult decision and praised his legacy.
“He’s a shepherd for more than a billion people. He knows that the church can only succeed in the world if it engages in dialogue. And he had led talks with other churches and religions. He has strengthened the relationship with the eastern Orthodox churches and extended his hand to the Muslim and Jewish faiths.
The former archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, who was one of those present to the pope’s election in Rome, said the thorny issues of child abuse and corruption that have dogged the Vatican shouldn’t tarnish how he is remembered. Whatever people’s views about his style of papacy, Pope Benedict’s manner of leaving office appears to have endeared him to millions.
The chief rabbi in Israel appraised his ability to reach out to other faiths. In Egypt, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed El-Tayeb said he was shaken by the news. You are listening to the World News from the BBC.
Four Iraqi soldiers have been killed and at least four others injured in a suicide attack in the city of Mosul in northern Iraq. The authorities said that a car bomb was detonated at a military base. The attack comes amid increased tension between the minority Sunni and majority Shia communities.
The first-ever live presidential election TV debate has taken place in Kenya. Opinion polls suggest a close race between the Prime Minister Raila Odinga and his deputy Uhuru Kenyatta. Here's Richard Hamilton.
Although this American-style presidential TV debate is a first for Kenya, many analysts say Kenyans have already made up their minds and will vote along ethnic lines. Uhuru Kenyatta is from the largest ethnic group, the Kikuyu, and is also the son of the country’s first president. But if he is elected, then Kenya faces the prospect of having a president who’s been charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court for his alleged role in the post-election violence in 2007 and 2008.
During the debate Mr Kenyatta described tribalism as a cancer that has afflicted the country. Referring to the prospect of his rival’s trial, Mr Odinga said it would be difficult to run a government by Skype from The Hague.
The eurozone says it will commission an independent study into anti-money laundering measures in Cyprus before it decides whether to bail the country out. The island requested financial aid last year because its banks made huge losses in Greece. But the bailout hasn’t yet been agreed because of concerns about allegations that Russian oligarchs used Cyprian banks to launder money. Officials in Nicosia reject the claims.
A cruise ship with more than 4,000 people on board is spending a second day adrift in the Gulf of Mexico after a fire destroyed its propulsion system. The ship, the Carnival Triumph, left Texas on Thursday for a four-day cruise. It’s now awaiting the arrival of tugboats to tow it to the city of Progreso in Mexico.
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