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Vatican: Pope Benedict XVI to resign

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    Greg Palkot reports from London, England

  • Duration 4:08
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Story we start with a stunning Fox News alert big news out of the Vatican this morning Pope Benedict the sixteenth announcing he will resign at the end of this month.

Fox News senior affairs.

Foreign affairs correspondent Greg -- -- live in London breaking details Greg I was just reading that apparently the pope's brother has said.

That the pope's doctors said no more transatlantic flights for you.

Which is a sign that he is weak.

All that and a lot more folks yes stunning news coming for the Vatican just literally in the past hour or so.

Pope Benedict the sixteenth announcing today that he'll -- he will be resigning.

Office he will be resigning his position in the Vatican on February 28.

He said he didn't have the strength to fulfill the duties of this office he said he is aware of the seriousness of this -- that is the actor resignation.

But he would renounce what is called the ministry of the bishop of Rome the papers -- he said he is resigning in full freedom no one's forcing him to but he also said that his strength.

Has deteriorated in the last few months advanced age is cited incapacity.

To adequately fulfill the mission of the Pope.

Now all of this folks sets up another change in the Vatican another change for the billion plus Catholic followers of the Vatican -- A conclave that's an election consisting of the cardinals.

All of -- do -- -- religion will meets in Rome to decide -- new Pope and now will happen before the end of march.

Again there had been reports in the past couple months folks that itself had been failing that he had difficulty reading tax.

And he had in the past suggested.

If popes had problem in office -- their health that in fact that he should dead gave should step down he followed his own message in fact.

He will be stepping down less than eight years in -- newspaper -- down to show how historic this is guys the last time this happened was 600.

Years ago that happened to be Pope.

Gregory and in the year fourteenth fifteenth we just -- press conference from Vatican officials in the past ten minutes or so and they look surprised they said they got this information this morning so secrecy is the name of the game in the Vatican.

Now remember.

Benedict.

Is his name prior to this cardinal Joseph Ratzinger he is a German he was a strong conservative they -- them the enforcer in the church -- to becoming -- Pope.

The pope's Rottweiler referring to a dog that's how he was referred to as as well the choice of of Ratzinger as a -- he was pretty much expected but it took a couple of elections for him to be named.

When he was -- -- then of course -- took over again though his -- C has been marked by some scandal certainly the ongoing child abuse scandals that he has that -- look after he -- -- to watch during his slightly under eight years in the job but also that was an issue that had been taking up this time prior -- that -- he's decided now to stop perhaps you guys and this -- as we who have followed the -- see in the Vatican affairs over the years can also tell -- he probably remember Pope John Paul the second and remember all those years of his failing health.

And is struggling ability to fulfill the job and perhaps.

Pope Benedict looked at the legacy of the past hope and said that he did not want to go through this he wanted to pull out right now so now at the age of 85.

He says he will stepped down from his position at the end of the month.

Clearing the way for a new -- and that of course -- got people already wondering who might it be from the developing world perhaps from Africa from South America where there's a huge growth in the -- -- the religion we'll of course be watching all that but that's that's in the next weeks and month to come indeed effective I wouldn't be surprised if there was already -- Vegas line on who the new Pope would be.

Are right Greg cut cut.

Live in London thank you.

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