The Vatican has confirmed that Pope Benedict XVI (@Pontifex) will resign from his post due to health reasons.
He is the 265th pope and the oldest to be elected as such since 1730 at 78 years old. Pope Benedict XVI is from Germany and was born as Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger. His papacy started in 2005, following the death of Pope John Paul II.
According to his official statement, the #Pope will leave office on February 28, 2013.
Benedict used to be Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who was elected by popular election within the college of cardinals with 115 members. He was elected on April 19, 2005. Now 85 years old, many have already noticed his weakening state in the past several months.
Read his official statement.
The pope is bound to be replaced by the most preferred candidate, to be chosen by the college of cardinals. There are a number of likely successors such as Peter Turkson of Ghana, Francis Arinze of Nigeria, Mark Ouellet, Raymond Burke, Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, Leonardo Sandri and Tarcisio Bertone.
A conclave will be formed to elect the new pope. If the proceedings take long, it will be likely that there will be no Pope on the seat during Lent.
The news shocked millions in the Catholic community since this is only reportedly the second time that a pope has resigned in office due to health concerns.
According to Pope Benedict XVI, his deteriorating health no longer allows him to carry out his tasks adequately.
As for his Twitter followers, @Pontifex is currently still providing Christian messages.
See how the hashtag #Pope suddenly shot up on social media on his announcement.
