Pope Benedict XVI to step down at end of the month

Pope Benedict XVI to step down at end of the month
By Tom Kington, Los Angeles Times
February 11, 2013, 3,25 a.m.

ROME – In an extraordinary announcement, Pope Benedict XVI said Monday that he would step down at the end of the month, ending a papacy that has lasted less than eight years.

It is the first time in six centuries a pontiff has voluntarily stepped down.