VATICAN CITY (AP) _ Pope Benedict XVI announced Monday that he would resign Feb. 28 _ the first pontiff to do so in nearly 600 years. The decision sets the stage for a conclave to elect a new pope before the end of March.
The 85-year-old pope announced his decision in Latin during a meeting of Vatican cardinals on Monday morning.
He emphasized that carrying out the duties of being pope _ the leader of more than a billion Roman Catholics worldwide _ requires ``both strength of mind and body.''