Pope Benedict XVI to Resign

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Priest Joseph Ratzinger prays during an open air mass in Ruhpolding, Germany, in 1952. Ratzinger, who later became Pope Benedict XVI, announced Feb. 11, 2013, that he will resign.

AP Photo

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Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger poses for a photo on Feb. 28, 1982. The longtime guardian of doctrinal orthodoxy was elected pope on April 19, 2005. He chose the name Pope Benedict XVI.

Diether Endlicher/AP

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German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger blesses the coffin of Pope John Paul II during the pope's funeral Mass in St Peter's Square on April 8, 2005. Ratzinger became the new pope, taking the name of Benedict XVI, on April 19, 2005.

Patrick Hertzog/AFP/Getty Images

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Pope Benedict XVI attends the celebration of the Lord's passion in St. Peter's Basilica on April 6, 2007, in Vatican City.

Vatican/Getty Images

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Pope Benedict XVI waves to wellwishers as he leaves the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris following a vespers service on Sept. 12, 2008.

Philippe Wojazer/AP

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Pope Benedict XVI signs a guest book during a visit to the French Institute in Paris on Sept. 13, 2008.

Jacques Brinon/AP

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Pope Benedict XVI and King Abdullah II of Jordan walk past guards of honor during the pope's arrival in Amman, Jordan, on May 8, 2009.

Nader Daoud/AP

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Pope Benedict XVI and Israeli President Shimon Peres tour the garden of the Presidential Residence on May 11, 2009, in Jerusalem.

Oded Balilty/Getty Images

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Pope Benedict XVI blesses the faithful as he celebrates a Marian vesper ceremony in Etzelsbach, Germany, on Sept. 23, 2011.

Andrew Medichini/AP

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Pope Benedict XVI arrives in the "popemobile" at the Freiburg fair grounds in Germany for a vigil to celebrate young people on Sept. 24, 2011.

Johannes Simon/Getty Images

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Pope Benedict XVI waves during the Angelus prayer from his studio overlooking St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on Jan. 22, 2012.

Riccardo De Luca/AP

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Pope Benedict XVI waves from the popemobile wearing a Mexican sombrero as he arrives to give a Mass in Bicentennial Park in Silao, Mexico, on March 25, 2012.

Eduardo Verdugo/AP

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Pope Benedict XVI praises a performance of Beethoven's Ninth symphony during a concert at La Scala Theater on June 1, 2012, in Milan, Italy. The pope was on a three-day trip to Milan to attend various events focusing on the institution of the family.

Getty Image

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Pope Benedict XVI celebrates a Mass for priests and nuns in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on Feb. 2, 2013.

Riccardo De Luca/AP

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