教宗本篤十六世宣布，將於二月二十八日辭退教宗職務

教宗本篤十六世二月十一日宣布（信件二月十日發出）, 他因年齡關係(八十五歲) , 將於本年二月二十八日辭職.

教宗本篤十六世（原名若瑟.拉辛格），一九二七年四月十六日出生，誕於德國帕紹教區的馬克特爾鎮；一九五一年六月二十九日晉鐸；七七年五月二十八日祝聖為德國慕尼克和弗賴辛總教區的總主教；七七年六月二十七日封為樞機；二零零五年四月十九日當選教宗，同年四月二十四日就職。

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Benedict XVI has decided that he will resign on February 28. The Pope himself announced the move in Latin, during the consistory for the canonization of the martyrs of Otranto.
This is the message of Benedict XVI:

Dear Brothers,

I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonizations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the Church. After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry. I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering. However, in today's world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the bark of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me. For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to me by the Cardinals on 19 April 2005, in such a way, that as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant and a Conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have to be convoked by those whose competence it is.

Dear Brothers, I thank you most sincerely for all the love and work with which you have supported me in my ministry and I ask pardon for all my defects. And now, let us entrust the Holy Church to the care of Our Supreme Pastor, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and implore his holy Mother Mary, so that she may assist the Cardinal Fathers with her maternal solicitude, in electing a new Supreme Pontiff. With regard to myself, I wish to also devotedly serve the Holy Church of God in the future through a life dedicated to prayer.

From the Vatican, 10 February 2013