Click photo to enlarge
FILE - This mid-1970s file photo shows the archbishop of Munich and Freising, Joseph Ratzinger, who is to be elevated to cardinal by Pope Paul VI. Ratzinger was elected Pope, April 19, 2005 and chose Benedict XVI as his papal name. Pope Benedict XVI announced Monday, Feb. 11, 2013, he would resign Feb. 28 because he is simply too old to carry on.
Pope Benedict XVI announced Monday that he will resign on Feb. 28. The 85-year-old pope announced his decision in Latin during a meeting of Vatican cardinals. "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," he told the cardinals. Benedict, the first pontiff to resign in nearly 600 years, 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." He says he is simply too infirm to carry on.

Here's a look at Pope Benedict XVI's career in a chronological photo package.

Advertisement

FILE - In this Sunday, April 24, 2005 file photo, Pope Benedict XVI greets the crowd after celebrating his installation Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. Pope Benedict XVI announced Monday, Feb. 11, 2013, he would resign Feb. 28 because he is simply too old to carry on. ((AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, File))

FILE - In this Oct. 17, 2005 file photo Pope Benedict XVI wipes his face during a solemn adoration of the Eucharist in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. On Monday, Feb. 11, 2013 Benedict XVI announced 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. ((AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis, files))

FILE - This May 25, 2006 file photo shows Pope Benedict XVI lifting his scull cap during an ecumenical meeting at the Holy Trinity church in Warsaw, Poland. On Monday, Feb. 11, 2013 Benedict XVI announced 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. ((AP Photo/Diether Endlicher, file))

In this photo provided by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Pope Benedict XVI delivers his message at the end of a meeting of Vatican cardinals, at the Vatican, Monday, Feb. 11, 2013. 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. ((AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano, ho) )