Or why this resignation is news.
1415 was the year that the English army under Henry V defeats the French at Agincourt. It was also the year Pope Gregory XII chose to step down from the Papacy, an event not to be seen again until February 28, 2013. As one of the world's oldest and farthest-reaching institutions, the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church is not only the embodiment of the entire history of Christianity and much of Europe, he is the head of a religion of 1 billion souls.
Seeing as the last abdication was almost 600 years ago, the resignation of Benedict XVI is expected to transform the Church, not in the least because of what role the former pope may play. Gregory XII retired to a relatively obscure town in Italy after his abdication. Benedict XVI will not have that luxury. What would the social dynamics be of a Pope who could often be just a phone call away? More importantly, how will a living former Pope affect the policies and actions of the current Pope?
The conclave to elect the next Pope is scheduled to begin on March 15, but the process to elect a new Pope can, and has, ranged from just weeks to over three years. In that time, the only indication of whether or not anything has happened will come from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. Until white smoke blows, the world will not know who is to be Pope.
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