Cardinals from around the globe have been summoned to Rome to take part in the process of choosing the next pontiff, after the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI last week.

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Such may be the case with the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI who announced he is stepping down at the end of February, the first pope to do so in six hundred years.

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What caused the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI?

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That is because, unlike past conclaves that follow the unexpected death of a pope, the resignation of Benedict XVI had been announced on Feb. 11, giving cardinals time to reflect.

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His mass belied the discord that has come to the fore in the wake of Pope Benedict XVI's resignation.

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His homily belied the discord that has come to the fore in the wake of Pope Benedict XVI's resignation.

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Norah O'Donnell about the legacy of Pope Benedict XVI on the announcement of his impending resignation.

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Jorge Maria Bergoglio became the first Latin American Pope when he was elected on 13 March after the shock resignation of Benedict XVI.

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The Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI has accepted on the 18 February 2013 the resignation of His Eminence Cardinal Keith Patrick O'Brien from the pastoral governance of the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh.

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Pope Benedict XVI's resignation the first in some 600 years sparked a flurry of discussion over a range of issues, including the management of the Vatican's bank and the sluggish pace of reforms aimed at making Holy See finances more transparent.

WSJ: Black Smoke Signals No Pope Yet