Christians surprised at pope's decision to retire
KRAKOW, Poland (AP) — Shock, sadness and declarations of faith met Pope Benedict XVI's announcement Monday that he would retire Feb. 28. Here's a look at reaction from around the world:
GERMANY:
In his native land, Chancellor Angela Merkel said she had the "very highest respect" for Benedict's decision to step down — a move the pontiff's brother said he had been considering for months amid ailing health.
Story Archived
Only the most recent 7 days of articles are available for free. For articles older than 7 days there is a small fee for retrieval from our archive. If you are a registered member of the site, the content is free just by signing in below.
Please sign in with your Comment Member ID and password.
Purchase Access
To allow for flexibility, we offer a variety of options for purchasing articles:
Having trouble?
If you have any technical difficulties, either with your username and password or with the payment options, please contact us by e-mail at archivedesk@shawmedia.com
