Pope sends shockwaves through Church

By Philip Pullella
Updated February 12 2013 - 9:08am, first published 8:26am

Vatican City:  Pope Benedict stunned the Roman Catholic Church including his closest advisers on Monday when he announced he would stand down in the first papal abdication in 700 years, saying he no longer had the mental and physical strength to run the Church through a period of major crisis.

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