The
resignation of Pope Benedict XVI occurred on 28 February 2013 at 20:00 (8:00 PM)
CET (19:00 UTC). The resignation was first announced on the morning of 11 February 2013 by the
Vatican. Benedict's decision to step down as leader of the
Catholic Church made him the first pope to relinquish the office since
Pope Gregory XII in 1415 (who did so in order to end the
Western Schism), and the first to do so on his own initiative since
Pope Celestine V in 1294. The move was unexpected, given that the
modern era popes have held the position from election until death. The Pope stated that the reason for his decision was his declining health due to old age.
The conclave to select his successor began on 12 March 2013 and elected
Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, who took the name of
Francis.