Pope Benedict XVI: First Pope to Resign in 600 Years
St Peter’s Basilica, the heart of the Vatican, in 1630, by Viviano Codazzi. (Photo: Wiki Commons)
The last Pope to step down from office was Gregory XII back in 1415.
He resigned to end what was called the ‘Great Western Schism,’ when Christendom was divided by rival Popes.
“This was a way of restoring unity to a divided church,” says James Bretzke.
Father Bretzke is a professor of moral theology at Boston College.
“He was considered to be a noble person in stepping down,” Bretzke adds. “The Pope that had stepped down much earlier was cast by Dante into Inferno for stepping down. But Pope Gregory they considered that to be a noble move.”
The story you just read is available to read for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, the reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
When you make a gift of $10 or more a month, we’ll invite you to a virtual behind-the-scenes tour of our newsroom to thank you for being with The World.