(St Peter’s Basilica is pictured at the Vatican February 12, 2013. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi )
Cardinals around the world began informal contacts to discuss who should next lead the Church through a period of major crisis and the Vatican said it planned a big send-off for Pope Benedict before he becomes the first pontiff in centuries to resign.
At a Tuesday news conference on how the pope plans to spend the next two weeks before he steps out of the limelight, the Vatican also disclosed that the 85-year-old Benedict has been wearing a pacemaker since before he was elected pope in 2005.
It said no specific illness led him to resign, merely old age and diminishing mental and physical strength.
It also said he would not play any role in the running of the Church after his February 28 resignation.
