Pope Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! AdvancedSpecial charactersHelpHeadingLevel 2Level 3Level 4Level 5FormatInsertLatinLatin extendedIPASymbolsGreekGreek extendedCyrillicArabicArabic extendedHebrewBanglaTamilTeluguSinhalaDevanagariGujaratiThaiLaoKhmerCanadian AboriginalRunesÁáÀàÂâÄäÃãǍǎĀāĂ㥹ÅåĆćĈĉÇçČčĊċĐđĎďÉéÈèÊêËëĚěĒēĔĕĖėĘęĜĝĢģĞğĠġĤĥĦħÍíÌìÎîÏïĨĩǏǐĪīĬĭİıĮįĴĵĶķĹĺĻļĽľŁłŃńÑñŅņŇňÓóÒòÔôÖöÕõǑǒŌōŎŏǪǫŐőŔŕŖŗŘřŚśŜŝŞşŠšȘșȚțŤťÚúÙùÛûÜüŨũŮůǓǔŪūǖǘǚǜŬŭŲųŰűŴŵÝýŶŷŸÿȲȳŹźŽžŻżÆæǢǣØøŒœßÐðÞþƏəFormattingLinksHeadingsListsFilesDiscussionDescriptionWhat you typeWhat you getItalic''Italic text''Italic textBold'''Bold text'''Bold textBold & italic'''''Bold & italic text'''''Bold & italic text=== Resignation === {{Main|Papal resignation}} It is highly unusual for a pope to resign.<ref>As the reign of the pope has conventionally been from election until death, papal resignation is an uncommon event. Before the 21st century, only five popes unambiguously resigned with historical certainty, all between the 10th and 15th centuries.</ref> The [[1983 Code of Canon Law]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/_P16.HTM|title=Code of Canon Law – IntraText|access-date=15 March 2020|archive-date=16 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200516193905/http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/_P16.HTM|url-status=live}}</ref> states, "If it happens that the Roman Pontiff resigns his office, it is required for validity that the resignation is made freely and properly manifested but not that it is accepted by anyone." [[Benedict XVI]], who vacated the Holy See on 28 February 2013, was the most recent to do so, and the first since [[Gregory XII]]'s resignation in 1415.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/feb/11/benedict-placehold-pope-weakened-church | title=Benedict, the placeholder pope who leaves a battered, weakened church | work=The Guardian | date=11 February 2013 | access-date=12 February 2013 | author=Brown, Andrew | archive-date=1 March 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130301180614/http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/feb/11/benedict-placehold-pope-weakened-church | url-status=live }}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page