Pope Benedict XVI Resigns: The Pontiff In Pictures

Pope In Pictures
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Pope Benedict XVI is to resign as the head of the Catholic Church on February 28, the Vatican said on Monday.

It will be the first time the pontiff has stepped down in nearly 600 years.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger took up his position as pontiff on 19 April 2005, succeeding the late Pope John Paul II.

Below is a look at his time in the Vatican, in pictures: