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ABC News
ABC News
National

Why did Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI resign, and how common is it for Catholic popes to quit?

Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI has died, aged 95, almost a decade after his resignation as head of the Catholic Church. 

The German Cardinal — whose birth name is Joseph Ratzinger — was elected as pope at the age of 78.

He replaced Pope John Paul II, who died, aged 84, at the Vatican's Apostolic Palace in 2005 while leading the Catholic Church.

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