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Citing poor health, Pope Benedict says he will step down

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Pope Benedict says his age and poor health are forcing him to step down at the end of this month.

The 85-year-old pope made the surprising announcement today during a meeting of Vatican cardinals.

The pope's brother, Georg Ratzinger, says Benedict is having increasing difficulty walking and had been advised by his doctor not to take any more transatlantic trips -- and he'd been considering stepping down for months.

We'll talk about this development with Don Briel, director of the Center for Catholic Studies at the University of St. Thomas.