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Mission Moldova
Cardinal: Future Popes Won't Feel Compelled to Stay 2/11/13
Associated Press
February 11, 2013
VATICAN CITY (AP) - A French cardinal says Pope Benedict's decision to resign is a "liberating act" for future popes.
The cardinal (Andre Vingt-Trois), the archbishop of Paris, says popes from now on will not feel compelled to stay on until their death.
The Vatican says no specific medical condition prompted Benedict's decision.
Benedict had made clear in the past he would step down if he became too old or infirm to do the job.
When he was elected in 2005 at age 78, he was the oldest pope chosen in nearly 300 years and had been planning to retire to his native Bavaria.