It was announced that Pope Benedict XVI will resign on February 28th 2013. This will make him the first Pope to resign since at least 1415. How many other Popes have resigned or stepped down other than Pope Benedict XVI? There have only been a handful, it's called "Papal resignation". We have that list of Popes who have resigned/stepped down here:

Pope Benedict IX

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Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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In 1045, Pope Benedict IX resigned the papacy. Pope Gregory VI became his successor. Gregory himself resigned in 1046. Gregory's successor, Pope Clement II, died in 1047 and Benedict IX became Pope again.

Pope Gregory VI

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Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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Pope Gregory VI stepped down in 1046.

Pope Celestine V

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Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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In 1294, Pope Celestine V resigned after only five months of being Pope. He issued a solemn decree declaring it permissible for a Pope to resign, and then did so himself.

Pope Gregory XII

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Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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Pope Gregory XII resigned in 1415 in order to end the Western Schism. The Western Schism reached the point where there were three claimants to the Papal throne, Roman Pope Gregory XII, Avignon Antipope Benedict XIII, and Pisan Antipope John XXIII.

Pope Benedict XVI

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Franco Origlia/Getty Images
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Just on February 11th 2013, the Vatican announced that Pope Benedict XVI would resign effective February 28, 2013. The Pope said in a statement that it was due to his health. Read more here.

 

 

 

[via Wikipedia]

 

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