Pope Benedict XVI: Pray for the Church, me and the new pope

Pope Benedict XVI said in his first address since announcing his retirement that he made the decision "for the good of the church."

The head of the Roman Catholic Church was greeted with cheers and applause when he entered the full hall of Paul VI in the Vatican. Many of the 3.500 attendees had tears in their eyes.

At the beginning of the address, Benedict repeated in Italian what he told the cardinals in Latin - that he simply did not have the strength to continue doing the work of the pope.

"I did it of my own free will and for the good of the church," the pope said and asked the faithful to "continue to pray for (him), the church and the future pope."

"I thank you for the love and prayer that accompanied me in the last few days, which were not easy, I felt the power of that prayer almost physically," the pope said.

Cardinals began informal consultations about the new pope

Cardinals around the world have begun informal contacts to consider who should next lead the Church in one of its biggest crises, with the Vatican saying it plans a grand send-off for Pope Benedict XVI before he officially steps down, Reuters reported.

At a press conference on how the pope plans to spend the next two weeks before he steps down, the Vatican also revealed that Benedict, 85, has had a pacemaker implanted since 2005, before he became head of the church.

Who will step into the Pope's shoes next?

It was also stated that he did not abdicate because of any specific illness, but because of old age and reduced mental and physical strength. It also said Benedict would have no role in the church after stepping down on February 28.

"The Pope said that he will spend his time in prayer and reflection and that he will not have responsibilities in running the Church, nor any administrative or leadership responsibilities," said Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi, adding that the Pope "will not interfere in any way" or try to to influence the choice of successor.

The sudden decision to abdicate has forced the Vatican to reschedule the pope's activities so that as many people as possible can see him before he steps down. Thus, the mass, which he was supposed to hold today in a small church in Rome, will be held in St. Peter's Basilica, since it will most likely be his last mass in public.

Whoever is chosen will have to deal with regional problems and tensions between conservative Catholics who support Benedict's strictly traditional course of doctrine and others who see him as stifling change and progress.

After February 28, Benedict will first go to the papal summer residence south of Rome, and then to a monastery inside the Vatican walls.

As the Vatican prepares for the final two weeks of Benedict's papacy, church sources say informal consultations have begun by phone and e-mail about what type of leader the next pope should be.

After a series of scandals, church experts believe that the cardinals will look for someone who is not only dedicated to the faith, but also a good leader.

"Many cardinals, if you ask them for their personal assessment of this pope, will unofficially tell you that he is a great man, devoted to the faith, sincere, honest and humble, that his teachings will pass the test of time," John Allen, author of several books, told Reuters. about the Vatican.

"However, they will also tell you that the regime of Benedict XVI was such that he did not know how to regulate the trains to run on time and that they often had to buy pieces of bombs that exploded here," he explained.

Benedict was criticized for ceding too much power to his friend, Vatican Secretary of State Tarcisius Bertone. Critics of Bertone, practically the chief administrator of the Vatican, believe that he should have prevented some of the pope's clumsiness and bureaucratic failures.

There are more and more speculations that the first non-European leader could be at the head of the Church

"This caused constant dissatisfaction among cardinals outside the Vatican and I think they are taking care that whoever takes Benedict's place must be a little more careful about the internal leadership in the Church and the Vatican itself," Allen said.

There are more and more speculations that the first non-European leader could be at the head of the Church.

"Perhaps the time has come for the pope to be black-skinned, or yellow, or red, or to be from Latin America," Guatemalan Archbishop Oscar Julio Vian Morales said after Benedict's announcement.

Whoever is chosen will have to deal with regional problems and tensions between conservative Catholics who support Benedict's strictly traditional course of doctrine and others who feel he has stifled change and progress.

The Pope's announcement hurts Berlusconi

The abdication of Pope Benedict XVI could limit the chances of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to close the gap on the center-left favorite before the upcoming elections, according to some analysts and public opinion research agencies.

Berlusconi, who a few months ago seemed certain to lose the election, has launched an aggressive campaign based on promises to abolish taxes that has reduced the lead of Pier-Luigi Bersani's Democratic Party (PD) and increased the chances of an uncertain election result.

However, some polls indicate that the pope's resignation could ruffle Berlusconi's wings, taking over media coverage of the election campaign just 12 days before the election.

"This will push the campaign to a standstill for some time, and that is bad news for Berlusconi, who has to make up for the advantage of the leftists," said Renato Manheimer from the ISPO agency.

According to the latest research, Bersani's lead dropped from 10 percent at the beginning of the campaign to 5,7 percent. Under Italy's complex voting system, that advantage would give Bersani a convincing majority in the House of Representatives, if not possibly a majority in the Senate.

Berlusconi's media blitzkrieg also included a series of "shocking announcements" such as the promise that the hated tax on housing will be abolished and that citizens will be refunded the money they have paid so far in the name of that tax, that employers will be abolished the tax for newly hired workers, and that the evaders will be amnestied.

Apart from the media space occupied by events in the Vatican these days, Berlusconi does not like the fact that the voters could compare the Pope's decision to retire due to old age with Berlusconi's refusal to do the same even though he was prime minister for 4 terms and is 76 years old.

"After the Pope's announcement, Berlusconi looks 20 years older," wrote political commentator Antonio Polito on Twitter, and many similar comments appeared on social networks.

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