At age 85, pope Benedict will resign, becoming the first pontiff since Middle Ages to quit. Pope Benedict XVI (photo credit: REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach ) Pope Benedict XVI (photo credit: REUTERS/Jason Reed) Pope Benedict XVI (photo credit: REUTERS/Menahem Kahana) Pope Benedict XVI (photo credit: REUTERS/Max Rossi) Pope Benedict XVI (photo credit: REUTERS/Pawel Kopczynski) Pope Benedict XVI (photo credit: REUTERS/Dave Thompson) Pope Benedict XVI (photo credit: REUTERS/Osservatore Romano) Elected to the papacy on April 19, 2005, whe was 78 -- 20 years older than John Paul was when he was elected. The pontiff will step down from 1900 GMT on Feb. 28, leaving the office vacant until a successor was chosen to Benedict who succeeded John Paul, one of history's most popular pontiffs.
