Vatican Condemns Gender Reassignment and Surrogacy as "Threats" to Human Dignity
The Vatican has issued a strong condemnation of gender reassignment surgery and surrogacy, labeling them as "serious threats" to human dignity
Pope Benedict XVI has said he will also renounce the office of Bishop of Rome on 28 February, but added he will keep serving the church "through a life dedicated to prayer".
The pope said his strength is no longer adequate to continue in office as pope, in an announcement that shocked all people, not only Catholic believers, around the world.
In an official statement, he said:
"After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry...
"In today's world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the bark of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognise my incapacity to adequately fulfil the ministry entrusted to me."
He became Pope in 2005 following John Paul II's death.
Resignations from the papacy are not unknown, but this is the first in the modern era, which has been marked by pontiffs dying while in office.
At 78, the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was one of the oldest new popes in history when elected.
He took the helm as one of the fiercest storms the Catholic Church has faced in decades - the scandal of child sex abuse by priests - was breaking.
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Amid escalating tensions on its borders and a significant increase in the Ministry of National Defense budget, Romania is discreetly preparing for the reintroduction of compulsory military service
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced today that Russia will escalate strikes on Ukrainian storage bases housing weapons supplied by Western nations
In a move aimed at bolstering its military forces amid the ongoing war with Russia, Ukraine has announced the suspension of consular services for its male citizens eligible for military service and residing abroad
A high-profile scandal rocks Ukraine's political landscape as Mykola Solskyi, Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food and former Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture, faces allegations of involvement in an organized criminal group orchestra
A dire situation looms over European airspace as thousands of passenger planes, predominantly ferrying tourists, find themselves ensnared in a perilous web of Russian jamming attacks, leaving them disoriented and vulnerable mid-flight.
Bulgaria holds the 15th spot worldwide in terms of average salaries for individuals engaged in freelance professions, boasting an average wage of $148
UN Happiness Report: Bulgaria's Astonishing Leap in Rankings
Bulgaria: 3 Regions With Lowest Life Expectancy - EU Report 2022