Pope to leave behind a Church in crisis
- Published: 12 Feb 2013 at 00.44
- Online news: World
Pope Benedict XVI will leave behind a Catholic Church grappling with crises from child abuse scandals involving priests to confronting radical Islam as well as struggling to find its place in an increasingly secular Western world.
Pope Benedict XVI arriving to deliver his traditional Christmas "Urbi et Orbi" blessing from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on December 25, 2012
German cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who will step down at the end of this month after an eight-year pontificate, was elected pope on April 19, 2005 at a time when anger at clerical abuse was at its height in parts of Europe and North America, shaking the faith of many ordinary Catholics.
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