Pope Could Retire, Official Suggests
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From Times Wire Reports
A top Vatican official addressed whether ailing Pope John Paul II, 84, should retire. Cardinal Angelo Sodano, who ranks No. 2 behind the pope in the Vatican hierarchy, did not take a position on the question but implied that retirement was a possibility.
Asked if the frail pontiff had considered stepping down, Sodano said:
“We leave this to the conscience of the pope. If there is ... a man who has marvelous wisdom, it is the pope. We must have enormous faith in him. He knows what he must do.”
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