>> welcome to "the journal." pulp benedict xvi will resign at the end of february -- pope benedict will resign. this makes him the first pontiff in 600 years to step down. it is meant to be a job for life, but pope benedict xvi says he is stepping down at the end of the month. a huge shock for the catholic church and its 1 billion followers. >> the 85-year-old german is resigning because of a progressive decline in land his health and not because of an illness. the new pope will have to be elected. the vatican says that will happen before the end of march. >> it was the moment that will

go down in history, a moment even his closest aides were not prepared for. benedict was presiding over a meeting ever cardinals called to discuss business, instead he announced he will become the first pope in six centuries to resign. >> in order to steer the ship of st. peter and proclaim the gospel, both strength of body and mind are necessary. that strength has deteriorated in meat so that i have noticed the adequacy of my inability to fill that entrusted to me. >> the head of the college of cardinals said his mission will continue even after he steps down. in declining health has been increasingly obvious over the recent weeks.

>> the pope said he repeated the examine his conscience in front of god. it was a deep personal decision taken in the solid atmosphere of prayer before the lord. it >> on st. peter's square, visitors reacted with shock and concern. some also expressed admiration for his decision. >> we are all wondering what spiritual or physical pain could have brought the pope to resign from his office. >> this decision shows he has great faith. it takes a great man to be able to say, i resign. >> he stressed that he was well aware of the gravity of his decision. he said he believed it was necessary for the good of the church. >> we are joined now by john

from "the guardian" in rome. what has come out of the vatican since the news this morning? >> this is a courageous decision. the pope has taken it upon himself to bring his church face-to-face with the realities of the modern world. one of which is that modern medicine can keep people alive much longer than in the past but that people who are kept alive are just not up to the task of dealing with the demands of a vast organization like the catholic church, leading such a vast organization. they are saying that the pope took this decision after much agonizing, but there are

obviously going to be questions asked about whether he, perhaps, knows more about his own state of health that has been made public. it is noticeable in the extract you used, he talked about the state not only of his body but also of his mind. he said both had deteriorated in the recent times. >> john hooper from rahm, thank you for the analysis. -- from rome. reactions have been pouring in. israel's chief rabbi said the pontiff helped reduce anti- semitism. >> the german government says they are moved and touched by his resignation and chancellor angela merkel called him one of the most significant religious figures of our time. >> the german president said he supported the surprising decision speaking of the pope's

courage and self direction saying he always maintained a special bond with his native country. >> seeing a german succeed pope john paul ii was a victory for our country. in benedick's ministry, they combine high philosophical teaching with a straight forward manner of speaking and humanitarian kindness. chancellor merkel also commented on benedict's decision expressing understanding or his motivations. she praised him as saying that, as pope, he committed himself to interfaith dialogue. >> restrengthen the ties to the eastern orthodox churches. he reached out to jews and muslims. . xvi is and will remain one of the greatest religious figures of our time.

>> i cannot imagine this. a pope is elected to serve until the end of his life. it is a decision that will perhaps make room for younger generation to take office. >> for the most part, his move received strong support from the german capital. >> for more, we're joined now by our religious affairs correspondent. john, you have and our correspondent during the entire time of his role. did the news, as a surprise? >> not entirely, sabrina. 10 years ago, he said in public that he thought it was appropriate in the modern world that a pope should himself decided perhaps he is not up to the job anymore because of physical and mental considerations. at the time he was criticized because he could be suggesting that john paul ii should resign. he did not mean that at all.

he is a much more modern person than the media tends to give him credit for and it really does not surprise me he has now made this decision. >> what do think his legacy will be? >> it's difficult to sum up in a few words. there's a lot of talk about the need for reforms in the catholic church. i think it's terribly important. there are all kinds of reforms necessary, but he talked about a renewal, something very much more profound and that is something people will reflect on even after he is gone. >> who might be chosen as the next pope, do you think? >> they believe the cardinals who elect the pope are guided by the holy spirit. if it were up to me, i think it should be someone from latin america or perhaps even africa. that would bring a whole new spirit into the church and it

could be very beneficial, particularly in europe, to have that kind of outside influence. >> thank you so much, john. and now look at some of the controversy. when he took the helm in 2005, the catholic church was in the midst of one of its most difficult times in history. >> several sex abuse scandal came to light. >> the pope faced other struggles. let's take a look back at his legacy. >> it was the new 19th of april, 2005, that joseph ratzinger became the first german pope in nearly 500 years. >> the cardinals have chosen me, a humble laborer in the lord's vineyard. i>> it was the life devoted to

the church. he was born in a tiny village in upper bavaria. his family was devoted catholic. he studied theology and rose quickly through the ranks of the church. he became known for his humility and develop a large following. at world youth day in cologne, his mission was to unite faith with reason. the pope wanted to promote inter-faith the dialogue as the relationship became strained. he downgraded muslims with a controversial comment about islam in 2006. while he professed respect for jews, he created an uproar when he revoked the excommunication of rebel bishops, among them a conservative who denies the holocaust. perhaps his most testing time,

allegations surfaced that catholic priests had sexually abused and raped children for decades and it was tolerated by church superiors. in 2011, he returned to germany and he told parliament that religion had lost its meaning for many people. the most recent controversy was the saw the pointing to corruption in the highest echelon of the church. >> all three monotheistic religions go back to the same origin with abraham being a father. nevertheless, relations between judaism, islam, and christianity remain strained. there have been raise of hope and moments of reconciliation. in our next report, we look at relations during the popsy of pope benedict -- papacy of benedict xvi.

>> his speech was meant to be clear signal of improved relations. >> shalom. i would like to take this opportunity to assure you that i intend to continue with all my strength toward improved relations with the jewish people. that is the path on which john paul ii took great steps. >> years later, he visited auschwitz. but this was just one side of a tricky balancing act. his actions within the church causing doubts about his commitment to the friendship. in 2007, benedict revived the mass that satisfied a

conservative catholics, but it includes the good friday prayer for jews asking that they recognize jesus sows their savior. he sparked controversy again when he lifted the excommunication of the ultra- conservative bishop, an advocate for denying the holocaust. he immediately sought to contain the damage. he called holocaust denial intolerable and met several times with jewish leaders. but we cannot expect a stronger commitment to continued dialogue and warm friendship between judaism and christianity. >> he continually sought contact with jewish leaders working to build mutual respect. there was still a mixture of praise and criticism. the same was true of muslims. in september 2012, benedict

traveled to 11 on. he also attempted to build bridges with muslims. -- traveled to lebanon. >> it is not rare to see both religions coexist in the same family in lebanon. if that is possible within a family, why should not be possible across all of society? >> benedick exacerbated the rift between many christians and muslims early on in his papacy. speaking before an audience at the university of higgins bird on reason and religion, he called a byzantine's emperor critique from the 14th century. >> he said, show me just what muhammed brought that was new and there you will find things only evil and in human to spread what he preached.

>> violent protests followed. it was an outspoken comments calling for damage control. the pope flew to turkey where he prayed at the blue mosque side by side with muslim leaders. after his infamous lecture, the vatican also began a new dialogue initiative with muslim leaders. and many welcomed the gesture of reconciliation. >> we are taking a short one man a break, but when we return, more on benedict's resignation. >> a big party going on in germany. it is rose monday. we explain after the break. >> stay tuned.

>> welcome back. what is the future of the catholic church now that pope benedict xvi is stepping down?

what would he want? >> in a rare event in 2006, lucky journalists got a chance to hear his vision for the church. >> let's hear from the outgoing pulte in his own words. -- outgoing pope. >> this has been the summer residence for popes. benedict xvi sat down here with a group of german reporters. they wanted to hear about what the pope had to say about dwindling membership in the face of scandals. he spoke of a crisis of faith. >> in the west draw world, we are experiencing secularism. the world we encounter is created by us humans and got no

longer appears in it directly. progress is only progress if it benefits us as human beings and we continue to grow epaminondas does technical capabilities, but our moral power. the real problem is the imbalance between the immense rapid growth of our technical capabilities and our moral capacity. christianity, catholicism, it is not just a collection of bands and provisions. it's a positive option. to start with, it is this task we are charged with to make clear what positive things we want and we work across cultures and religions. the african and the asians are terrified of our cold rationality.

what i want to pass on is the courage to dare to make inclusive decisions, the ones that make growth and progress possible, ones freedom but givee proper direction and space. the courage to make that conclusively to really embrace life. >> benedict oversaw a catholic church facing one of its most typical times. working to keep the church relevant, he maintained the importance of individual transformation. >> let's go back to our religious affairs correspondent. how much will the pope be missed? >> he will be criticized particularly within germany and the society in general quite a lot, but i think when he is removed from the center of power

and he retires to some monastery and disappears from the public eye, he will emerge as this comfortable old grandfather pope. >> what is the plan to do after he steps down the february 28th? >> it is not entirely clear yet. i believe he intends to retire to a monastery. i suspect it will probably be in bavaria simply because he is a bavarian. he loves the countryside. he loves the view of the alps one has from southern bavaria. his family is also there. he has relatives there including his older brother. >> you reported on many of his foreign trips. what event stands out for you the most as being typical for his papacy?

>> two things come to mind. one was in jordan. we were in imam, and the crown prince was showing him being moscow his family built. although there was this flurry of -- showing him this mosque. although there was this flurry of security, he was listening with a rapt attention. it is the kind of attention someone can give if they are only at peace with themselves, someone with a core of calmness. i have heard it reported often and i have seen it then. another thing i will briefly mentioned is in scotland when he was received by the queen. she began by saying, i have met a number of your predecessors, and he listened politely.

he thanked the british as a german for their resistance to the nazis. it was on the eve of the battle of brittain. it was the humility of the man and it touched her. when he turned to go inside, she took his arm and they went capet are in armed to the castle. that authenticity touched a lot of people. >> john, thanks. a car bomb explosion on the border between syria and turkey has killed at least 10 people. 40 others injured. officials say the vehicle exploded between two checkpoints on the border. it was reported to have syrian license plates. there have been repeated incidents on the border since the civil war began nearly two years ago. a possible arms deal has spurned a major debate in germany.

saudi arabia is looking to buy petrol boats from berlin. >> according to german media reports, the national security council has given the deal a nod, but the government would still have to approve it. >> there has been widespread public criticism. arms exports are already controversial and there spotty human rights record has only spotted flames. >> german patrol boats are at what saudi arabia wants to buy. das bild says it has already been approved by the national security council who meets behind closed doors. there are also looking at the request to deliver them armor- fighting vehicles of well as leopard two battle tanks. for years, they have been a major importer of german weapons systems. they say they do take human rights into account into approving weapons exports, but

critics say they could use them against the wrong people or other populations in the region. they helped crush popular protests in neighboring bahrain. one reason they continue to send arms to saudi arabia and its neighbor qatar is to counter iran. just last month, they threaten to block the strait of hormuz, one of the world's most important delivery routes for oil. >> concerns over the strength of the euro is one issue dominating a meeting of eurozone finance ministers in brussels. they talked about a potential aid package of cyprus. they need 17 billion euro to stay afloat, but there are concerns about their banking system and money laundering. they say if cyprus receives no help, they will slide into dfault. >> how did react -- how did the

markets react? stfan sends us this report. >> traders in frankfurt and discussed its help for cyprus is really necessary. they say it's rather small, but they fear a domino effect if the country would really fall. trading in general is low today. dax has been flat line all day on this rose money, a big carnival othey. investors are waiting and for the end of the carnival days. many european banks will probably report their results. this will also be written into prisons. >> as mentioned, not a whole lot of movement on monday. closing about 25% -- 0.25% lower.

it is a similar story for the eurostoxx 50. the dow jones considering slightly lower, but the euro against the dollar is higher at $1.3411. finally, it is rose monday here in germany, the high points of the annual carnival festival. celebrations are especially rowdy in the rhineland region. the costumes may not be as big and colorful as those in rio de janeiro, but the you revellers give it their best shot. >> carnival revelers marching through cologne. this year's model, carnival is in your blood. dance groups from as far away as rio de janeiro are joining to liven up the festivities. of course, the news of the

pope's resignation has already made the rounds in catholic cologne. >> he is an elderly man. we have to take that into account. >> i respect him. he looked a little beat up. other than that, he was ok. >> they are also pulling out all the stops. special costumes like these have been a trademark of the festivities here for over 90 years. it also features large boats, many with satirical messages for german politicians. -- it also features large floats. in dusseldorf, they have put one together for a recent plagiarism scandal. there is a good-natured float and festivity. >> pope benedict xvi has resigned.

the pontiff says he no longer has the physical or mental strength to continue his duties. he made the announcement at the meeting of cardinals this morning. the news was a surprise even to the vatican. chancellor merkel said she has the greatest respect for his decision. he will step down february 28th. >> things for watching. stay with us. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--