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Citing his age (85) and diminished strength, the pontiff plans to step down effective Feb. 28. It's likely that a conclave to elect a new pope will be held by mid-March. A pope hasn't stepped down this way since 1415.

Pope Benedict announced Monday morning he is retiring at the end of the month. He will be the first pontiff to step aside in six centuries.

Donna Ambrosia went into labor in Norwich, Ct. She inched toward the hospital in an ambulance behind a snowplow. The baby was born in the parking lot. In Maine, Karen Willis and Greg Beal went ahead with their wedding.

Pope Benedict XVI announced Monday that he will resign on February 28 because he no longer has the strength to fulfill the duties of his office. For more details, Renee Montagne speaks with journalist Josephine McKenna in Rome.

Also: Manhunt continues for ex-Los Angeles police officer suspected in three murders; Northeast and New England continue to dig out from weekend blizzard; Medal of Honor to be awarded at White House.

"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," the 85-year-old pontiff says.

A car exploded, killing at least several people and wounding many more, according to news reports. NPR's Deborah Amos, who was at the border crossing, says the blast caused panic.

Pope Benedict XVI announced Monday that he will resign on Feb. 28. For more on what his resignation means for the future of the Vatican leadership, Steve Inskeep talks with Mathew Schmalz, a professor of religious studies at College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass.

Pope Benedict XVI made a surprise announcement Monday morning that he will resign at the end of February. For more on his legacy and what the succession of a new pope may bring, Renee Montagne talks with Father Thomas Reese, senior fellow at Georgetown University's Woodstock Theological Center.