The Pope, Benedict XVI, 85 has announced he will step down at the end of the month in an announcement that sent shockwaves around the world. He said he will resign his duties as head of the Catholic Church due to his age.

As if a sign from God, a heavy lighting struck  the basilica of St.Peter's dome earlier this evening during a storm that struck Rome on the same day Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation

The decision is unprecedented. He is the first Pope to resign since Gregory XII in 1415 and no Pontiff in history has stepped down on health grounds.

He said: "Both strength of mind and body are necessary strengths, which in the last few months have deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfil the ministry entrusted to me."

Last night, tweeting from his @pontifex Twitter account, he wrote: "We must trust in the mighty power of God’s mercy. We are all sinners, but His grace transforms us and makes us new."

Although the Pope's announcement this morning came as a huge shock to his colleagues, there have been rumours about his health over the last few years.

The Vatican stressed that no specific medical condition prompted Benedict's decision, but in recent years, the Pope has slowed down significantly, cutting back his foreign travel and limiting his audiences. A leading daily quoted that a doctor familiar with the pope's medical team said the Pontiff has no grave or life-threatening illnesses; but the doctor said, like many men his age, the Pope has suffered some prostate problems.