Resignation of Pope Francis

The resignation of Pope Francis took effect on 25 December 2018 at 20:00 CET, following his announcement of it on 11 December. It made him the first pope to relinquish the office since Gregory XII was forced to resign in 1415 to end the Western Schism, and the first pope to voluntarily resign since Celestine V in 1294.

All other popes in the modern era have held the position from election until death. Francis cited the ongoing Catholic Church child sexual abuse scandal as his reason. The conclave to select his successor began on 30 December 2018 and elected Cardinal Robert Sarah, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, who took the name of Pius XIII.