Maltese Cardinal Prospero Grech believes the Pope took an “honest and courageous step” when he announced his retirement on Monday.

“Like everybody else it came as a surprise, though looking back we should have had some sort of inkling. In some of his speeches and writing he had at least spoken theoretically of a Pope abdicating... Except at the time it didn’t cross anybody’s mind,” Mgr Grech told The Times.  

Mgr Grech, 87, spoke to Ariadne Massa. (See video).

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