and the corporation for public broadcasting. >> welcome. i'm bob abernethy. it's good to have you with us. pope benedict xvi stunned the world this week with the surprise announcement that he's decided to resign, the first pope to step down in 600 years. our coverage today includes analysis from two experts on the church, and it begins with reaction from catholics and non-catholics alike, gathered by our managing editor kim lawton. >> benedict said he's resigning "for the good of the church." >> isn't that a profound sign of his own humility in that he was able to recognize when, you know, it just was more than he could handle? and instead of letting just sort of others do the job, he viewed very strongly that we needed somebody in that position that would really be able to take the helm. >> i think this decision was made out of love for the church and her needs. >> but it was an almost unprecedented decision. >> in my lifetime, popes have died in office. one has never resigned. and then i all of a sudden discovered that, well, no wonder, it's been almost 600