Papal renunciation Western Schism in 1415 and the first to do so on his own initiative since Celestine V in 1294. His action was unexpected, given that the modern era popes have held the position from election until death. He said he was motivated by his declining health due to old age. The conclave to select his successor began on 12 March 2013 and elected Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, who took the name "Francis". Before setting out for Paris to crown Napoleon in 1804, Pope Pius VII (1800–1823) signed a document of renunciation to take effect if he
The News Lens The News Lens The News Lens is an independent bilingual website based in Taiwan and Hong Kong which offers news from around the globe and within Greater China. Founded by Joey Chung and Mario Yang in 2013, the website aims to provide an independent and analytical alternative to the country's newspapers. Article categories include politics, economics, technology, society, life, and more. The News Lens has completed its series A financing. Current investors include North Base Media, a firm created by Marcus Brauchli and Sasa Vucinic; 500 Startups; Lionrock Capital founder and chief executive officer Hari Kumar; venture capitalist Herbert Chang;