NEW : Vatican Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone thanked Pope Benedict for his service . The pontiff will later celebrate an Ash Wednesday mass at St. Peter 's Basilica . Huge crowds in the Vatican cheered Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday as he made his first public appearance since announcing his resignation at the end of the month . Benedict cites age and frailty as the reasons for his surprise resignation . TL;DR NEW
NEW : Vatican Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone thanked Pope Benedict for his service . The pontiff will later celebrate an Ash Wednesday mass at St. Peter 's Basilica . Benedict cites age and frailty as the reasons for his surprise resignation . TL;DR NEW