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Insomnia drove late Pope Benedict to resign

Recently deceased ex-pope Benedict described years of persistent sleeping troubles as the “main reason” behind his shock decision to step down in 2013, according to a German media report. A nasty accident on a papal visit to Mexico and Cuba in March 2012 precipitated Benedict’s final decision to resign. It was quickly clear to Benedict that the medical restrictions could only be followed “for a short time”, he wrote, leading him to announce he would step down in 2013 before the next major trip to Brazil.