Shock step by traditional pope in line with Church law

PARIS (Reuters) - Pope Benedict would not be the meticulous theologian he has always been if he didn't make sure even his shocking resignation - the first by a pontiff in over 700 years - was fully in line with Roman Catholic doctrine.

His announcement was so stunning that many Catholics will have instinctively asked if a pope is allowed to step down. For many of them, Pope John Paul's long and very public agony before he died in 2005 is the iconic image of the end of a papacy.