Q: Pope Benedict is resigning on Feb. 28. The last pope to resign did so about 600 years ago. What was the reason for that pope’s resignation?
—Kathy McDonough, Peachtree Corners
A: Pope Gregory XII resigned in 1415 to help end the Western Schism, which split the Catholic Church from 1378-1417. Gregory was among three men who claimed the papacy; the others were Avignon Pope Benedict XIII and Pisa Pope John XXIII. Each claimant had his "own following, his own Sacred College of Cardinals and his own administrative offices," according to Encyclopedia Britannica. John XXIII was deposed and the claims of Benedict XIII were dismissed, leading to the election of Pope Martin V in 1417, which ended the schism.
Q: Several days ago I received a YouTube clip where a national newscaster stated that the killer used four pistols to kill the Connecticut schoolchildren. He indicated the assault rifle was in the killer’s car and never fired. Since then, I have heard several local newscasters state that an assault rifle was used. Please clarify.
—Larry Fountain, Dunwoody
A: Lt. J. Paul Vance of the Connecticut State Police reiterated last month that Adam Lanza killed 20 children and six school employees with a Bushmaster XM-15 E2S rifle that had a 30-round magazine. "There's no doubt that the rifle was used solely to kill 26 people in that school," Vance said in a news conference on Jan. 24. The state also issued a release on Jan. 18 "to eliminate any confusion or misinformation." It stated the Bushmaster, a Glock 10mm handgun and a Sig-Sauer P226 9mm handgun were found inside Sandy Hook Elementary School. An Izhmash Canta-12 12-gauge shotgun was taken from the trunk of Lanza's car in the school's parking lot.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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