Mike Rivero ~ Pope Resignation May be Caused by The Vatican money-laundering scandal

Pope Benedict has shocked a billion Roman Catholics around the world, and his closest advisers, by announcing that he will resign at the end of this month. The Pope, who is 85 years old, has been the head of the Church since 2005.The Vatican bank is facing a possible money-laundering scandal after it emerged JP Morgan was closing one of its accounts due to a lack of information about the source of deposits, Italian newspapers report. The bank, officially known as the Institute for Works of Religion (IOR in Italian), reportedly failed to provide a Milan affiliate of JP Morgan with details about payments into the account, in which €1.8 billion has been deposited in the last 18 months.Benedict XVI's shock resignation has set tongues wagging as some Italians question why he has become the first Pope for nearly 600 years to step down.