I saw a picture of him recently in the catholic press and he looked pretty bad. He is an old man to begin with and this job (like president) is really hard on people. Just look at the before and after pictures of our past presidents. I don't doubt that there is a plan afoot to replace him with another old school hard-liner, but I do respect him for stepping down as his health is failing. Depending on how you count, there have be 6 other popes resign and the church has a procedure for it. Conclave will begin immediately after his resignation takes effect rather than the normal 9 days of mourning after death of a pope. There is online wagering if you want to place a bet on who the new pope will be.