Cardinal Dolan: Pope Francis to visit predecessor

VATICAN CITY (AP) -- A prominent American cardinal has said newly elected Pope Francis will visit his predecessor Benedict XVI on Thursday at the papal retreat in Castel Gandolfo south of Rome.

Timothy Dolan said Wednesday at the North American College, the U.S. seminary in Rome, that Francis told fellow cardinals following the conclave that made him pope: "Tomorrow morning, I'm going to visit Benedict."

The conclave made Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio the first pontiff from the Americas and the first from outside Europe in more than a millennium. Benedict's stunning resignation last month has raised concerns about the peculiar situation of having a reigning pope and a retired one.