WASHINGTON – House Speaker John Boehner is resigning his position as the top House Republican and his seat in Congress at the end of October, a senior leadership aide said Friday. Boehner announced his decision to colleagues Friday morning, sharing the news with House Republicans during a closed-door conference meeting.

The abrupt decision comes after he faced heavy pressure from conservatives in his party to take a harder line on their causes, most recently over defunding Planned Parenthood. Boehner, who has served as House Speaker since 2011, explained during the closed-door meeting that he had only planned to serve two terms as speaker but decided to hold onto his post after then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor lost his seat during a primary last year, a Republican lawmaker in the room told CNN. Boehner also told the lawmakers that Pope Francis’ visit to Congress the day before was a crystallizing moment, according to the lawmaker. Boehner’s decision came as a shock to many, with his top deputy House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy finding out moments before. The House Speaker is third in line for the presidency after the vice president. (CNN/PHOTO: washingtontimes.com)…[+]