Pope Benedict XVI, whose reign was hobbled by the clergy sexual abuse crisis, as well as internal Vatican scandals and external controversies, announced Monday that he would relinquish the post he has held for barely eight years.
The surprise announcement, which the pontiff attributed to increasing physical and mental frailty, instantly transformed the study of the Vatican’s internal workings from an esoteric obsession of a few hundred journalists, Catholic bloggers, and prelates into a global preoccupation. Benedict is the first pope to resign in nearly 600 years.
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Seven and a half years overdue, but better late than never.
On conversing (in perfect English, by the way) with the then Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger after a private Mass in Rome, I was struck by his gentleness, his deep humility, and a palpable aura of holiness that radiated from his person. It was then that I grasped instinctively why medieval and Renaissance artists placed halos around the heads of holy men and women. (If you have never met a holy person, I suggest you try to make the acquaintance of one sometime; it is very good for the soul.)
Notwithstanding the brevity of his pontificate, honest historians, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, will remember Benedict XVI as among the great Popes, if only because of the quality of his thought, expressed in a prolific body of work rendered in a style at once profound, elegant, pellucid, and chaste. If you have never read any of his writings, you are in for a treat. Even biased historians will have to consider him as one of the two or three greatest theologians of the last century: smarter than all who were holier, and holier than all who were smarter (and there were not many in this latter category - certainly none among his ignorant detractors on this board).
No soul has known more or done less about the pederasts infesting the Church than Ratzinger. No person is more guilty of the cover-up. "Palpable aura of holiness" - give me a break! There's a special place for you-know-who in you-know-where.
You are joking arn't you?
Funny, but reading the Pope's letter of resignation, even if he dictated it, makes one wonder how a man who claims to be "mentally frailed" can be so articulate and profound in his writings about why he feels compelled to resign.The statement seems to be contradictory to his demonstrated ability to clearly rationalize the reasons he needs to retire.
The resignation for illness is a stark contrast to his predecessor, Pope John Paul's,oft-stated reson for staying on until his death who for his last 12 yeqrs or more was very ill but embaced his illnesses as his ministry deliberately to demonstate and to be a beacon for all Catholics who are infirmed to follow as their spiritual leader. Plus he was not nearly as articulate as Benedict in his last few years.
My instincts prompt me to believe that he is overwhelmed to attempt to substantiate his direct involvement in the decades-long cover-up of the sexual abuse cases by so many priests over whom he was the highest official in the Vatican to whom every instance of the litany of pedophilia and of sexual abuse was sent for final dispensation.
That issue was just too grave for any mortal to endure at his age and physical and mental condition.
May he find peace during the rest of his days,
Geez, Leo...I feel so ignorant...thank you so much for drawing out how much you think you know, and of which I care less. You're about as disconnected with us ignorant detractors as the Pope himself. I am a non-practicing Catholic. 16 years of Catholic schooling has now been dismissed because those who execute their interpretation of the word of Christ, have killed our trust and extinguished our desire to worship. I think Father Weiss needs to wake up a bit. It's not the papacy that has lost the credibility, it's those who lead the American Catholic Church. We just look towards the papacy to react.
I have two teens who are each in separate Cathoic schools. I was married in a Catholic church as my wife is Catholic, I was raised Protestant but as the last of five, my parents had pretty much given up and never had me baptised which is fine with me.
Oddly, my children have both become more opposed to organized religion since they entered their respective schools. That said, I don't mind staying awake at night thinking about the tuition bills when I am blown away impressed at the education they are getting along with the grades they have. I am also glad to know they didn't become religious lemmings in the process. Don't get me wrong, I don't dispise any religion but just keep it on "your" side of the fence. That is especially true given that back half of what you noted Tommy. Good post.
They say he was a great pope. And across Europe, thousand year old churches and cathedrals are empty. Churches across Canada, the US, Mexico and probably other countries where I have never been are decaying with no clergy to minister and no faithful to minister to.
I guess maybe he was a great pope, if "narrow and reactionary" is your definition of "great".
He's a great pope like the Supreme Court Chief Justice who decided Dred Scott is a great judge. Also, no one in power ever gives it up volunatarily. Especially in a tradtion bound institution like the church which took years just to decide if we could play folk music at mass. Waiting for the other shoe to drop and I bet it's a financial scandal. Follow the money.