VATICAN CITY — He circumnavigated St. Peter’s Square in the popemobile for the last time. He gave his final waves to cheering masses. And most profoundly, Pope Benedict XVI bestowed his valedictory words to the world in a heartfelt, sometimes wistful address that highlighted the price of being a pope — and its rays of happiness.
His eight-year papacy held moments of ‘‘joy and light,’’ at times resembling the boat carrying Peter and the Apostles on the Sea of Galilee, enjoying many days of sun, gentle breezes, and abundant fish, Benedict told tens of thousands of people during his general audience, which was moved to a sun-soaked St. Peter’s Square from the usual auditorium to accommodate the crowd.
Comments
It would be interesting to know the real story behind this hasty resignation and self-exile.
I think the Church as a religious organization should also resign. However, I don’t think her hospitals, schools, universities, philanthropic endeavors should go, but most of her religious teachings need to be entirely discarded. Let’s start off with one: Its claims that it is the representative of God on Earth and that all its (her?) teachngs are from God. If God speaks to the Church only, why not to the rest of us? Is God a snob? I thought, however, that God only spoke to the Cabot
to the Cabots.
to the Cabots.