Pope Benedict XVI to Resign?

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Cardinal Cormac , the retired Archbishop of Westminster , has just been on BBC radio . He said that he was surprised but not shocked . He had recently been with the Pope and had noticed how frail he had become .

Well done Pope Benedict for your papacy , and congratulations for your courageous decision .
 
petronus said:
Cardinal Cormac , the retired Archbishop of Westminster , has just been on BBC radio . He said that he was surprised but not shocked . He had recently been with the Pope and had noticed how frail he had become .

Well done Pope Benedict for your papacy , and congratulations for your courageous decision .
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Does anyone have any more reactions from Cardinals?

Dolan says he’s as shocked as we are and says all we can do is pray.
 
I really can’t understand why any one would be shocked by this. The Holy father is an intelligent and very wise man. He is also an old man, growing frailer by the day and apparently under doctors orders not to make any extensive travel plans. He realizes that the frailties of old age have placed him in a position in which he does not feel comfortable and up to the task of trying tokeep the Church together and ruling it effectively.

I for one applaud him on the courage and humility it took to admit such things publically.

Long Live Pope Benedict XVI!!!
 
My admiration for Benedict has increased. I wish that every appointed office had the wisdom and humility to know when to step down. I wish him, and the Church with his successor, the best.
 
Mike30 said:
I really can’t understand why any one would be shocked by this. The Holy father is an intelligent and very wise man. He is also an old man, growing frailer by the day and apparently under doctors orders not to make any extensive travel plans. He realizes that the frailties of old age have placed him in a position in which he does not feel comfortable and up to the task of trying tokeep the Church together and ruling it effectively.

I for one applaud him on the courage and humility it took to admit such things publically.

Long Live Pope Benedict XVI!!!
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I agree. I just hope he still has many more years ahead of him where he can continue to write and keep contributing that brilliant theological mind to the Church. He deserves a good rest after such a tough job. Hat’s off to him, I’m sure at his age I’ll be pushing daisies…
 
floresco said:
I cried when I heard the news this morning. I figured that this was confirmation of the rumours I had been hearing about his failing health. He just cannot do it anymore and is making the decision that is in the best interest of the Church.
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Yes, I cried as well. I love him deeply and have found much hope in his leadership. He is our earthly father. My head is spinning. I just had to find a place where others were talking about this. On the way here (just became a member to find others of like mind) I found such ugly things said about our dear Pope and about Catholics. Normally, I just shake things off, but it was a bit too much this morning. I feel like the rug has been pulled out from under my feet. Our beloved Pope who brought such hope is stepping down. I accept that as the father of the Church his choice is best and I accept it. But it hurts. I pray the next Pope will follow in his footsteps and continue to bring the Church back to it’s roots.
Blessings to you all, Rose4Mary
 
I find this to be a great move for Benedict and the Church. He had enough wits to realize the limits of his ability, and decided to leave now instead of dragging things on. A huge amount of people (esp non-catholics) have a new respect for Benedict and the Church as a whole. Read the comments sections of online articles of the announcement (such as Yahoo). Much more positive view of the Church.
 
choliks said:
Now is not the time to be afriad. The promise of our Lord is still with us. Instead let’s pray for the Holy Father, his successor, the cardinals, and the whole Church. Let’s see this with a heart of gratitude and love. Let’s be thankful for the love and the self-giving our beloved Holy Father has shown us. Let’s give thanks for his faithfulness.
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Yes, yes you are so right. And I write this through tears. But you are right. We must adopt your attitude and pray and sacrifice for the well being of our Pope and that a worthy follower will be found. Thank you, Rose4Mary
 
ConservativeOne said:
Aside from the shock…I had two thoughts:
  1. coming here immediately (the one place I KNEW I’d find fellow Catholics
  2. my second thought, the prophecies of St. Malachy. I believed the news report to be valid but am in shock.
In the prophecies of Pope St. Malachy, there is only one Pope to follow Pope Benedict. “Petrus Romanus” - Peter, the Roman. Aside from the language / and St. Malachy’s interpretations, what does that mean to us all?

We are in a world of turmoil and ignored sins - and perhaps, near the “end” - but I am significantly frightened about this report, even though I know that, if the Pope had died this morning instead of resigned, we’d be in the same place. The shock is, of course, the resignation, which is unheard of in our lifetime but I DID believe it to be a sound reason, IF he feels unable to physically/mentally continue. Yet, as I typed this, I re-thought my position. Popes have gone to their deathbeds in Papal Office - unable to make decisions by then. If that’s the case, then, what is going on?

Just reported - that this resignation allowance (for want of better words) - was instituted in 1917…Does that year hit a cord for anyone?

The fear and tears, for this poor Catholic, is personal. God bless and help Pope Benedict.
God bless and guide the upcoming Pope. God help us all.
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How my heart beats with yours. Bless you, Rose4Mary
 
RocketRM said:
I’m saddened but not shocked. Benedict truly has the Holy Spirit in him. To make such a monumental decision for the good of the Church shows a truly selfless leader.

Let’s hope the Church continues to elect strong leaders who are not swayed by the whims of liberal society and continue to preach the timeless Truth of Jesus.
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Amen - and thank for that firm and uplifting comment. Rose4Mary
 
I can’t remember who it was. Someone mentioned that maybe this is an opportunity for the restoration of the papal tiara. While everything is possible, because the pope makes the law. This seems unlikely.

The Vatican sources said that the Holy Father deliberately chose to use “renounce” instead of “abdicate”, to continue the tradition establish by Pope Paul VI that the pope is not a monarch, but first and foremost he is the Bishop of Rome and the elected sovereign of Vatican City, which is a secular office since Vatican City is a country.

Obviously, if he resigns as Bishop of Rome, he also abdicates as the sovereign of Vatican City. The idea behind Pope Paul’s thinking was that the Pope is not the sovereign of the Church. He is the Pontiff.

It may sound like nit-picking, but being that Pope Paul was a lawyer, I’m sure that the subtle differences in these weord meant a great deal to him.

We’ll just have to wait and see. We have 20 days within which they must begin a conclave. That would mean sometime before March 20. Followed by an installation, just in time for Holy Week, which would begin March 24, if I’m correct.
 
I guess he is doing this because of health. I heard he never really wanted to be pope. Who’s the short list candidates now?
 
billcu1 said:
I guess he is doing this because of health. I heard he never really wanted to be pope. Who’s the short list candidates now?
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According to bookies the three top contenders are: Francis Arinze of Nigeria, Peter Turkson of Ghana and Marc Ouellet of Canada.
 
OraLabora said:
According to bookies the three top contenders are: Francis Arinze of Nigeria, Peter Turkson of Ghana and Marc Ouellet of Canada.
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, Paddy Power is giving Cardinal Marc Ouellet of Quebec the best odds of becoming the next pontiff. Ladbrokes, however, has Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana in the lead. Meanwhile, Chris Matthews has Cardinal Angelo Scola of Milan as the frontrunner.
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boringoldwhiteguy.blogspot.com/2013/02/while-youre-waiting-for-intrade.html
 
billcu1 said:
I guess he is doing this because of health. I heard he never really wanted to be pope. Who’s the short list candidates now?
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sigh< instead of speculating, why don’t we pray for the Pope’s health and be thankful for his generosity in giving his life to the Church.
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otjm said:
However, I heard that Coca Cola was bringing all its weight to bear against Cardinal Angelo… 😛

Has there ever been a bookie or a papal prognosticator who got it right?
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He who enters the conclave as pope exits as cardinal.
choliks said:
sigh< instead of speculating, why don’t we pray for the Pope’s health and be thankful for his generosity in giving his life to the Church.
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We’re human. What can I say 🤷

Personally I think Arinze is a long shot. He’s 80. I’m sure the cardinals don’t want to go through this process again too soon. I think maybe he had a chance in 2005, but now his moment has passed. If it is to be an African pope, it will be someone else I suspect.

Ouellet is conservative. He loves Gregorian chant (a plus in my books!). His (mostly very liberal) clergy, when he was archbishop of Quebec, hated him because he put a stop to the most outrageous abuses such as general confession in general (i.e. not only in times of danger of death), which had become endemic in the archdiocese. The big strike against him is that the Church really is faltering in Quebec in spite of some bright spots. But I’m not sure it’s fair to blame the man for a very powerful, media-fueled secular movement (he has stated he thinks the Church in Quebec is being persecuted). Instead we should look at his faithfulness to Catholicism. I think “traditionalists” who are faithful to the Holy See would like him, he was close to Benedict and seems to me the most likely candidate to carry on his work. That may be a plus or a minus depending on which side of the fence you sit. Of note also, he’s a Sulpician.

I know nothing about Turkson. The reason I know a bit about Ouellet is because I’m also from Quebec, though a different diocese.
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otjm said:
However, I heard that Coca Cola was bringing all its weight to bear against Cardinal Angelo… 😛

Has there ever been a bookie or a papal prognosticator who got it right?
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A lot of people were putting good odds on Ratzinger last time, as I recall.
 
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