Pope Francis hopes for the grace to know when to quit

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TigerLily-1

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Pope Francis saying ‘he hopes he knows when the right time to step down’ has really surprised me! I wonder whether Popes retiring will become standard in the future?

https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2018/05...-he-hopes-for-the-grace-to-know-when-to-quit/
In 2014, Francis called Benedict’s resignation a “beautiful gesture of nobility, of humility and courage,” adding it “cleared a path for later popes to do the same.”

He also said Benedict’s resignation “should not be considered an exception, but an institution.”

In 2015, he said there should not be “leaders for life” in the Church, saying this only happens in dictatorships.
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https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/pope-thought-time-leave-55170397
 
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Considering that Popes nowadays are expected to be on international TV and flying all over the world, it’s a pretty demanding job for men in their 80s. I’m quite impressed by how long the last few have managed to hang in there, as I know relatively few people their age who could even begin to keep up that pace.
 
Tis_Bearself said:
onsidering that Popes nowadays are expected to be on international TV and flying all over the world, it’s a pretty demanding job for men in their 80s.
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I was thinking the same thing. It’s a tough schedule even for someone even younger than they are. It seems there are news items about the Pope giving an audience, sermon or traveling somewhere almost every day. Perhaps cutting down on the traveling and fewer interviews and audiences could be considered?
 
I think watching Pope John Paul II struggle in his final years made a big impression on the cardinals.
 
TigerLily-1 said:
Pope Francis saying ‘he hopes he knows when the right time to step down’ has really surprised me! I wonder whether Popes retiring will become standard in the future?
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They won’t. They are steadfast. Benedict XVI resigned because the church itself was in dire need.
 
TigerLily-1 said:
I wonder whether Popes retiring will become standard in the future?
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Pope Francis isn’t going to retire anytime soon. He’s having way too much fun! And he’s not finished stacking the College of Cardinals. I wouldn’t be surprised if he lasts long enough to be the oldest pope ever. Only twelve more years to go!
 
TigerLily-1 said:
Pope Francis saying ‘he hopes he knows when the right time to step down’ has really surprised me! I wonder whether Popes retiring will become standard in the future?
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Pope Francis has always hinted at the possibility of retiring like Pope Benedict did.

I really think Pope’s retiring might become a new norm. A lot of bishops don’t want to see what happened with Pope John Paul II at the end of his papacy happen again. He was a wonderful Pope, but there was a lot that didn’t get done towards the end of his papacy due to his illness, and that was when the sex abuse scandal was breaking.
 
AndrewAxland said:
He’s having way too much fun! And he’s not finished stacking the College of Cardinals
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Agreed! 😀

What it sounds like to me – and I’m most likely wrong – is he thinks it’s OK for Popes to retire and hopes when “it’s his time” he’ll have the grace to know it’s time. Personally, I don’t think Popes should retire unless they’re very infirm or sick and there’s some kind of major crisis in the Church.
 
TigerLily-1 said:
OK for Popes to retire and hopes when “it’s his time” he’ll have the grace to know it’s time. Personally, I don’t think Popes should retire unless they’re very infirm or sick and there’s some kind of major crisis in the Church.
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Well, the Church after Vatican II has mandated that Bishops submit a letter of resignation at age 75 (though the Pope doesn’t have to accept it) and force Cardinals to retire as voters at 80.

It only make sense (eps after St. Pope John Paul II) that the Church looks to have Popes retire too. I would not be surprised if one day a Pope sets a mandatory retirement age for himself and future popes at something like 85.
 
phil19034 said:
I would not be surprised if one day a Pope sets a mandatory retirement age for himself and future popes at something like 85.
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I don’t know. I’m not sure every pope emeritus will be as graceful in retirement as Pope Benedict has been…
 
mrsdizzyd said:
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phil19034:
I would not be surprised if one day a Pope sets a mandatory retirement age for himself and future popes at something like 85.
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I don’t know. I’m not sure every pope emeritus will be as graceful in retirement as Pope Benedict has been…
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why? we have had a ton of Bishop and Archbishop emeritus now. And some have even sat by and watched their replacement undo a number of changes they put in place.

The United States has also had 200+ years of “President emeritus” sitting quietly while other presidents do things that they might totally disagree with.

It can be done out of respect for the office.
 
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phil19034 said:
The United States has also had 200+ years of “President emeritus” sitting quietly while other presidents do things that they might totally disagree with.
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We’ll see what happens to that legacy…
 
phil19034 said:
I would not be surprised if one day a Pope sets a mandatory retirement age for himself and future popes at something like 85.
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A pope cannot so mandate a retirement age for future popes. Even if written into canon law, the next pope could remove the change.
 
PaulfromIowa said:
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phil19034:
I would not be surprised if one day a Pope sets a mandatory retirement age for himself and future popes at something like 85.
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A pope cannot so mandate a retirement age for future popes. Even if written into canon law, the next pope could remove the change.
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Sure a Pope can “mandate” it. But, like you said the next Pope could change it
 
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The problem that you run into with Popes retiring is that you can have a situation like the Avignon Schism where one Pope says he retires but comes back and you have multiple “Popes”. Benedict and Francis (if he retires) won’t be like this but it could easily happen in the future. It would not be pretty.
 
I was thinking of the Avignon papacy when I made my initial comment. We can’t predict how future popes emeritus will react to the new pope. As it is, people are trying to lobby Pope Benedict. Thankfully Pope Benedict is a good and holy man who has never liked Vatican politics.
 
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