It's the first time in 600 years....
It's quite possible that there is something very serious with his health and he wants to prevent chaos should his health go down fast. For example, should it get to a point that the Pope cannot function or he gets so severely impaired, someone has to decide whether to take him out of the position. That's difficult for others and it causes suspicions. Imagine the conspiracy theories that would abound. Perhaps some similar scenario has played put in his head. The bottom line is that he is going out on his terms, and probably not without an awful lot of prayer.
And, we should pray too.
World Youth Day will have a pope, but it won't be the beloved Pope Benedict XVI
Dear Brothers,
I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonizations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the Church. After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry. I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering. However, in today’s world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the bark of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me. For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to me by the Cardinals on 19 April 2005, in such a way, that as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant and a Conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have to be convoked by those whose competence it is.
Dear Brothers, I thank you most sincerely for all the love and work with which you have supported me in my ministry and I ask pardon for all my defects. And now, let us entrust the Holy Church to the care of Our Supreme Pastor, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and implore his holy Mother Mary, so that she may assist the Cardinal Fathers with her maternal solicitude, in electing a new Supreme Pontiff. With regard to myself, I wish to also devotedly serve the Holy Church of God in the future through a life dedicated to prayer.
From the Vatican, 10 February 2013
BENEDICTUS PP XVI
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My only comment, setting aside shock, is to simply pray. The Holy Spirit knows what he is doing, and so does Pope Benedicct XVI. We don't know what is happening behind the scenes, and what has been transpiring with his health.
I trust the Holy Spirit on this one, and I think all of you should too.
UDPATE 1: Here is the list of Cardinal Electors http://www2.fiu.edu/~mirandas/electors-age.htm
UPDATE 2: The secular media is having a field day thinking that a new man will be chosen with their secular, mostly left-wing social world view. Pay them no mind. They are interviewing some in the dissenting wing of the Church as "experts." LOL. They don't know that in Catholicism the Church has no authority to "grant" permission for people to, say, engage in sexual activity outside of Sacramental marriage, nor can the Church change the form and matter of a sacrament.
More thoughts to come, probably tomorrow morning. Stay tuned and just remember: The Holy Spirit is driving this bus.
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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski
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