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Benedict XVI resigns; Conclave begins Tuesday March 12th
Topic Started: Feb 11 2013, 08:09 AM (853 Views)
Quasimodo

Quote:
 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-21411304

Pope Benedict XVI is to resign at the end of this month after nearly eight years as the head of the Catholic Church, saying he is too old to continue at the age of 85.

The unexpected development surprised governments, Vatican-watchers and even the 85-year-old's closest aides.

The Vatican says it expects a new Pope to be elected before the end of March, ahead of Easter.

Papal resignations are not unknown, but this is the first in the modern era.

The BBC's Alan Johnston in Rome says the news has come "out of the blue", and that there was no speculation whatsoever about the move in recent days.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti is quoted as saying he was "greatly shaken by this unexpected news".

A Vatican spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi, said that even the Pope's closest aides did not know what he was planning to do and were left "incredulous". He added that the decision showed "great courage" and "determination".

The brother of the German-born Pope said the pontiff had been advised by his doctor not to take any more transatlantic trips and had been considering stepping down for months.

Talking from his home in Regensburg in Germany, Georg Ratzinger said his brother was having increasing difficulty walking and that his resignation was part of a "natural process".

He added: "His age is weighing on him. At this age my brother wants more rest."

'Incapacity'

At 78, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was one of the oldest new popes in history when elected.

He became Pope in April 2005 following John Paul II's death.

(snip)

In a statement, the pontiff said:

"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 steer the boat 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 recognise my incapacity to adequately fulfil 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."


A German government spokesman said he was "moved and touched" by the surprise resignation of the pontiff.

"The German government has the highest respect for the Holy Father, for what he has done, for his contributions over the course of his life to the Catholic Church.

"He has left a very personal signature as a thinker at the head of the Church, and also as a shepherd."

There is a clause in Church Canon Law saying that a papal resignation is valid if the decision is made freely and manifested properly.

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Quasimodo



There is some speculation that Cardinal Dolan of New York may be a prime candidate to succeed him.




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Quasimodo


The last time a pope resigned was in 1415.

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chatham
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I am betting on a black pope.
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Baldo
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He had a tough act to follow. I admire a person who knows when it is best to step away.
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Quasimodo

chatham
Feb 11 2013, 08:41 AM
I am betting on a black pope.
Quote:
 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/11/pope-resigns-live-reaction

Cardinal Peter Turkson, a Ghanaian, is president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. He has been considered 'papabile' since he was appointed to this post by Benedict XVI in 2009 amid speculation that the next pope would probably be from Africa as part of the Catholic church's attempts to modernise and reach out to a huge Catholic congregation from the Sahel southwards.

Peter Turkson was born in western Ghana to a Methodist mother and Catholic father. As a boy in the seminary he was considered far too boisterous to be content in a contemplative, solemn career in the church.

But he was reportedly begged by his mother to knuckle down and study hard to become a priest, and he did so well he was chosen to move to the US to study at St Anthony-on-Hudson Seminary in Rensselaer, New York, and he was ordained as a priest in 1975.

Returning to Ghana, he became a professor at St Teresa's Seminary, near where he grew up, and dedicated himself to academia as well as performing pastoral work in the local area.

In 1992 he was appointed Archbishop of Cape Coast by Pope John Paul II and served as president of the Ghana Catholic Bishops' Conference from 1997 to 2005.

It was during this time, in 2003, when Pope John Paul made him the first ever Ghanaian cardinal and his influence was extended by Pope Benedict XVI, who appointed him president of the Ponitifical Council for Justice and Peace, a role which sent him around the world mediating in countries such as the Ivory Coast in 2011.

In October of that year he called for the establishment of a 'global public authority' and a 'central world bank' and has come out in favour of a Robin Hood-style tax on large financial transactions. When he visited Britain with Pope Benedict in 2010 he was singled out as a possible successor.


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Quasimodo

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/11/pope-resigns-live-reaction

Standing in the colonnade that encircles St Peter’s square, his vestments draped over one arm, Monsignor Oscar Sanchez Barba from Guadalajara in Mexico told Hooper he had come to Rome to be told the date for the canonisation of the Blessed Lupita Garcia, a nun. Sanchez said:



We were all in the Sala del Concistorio in the third loggia of the Apostolic palace. After giving the date for the canonisation, the 12th of May, the pope took a sheet of paper and read from it.

He just said that he was resigning and that he would be finishing on February 28.

We were all left … [he tailed off, lost for words]

The cardinals were just looking at one another. Then the pope got to his feet, gave his benediction and left. It was so simple; the simplest thing imaginable. Extraordinary. Nobody expected it.

Then we all left in silence. There was absolute silence … and sadness.


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kbp

No mention of gay candidates?
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foxglove

It is sad to hear of Pope Benedict's resignation. We can use his life of prayer after he leaves his office.

Cardinal Peter Turkson would not be a good choice, IMO, if he is in favor of a world central bank as this would play into the hands of the globalist elitists.


http://www.newsmax.com/EdwardPentin/Documents-Pius-XII-Helped-Win-WW-II/2013/01/30/id/488195


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2276781/Has-Pope-Pius-XII-exonerated-Nazi-sympathiser-Author-claims-new-evidence-shows-controversial-pontiff-saved-lives-Holocaust.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/09/hitlers-pope-pius-xii-holocaust
Edited by foxglove, Feb 11 2013, 10:16 AM.
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Quasimodo

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http://www.patheos.com/blogs/publiccatholic/2013/02/a-few-quick-takes-on-holy-fathers-resignation/

Quick takes from news reports on the Holy Father’s resignation:

Pope Benedict XVI will revert to his old title of Cardinal Josef Ratzinger after his resignation.

Cardinal Josef Ratzinger will be able to participate in the conclave to elect the new pope, but Vatican sources says he will not do so.

The resignation announcement was a surprise, even to Vatican officials: “The pope took us by surprise,” said Father Lombardi, who explained that many cardinals were in Rome on Monday for a ceremony at the Vatican and heard the pope’s address.”

Pope Benedict XVI has been pope from 2005 to 2013, a total of 8 years.

The last pope to resign was Gregory XII in 1415

The Vatican says that after his resignation, Pope Benedict will move to a monastery in Vatican.

Pope Benedict turns 86 in April.

The pope’s 89-year-old brother, Georg Ratzinger, told a German news agency that the pope has had difficulty walking recently and has considered stepping down for months. “His age is weighing on him,” Georg Ratzinger said. “At this age my brother wants more rest.”





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Edited by Quasimodo, Feb 11 2013, 10:49 AM.
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Baldo
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Pope Benedict XVI's resignation: A drama that beats any Dan Brown plot
The Vatican is awash with conspiracy theories about why the Pope is resigning, but Benedict has had the last word

After the initial shock came the speculation. Pope Benedict XVI surprised even his closest advisers on Monday by announcing that he was standing down, but within hours the Vatican was awash, not just with the inevitable talk of who would succeed him, but also with whispers about the “real story” behind the first papal resignation in over 600 years.

Once the curia – or Vatican bureaucracy – started chewing it over, the theories it spat out were quickly flying around what the papal historian John Cornwell has characterised as “a palace of gossipy eunuchs”. And from there it is one short step to finding their way into the Italian press.

Dan Brown couldn’t have made it up. The ecclesiastical earthquake of a pope resigning has been attributed, variously, to Benedict nursing a fatal illness; to a head injury during his trip to Mexico last March that convinced him to abdicate; to being forced out after an acrimonious meeting with a group of senior cardinals two days before he announced his resignation; to his looming disgrace over either dodgy deals done by the Vatican Bank, past cover-ups of paedophile priests, or an “explosive” forthcoming report by a team of cardinals on a tendering scandal; and to a strategy to secure the succession for his favourite.

All of which at first glance makes me and many Catholics seem hopelessly naive for taking as read Benedict’s explanation in his resignation speech – namely that he was too old, physically and spiritually, to continue to be chief executive of a multinational church of 1.3 billion souls. Given that he is 85 and has always carried himself like a piece of delicate china, that sounded perfectly reasonable in worldly terms, even if it was a radical move in the history of the papacy, tantamount in some eyes to betrayal. (“One doesn’t come down from the cross,” Cardinal Dziwisz, former secretary to John Paul II, has remarked disapprovingly.)...snipped

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/the-pope/9873281/Pope-Benedict-XVIs-resignation-A-drama-that-beats-any-Dan-Brown-plot.html
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Baldo
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Cardinal Dolan For Pope? There’s Suddenly A Very Real Buzz About Him In Italy

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/02/20/dolan-heads-to-rome-next-week-to-vote-for-new-pope/
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foxglove

Pope Benedict resigns tomorrow.

Today was his last audience.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/pope-benedict-xvi-delivers-farewell-address/story?id=18604583

(I'm not crazy about the organ music)


As far as an American being elected to pope, I think it is entirely possible. The link in the post above says Cardinal Dolan or O'Malley would be in the running. I think Raymond Cardinal Burke would be possible, as well. Dolan is great for evangelizing, but Burke would maybe have a better understanding of the Vatican as he has been there for several years and there seems to be a need for a tough leader there. Also, I don't know if Cardinal Dolan speaks Italian which I think would be important as he would also be the Bishop of Rome if elected Pope. On the other hand, if there is anyone who can communicate non-verbally with people, it is Cardinal Dolan. A warm smile goes a long way but can he deal effectively with all the intrigue and disagreement that seemingly goes on at the Vatican or at least that we hear so much about?



Many news stories today say that the Church must have a leader who deals with the sex abuse crisis. Maybe the news reporters and pundits can also stress the need to deal with sexual abuse in the media (Jimmy Savile), Hollywood and TV entertainment, public schools, etc.

The Catholic Church may feel the need to deal as well with the rise in secularism and relativism and the recent controversy about the pope's butler stealing Vatican documents. I'm sure there are many more issues to consider in electing a new pope.

Speaking of documents, it should be fairly soon that all of Pope Pius XII archives will be available.

I am also curious why Cardinal Avery Dulles became a cardinal from the rank of priest in one fell swoop-- done by Pope John Paul II.

Today is a day to thank Pope Benedict for his service to the Church and his continued prayers. I am glad he is getting a warm response to his audience today.

Edited by foxglove, Feb 27 2013, 09:19 PM.
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Quasimodo

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I am also curious why Cardinal Avery Dulles became a cardinal from the rank of priest in one fell swoop-- done by Pope John Paul II.


Ditto.

Wikipedia:

Quote:
 
Although Jesuits make a promise against pursuing ecclesiastical dignities and do not normally accept promotion within the Church hierarchy, Dulles was created a cardinal of the Catholic Church in Rome on February 21, 2001 by Pope John Paul II. At the time of his elevation to cardinal, he was not a bishop, as is normally the case, but a priest. He successfully petitioned the Pope for a dispensation from episcopal ordination due to his advanced age. . . Because he reached the age of eighty before becoming cardinal, Dulles had exceeded the mandatory age limit of retirement; he was never eligible to vote in a conclave (of which one occurred during his cardinalate, that of the 2005). Because he was a cardinal but not a bishop, Dulles became an honorary, non-voting member of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.



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cks
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The papacy is the last real absolute monarchy that exists - of course the papal throne is not inherited but the occupant has enormous power to determine who his successor will be in the selections that he makes for the College of Cardinals. The pope also possesses the power to determine who can vote - remembr it used to be that ALL cardinals voted, it was John Paul II who instituted the rule restricting the vote to those 80 and under.

I do not think that there will be an American elected - there are a number of reasons why but one can see that the numbers and their country of origin do not favor an American. Until yesterday, with the resignation of the leading prelate of Great Britain, there were 118 cardinals eligible to vote. Of those, 28 are Italian - and constitute the single largest block of voters from one country. There are 34 cardinals from the rest of the European continent. Together (the Italians and other Europeans) constitute the largest continental voting block with 62. This gives the Europeans a decided majority should they want to get their act together and make certain that the pope remains a European. Frankly, I do not see the Europeans willing to see someone from either the third world or from the Americas on the throne of Peter. There is the view that the Americans are far too liberal. Plus, the Americans are seen in certain quarters as bearing a large responsibility for the unfavorable press the Church has received over the pedophilia issue. Keep in mind also that the more liberal Americans would be reluctant to have a more militantly conservative African or Latin American cardinal on the throne - and as far as electing a liberal South American or African prelate, there might be demands that the American parishes send even more money to the papal coffers to be used for social programs.
The way that I see it play out - it would not surprise me to see the Austrian cardinal be chosen as a compromise candidate. He is middle of the road enough that the conservatives would find him palatable and has been outspoken enough on social issues that the liberals could be satisfied. The American and Canadian delegation (14 votes) could swing his way and I imagine that the lone Australian could as well. I do not think that the 11 Asian (if they even all show), 11 African, and 19 Latin/South American cardinals could agree to vote as a block (keep in mind that there are front-running candidates from both Africa and South America whose constitutency will split their votes). Papal elections historically run on momentum - one cannot be viewed as actively campaigning.
One thing for certain, this will not be a "one and done" vote.
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