The Pope Is Resigning?

Can I just say that my 15 yo daughter will be in Rome next week for 3 days, at Vatican City, in the square. It was a HUGE deal before that she would be in the presense of the Pope, now it's life changing.

I'd also like to say, baring some forth coming scandal, how truly WESTERN of this Pope to step down now knowing he will soon be unable to lead. After all, Popes don't retire due to old age/health concerns, they just die. Generally they don't even GET the job til they're half dead anyway.

This could actually be PROGRESS. At least from a Western Catholic's point of view, like mine.

:)

He's just a man who is retiring. I am tired of hearing about it on the national and local news already, because it doesn't affect me.

I'm excited by the idea that we might get a Pope that I can actually get behind. I know John Paul II had big shoes to fill, but Benedict didn't even come close.

I am not Catholic, but after reading some of the articles, I feel he is making a wise decision.... that way, they can start the search and selection process without a big rush.

He says his reasons are health related.... I have a feeling he has recognized he no longer has the strength to do the duties.

It is better for him to resign in this position, rather than throw the Church into turmoil by a sudden announcement that he had passed away.

My though its...WHO CARES? Sorry, if that makes me seem insensitive. He is a MAN. Just a man. This is a problem with the Catholic church. They make a man into a mini-God. When the mini-God leaves or dies, people think that's the end. No man should have such power, and it says so right in the bible. I think the Catholic church would be in a GREAT state, to remove their idols.

No follower of God should be afraid when a MAN dies, hence the problem with how backwards the catholic Church is. Just my opinion. You can toss it, if you'd like to.

ETA: I have been to Catholic Churches and I know/have known MANY Catholics. It has simply been my personal experience, that the churches I've been to and the people I've known...give the man too much power. And, yes...I was taught to pray to Mary and saints. Every one I've been to.

Good for him for making this decision! The man is 85 years old. It's almost hard to believe that the Catholic Church hasn't considered an age limit or mandatory retirement age. Then again, it's not like anyone envisioned someone living to be 85 when most of the rules were written.

He has been a small disaster for the church anyway. Intolerant in many ways and truly reactionary. Plus he wants Pius XII beatified? Whether or not he could have avoided the Hitler youth, he certainly should not glorify the Nazi pope, silent during the holocaust. The American nuns embody what is good about the Catholic church. Yet, he punishes them for 'wasting' their time on social justice issues. Perhaps the next pope will be better.

@ Mallory - you criticize (and not nicely at that) Manda, yet you seem to agree with her points about a reactionary church.

I am surprised, not shocked but surprised.

I wish more people "in power" would take his lead and realize that the job they are doing is "too big for them" and resign as well.

unlike you, I pray for Conservatism to take a bigger step and hold on things. But alas, that's the way of the world. No two people will want the same things. You feared that the Pope being Conservative would make extreme changes...and he didn't make extreme changes. He did "offend" some people...yep, that happens too. And again, opposite of you - I fear the extreme changes that ARE happening with other people in power.

He is weak and in ill health. That is why he is passing the torch. If only MORE world and religious leaders would have the humbleness to admit when they could retire. Give the old man a break! He will be dead in a few years or sooner anyways and you would have to have a new Pope than anyways. And really, the church has pretty much *always* been anti-gay. It would be a joy to see the new Pope more modernized in thinking and acceptance, but you can't put all the fault on him since that is what he has also been taught since he was a child in this religion.

As for the Hitler Youth comment, do you not realize all kids/young adults were a part of that back then because it was mandatory? It is ignorant to hold that against him. He was never a member of the Nazi party and his family opposed Adolf Hitler's regime. He confronted his own country's past when he visited the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz, he prayed and asked why God was silent when 1.5 million victims, most of them Jews, died there during World War Two.

Some facts for you:

•At age, 14 membership in Germany's "Hitler Youth" became mandatory. So Joseph Ratzinger enrolled
•He managed to get out early so he could study for the priesthood.
•Two years later, when he was 16, Ratzinger was drafted again by the German Army.
•Ratzinger worked as a helper in an anti-aircraft briagde.
•In 1945, he was put through basic training and stationed near his hometown in Bavaria.
•When Allied forces advanced, he deserted the German army — risking death by that act alone.
•After he escaped, Ratzinger was captured by American soldiers and spent the remainder of the war in a POW camp.

*I am not Catholic, so my view here is totally unbiased.

I am not Catholic, and this is not personal for me. I think that shifts occur to move people out of the way for healthy change. I think that there is a chance that a shift is upon the Church, and I'm glad that it didn't require his actual death to come into play. Maybe the election of the next Pope will answer the call of the world for more practical teachings that can still be rooted in the heart of the faith.

I agree 100% with Jessica! I am SO glad and hope & pray that we get someone much more progressive!

Its no secret he is abdicating because of Parkinson's. It was just a matter of time.

I'm in shock how a non-Catholic can speak about the Pope. His qualifications, ministry and influence in the world church is not taken lightly no matter how you disagree with his doctrines and spiritual knowledge. Please don't prove your ignorance by your lack of information as well as thinking American social values are the top most priority to the Roman Catholic Church. It just makes you look very small.

I won't even try to pretend to say what I think the new Pope should be like and what the Roman Catholic church needs. I for one do hope the new Pope will be as conservative as his predecessors. I just find it highly amusing that those who are insulting to the church, any church, think their negative attitude and cutting remarks will make this world a better place. As if!

*I am so glad I don't have to surf the web and Google my way through life, like some people have to.

G., I hope that the new pope will not allow for pedophilial in the church to be hidden and covered up. Threatening to excommunicate people who TELL is not the kind of conservatism that our world today needs. It hurts the church overall and prevents people from trusting our church leaders.

I'm not as negative in my feelings toward the pope as JessicaWessica is, but I have to agree with a lot that she said.

Dawn

I am a bit saddened. Pope Benedict XVI has done immense work to reach out to those of us who do consider ourselves to be Traditionalists, without caving into any of the fringe factions. If it weren't for his writings and clarifications, I'd be a schismatic who thought she were more Catholic than the pope, as I was back when I was 18.

The Church's decline in Mass attendance, vocations, etc are not the result of being too conservative, but were in direct correlation with the progressive changes of Vatican II (or the changes that were misinterpreted as being in the "spirit" of Vatican II). Under the conservative yolk of JPII and BXVI, vocations are once again growing, and we may have trimmed rolls, but most of those who go to Mass weekly are not lukewarm--they are on fire.

There is no reason to fear conservatism--we're not bad. We have strong principles and are willing to stand up for them, but we are also some of the most loving and compassionate people you will ever encounter, if you give us a chance.

@Dana K--time to read some actual scholarly research on Pope Pius XII--he was far from being "Hitler's Pope," as so unfairly and haphazardly accused. I've done my research and wrote papers on it during college, during the course of getting my History degree.

ETA: If you look at conservative factions in the church--the Institute of Christ the King, the Society of St John Cantius, The Fraternity of St. Peter, amongst others--their seminaries and priories are bursting at the seams--their confession lines are always long--their parishes are thriving. People WANT Tradition, they WANT to be held accountable for their choices--they WANT a sense of the sacred when they go to Mass. It is really quite beautiful to be a part of a parish where fidelity to the Magisterium draws the people in; makes us excited to participate in the parish life; bonds us together, and contributes to an ability to live a joyful life, even while following all those rules, those Commandments, those precepts and disciplines.

I don't know what types of "conservative" Catholics you encounter on an on-going basis (you're probaby thinking more of the schismatics, like the SSPXers--which I was when I was a child, until I moved to college), but I know the ones that I associate with. We have no problem with girls being altar servers or women as lectors or extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist, as long as it is always understood that the priesthood cannot be changed to allow women. No Pope has the authorty to change that.

Furthermore, healthcare for all is WONDERFUL, however, as we are seeing every day, government issued healthcare gives the government control over far too much--too much control over our religious instituations who are being ordered to violate their consciences--too much control over individual business owners who also have conscience rights--and we WILL be seeing death panels. (If you don't believe me on that, read Senator Tom Daschle's book on healthcare where he basically outlines the entire concept--after all, he was President Obama's original HHS pick, before his tax problems were revealed and Obama had to nominate Sebelius instead.)

I think that something is about to crack in the Catholic religion and he's getting out before it does, JUST MY OPINION! He's a man not GOD!!!

I'm not RC, but I liked him. I was a little surprised to see the announcement this morning. But it seems prudent if his physical ability to keep up his responsibilities is waning.

Thank you, G., for posting this and for your wonderful SWH update/response.

I, too, was shocked to see in the paper this morning that the pope is resigning. And I'm Lutheran, not Catholic. But Roman Catholicism is a very big player in the world arena. Like a poster stated below, my first thought was: there's going to be some big changes coming down the turnpike. What, I don't know. Either the pope isn't interested in those changes or interested in taking the helm of directing/presiding over those changes, or the hierarchy overall believes they need someone new/different in the position to effect the changes they want to make/see.

It will be interesting to watch and see what comes about. I hope the changes are for the betterment of the church and its constituents.

Call me a skeptic but I have to wonder if his resignation is fully health based or if something more will be forthcoming. I'm not Catholic so my opinion doesn't really matter but I hope the Cardinals elect someone who is a bit more personable to the masses.

I am a cradle Catholic and shocked as well. I hope his health is the reason for leaving and not a scandal. If it is health related, more power to him! I respect that he recognized he could no longer do the job.

I was completely shocked this morning when I read the news.

I was just in Rome a few months ago, and the highlight of that segment of our trip was seeing St. Peter's Basilica. There is nothing else like it in the world. You can *feel* the history and the magnitude of the Church and its impact in the world.

Did you know that there are preserved bodies of popes in the Basilica? I never knew that! What it seemed to suggest to me is that most Popes "die with their boots on." PJPII sure seemed to.

It's very difficult for me to believe that he would leave solely for health/age reasons. It just seems so out of character for the institution. But I could be wrong.

Praying for the Church . . .

I am surprised. I didn't think it would be this soon.

If you believe St. Malachy's prophecies (from 1139) regarding the succession of popes, then the next one will be Petrus Romanus (Peter the Roman). He is predicted to reign during tribulations that will include the destruction of Rome. He is also the last pope on St. Malachy's list.

He is 85 years old. God Bless him for that.
I think we need more religion now more than ever. I am very spiritual and I hope the person who steps in after him will help to make the world a better place. I miss the morals and values of the the 70's...

O wow. I am totally shocked! Gma and I were talking about this last night as she is guiding me a little in my transformation to the Catholic faith. Oiy this is going to be a lot to listen to tonight when we have our chat.

I am very disappointed in some of your responses after having time to read them. Gma (actually bf's) has been a die hard Catholic since birth. Went to Catholic school and all. She goes to mass whenever it is available and not once have I heard her treat the Pope as a "God". Yes he is influential to the church but I do not know of really any Catholic that thinks the pope is a "God".

Personally, while yes this may suck, we have to take in the fact that if he chooses to give up this roll there is a reason. And for that reason we should be happy that he is not overly greedy and just plays the roll. I agree with his choice in the fact that it is his to make. Who knows maybe he will make a better leader not being the Pope. Maybe he can reach out to other people that in that position he can not? We will not know his reasons until it happens. And we as the fallowers of God should not judge this man for his choice. That is only His power!