The Pope quits - hands in his resignation

[Killer]

Pope Benedict XVI in shock resignation

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 - the first papal resignation in nearly 600 years - surprised governments, Vatican-watchers and even the his closest aides.


"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."

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

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time to sit back,, drink some wine, check out the skirts...

[Atlanta Dan]

Selfless act to give up the job because you believe you are no longer up to it

[Killer]

so he pulled a Joe Paterno - one too many scandals if you ask me

[Atlanta Dan]

The bizarre stories of the four other popes to have resigned in the last 1,000 years

Pope Benedict IX, in 1045: At age 33 and about 10 years into his tumultuous term, the Rome-born pope resigned so that he could get married – and to collect some cash from his godfather, also Roman, who paid Benedict IX to step down so that he might replace him, according to British historian Reginald L. Poole’s definitive and much-cited history of the 11th Century .

Pope Gregory VI, in 1046: The same man who had bribed and replaced his godson ended up leaving the office himself only a year later, according to Poole’s account. The trouble began when Benedict IX failed to secure the bride he’d resigned for, leading him to change his mind and return to the Vatican. Both popes remained in the city, both claiming to rule the Catholic church, for several months. That fall, the increasingly despondent clergy called on the German Emperor Henry III, of the Holy Roman Empire, to invade Rome and remove them both. When Henry III arrived, he treated Gregory VI as the rightful pope but urged him to stand before a council of fellow church leaders. The bishops urged Gregory VI to resign for bribing his way into office. Though the fresh new pope argued that he had done nothing wrong in buying the Papacy, he stepped down anyway.

Pope Celestine V, in 1294: After only five months in office, the somber Sicilian pope formally decreed that popes now had the right to resign, which he immediately used. according to a report in the Guardian. He wrote, referring to himself in the third person, that he had resigned out of “the desire for humility, for a purer life, for a stainless conscience, the deficiencies of his own physical strength, his ignorance, the perverseness of the people, his longing for the tranquility of his former life.” He became a hermit, but two years later was dragged out of solitude by his successor, who locked him up in an Italian castle. Celestine died 10 months later.

Pope Gregory XII, in 1415: The elderly Venetian had held the office for 10 years, but he was not the only pope. For decades, the Western Schism had left Europe with two popes, one in Rome and one in the French city of Avignon, according to Britannica. The schism’s causes were political rather than theological: the pope had tremendous power over European politics, which had led its kings to become gradually more aggressive in manipulating the church’s leaders. Gregory XII resigned so that a special council in Constance, which is today a German city, could excommunicate the Avignon-based pope and start fresh with a new, single leader of the Catholic church.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...years/?hpid=z2

[Killer]

you think he's getting married?

[Atlanta Dan]

Originally Posted by Killer

you think he's getting married?

Random speculation here

The Resignation of Pope Benedict XVI: Is It Health? Or Politics? Or Both?

The conclave that will elect the next pope has yet to be assembled but, even if he isn’t present in the Sistine Chapel, Benedict’s living presence as the Emeritus Pontiff is bound to influence the vote. (He is past the age of eligibility of casting a vote.) This sort of informal influence has proved powerful in other cultures—particularly Japan and China, where “retired” shoguns and emperors continued to make pivotal decisions. Thus, just by living, Joseph Ratzinger, by then the ex-Pope Benedict XVI with a title yet to be decided, will be able to champion his conservative theological and social policies and stack the decks so that a successor of like mind and spirit is enthroned.

http://world.time.com/2013/02/11/the...itics-or-both/

So unlike JoePa he will have a role in the selection of the next head coach

[Vis]

What time of day on his last day does his infallibility lapse?

[Atlanta Dan]

Originally Posted by Vis

What time of day on his last day does his infallibility lapse?

Other pressing questions

Among other questions, reporters asked Father Lombardi what the pope will be called after his resignation and what he will wear.

The spokesman said he had no answers to those questions

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/201...ews-conference

[Vis]

Originally Posted by Atlanta Dan

Other pressing questions

Among other questions, reporters asked Father Lombardi what the pope will be called after his resignation and what he will wear.

The spokesman said he had no answers to those questions

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/201...ews-conference

Is the then called the Holy Seen or the Holy Saw?

[Atlanta Dan]

Twitter’s best Pope resignation jokes

Nate Silver ✔ @fivethirtyeight
No pope has resigned since 1415, which is also the last time the Pittsburgh Pirates had a winning record.

Will Brinson @willbrinson
You all read it wrong. The Pope is RE-SIGNING. $10M, 5 year extension.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...log-entry-6723