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There was “absolute silence” this morning when the Pope told cardinals that he decided to resign, according to Mexican prelate Monsignor Oscar Sanchez, who witnessed his resignation.
Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said the pope took his decision “aware of the great problems the church faces today”.
His decision showed “great courage” and “determination”, Lombardi said.
Lombardi said it was Benedict’s own personal decision made without any outside pressure. He ruled out depression or “uncertainty” as the cause of his resignation.
And he said the resignation was not due to any specific illness.
The Pope said that he would step down at 8:00 p.m. on February 28, Rome time.
According to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, Pope Benedict will return to being known as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger once he has stepped down as pope. He will be addressed as his eminence or Cardinal Ratzinger.
Benedict says he wishes to continue to serve the Catholic church “through a life dedicated to prayer”. He will live in a monastery within the Vatican.
Speculation about successor
Lombardi says there would be elections some time in March and he anticipated that there would be a new pope before Easter.
Many have already begun to speculate about who might succeed him. Experts suggest it will be a” Vatican Insider”. Cardinal Angelo Scola, the archbishop of Milan and Cardinal Peter Turkson are among the names that have been suggested.
Click here to see a fuller a list of possible successors to Pope Benedict XVI
New Zealand Bishops react with surprise and understanding at news of Pope’s resignation
It was with some sadness that New Zealand Catholic Bishops woke to the news of Pope Benedict XVI is to resign from his papacy at the end of the month.
“While we are sad that his papacy is coming to an end, we understand the humility, prayer and reflection that will have been behind this decision to step down owing to frailty,” said Archbishop John Dew, President of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference.
“We offer the Pope our assurance that we will continue to pray for him. We will also pray for our Cardinals who will, faithfully and prayerfully, elect a successor,” Archbishop Dew said.
“His resignation while unusual, does reflect the pace and workload that this special ministry requires especially in our modern age. He will be thought of as a Pope who was faithful and humble in his papacy and in his decision to step down when age and frailty mean he is unable to continue,” Archbishop Dew said.
“As a great theologian and writer he has at times expressed his desire to spend more time writing and in study, we hope that he has the opportunity to do this in retirement and continue to make a valuable contribution in this way,”
“The Pope is the shepherd of the Church around the world, this is a demanding and challenging ministry, we pray at this time for Pope Benedict’s successor and for the future of the Catholic Church and its leadership.” Archbishop Dew said.
Benedict’s Legacy
The National Catholic reporter notes that “Benedict is regarded as among the most accomplished Catholic theologians of his generation, Benedict XVI was what church historians call a “teaching pope” as opposed to a governor. His passion was invested in his teaching documents, his speeches on foreign trips, his regular catechesis at the Vatican, and the three books on the life of Christ he published. This teaching often struck people as profound and surprisingly free of ideological edge.”
The NCR says many observers believe four cornerstone speeches delivered by Benedict XVI — at Regensburg, Germany, in 2006; at the Collège des Bernardins in Paris in 2008; at Westminster Hall in London in 2010; and at the Bundestag in Germany in 2011 — will be remembered as masterpieces laying out the basis for a symbiosis among faith, reason and modernity.
Benedict was not a the charismatic figure like his predecessor John Paul II, however he still fared well on the public stage. His trips drew enthusiastic crowds, and turnout at his public audiences actually exceeded John Paul’s numbers.
He also endured, and some times created, a number of crises.
In 2011, Italian journalists Andrea Tornielli and Paolo Rodari published a 300-page book documenting the most notorious crises during the Benedict years, including:
- The massive sexual abuse scandals,
- Benedict XVI’s decision in 2007 to dust off the old Latin Mass.
- Lifting the excommunications of four traditionalist bishops in 2009, including one who denied that the Nazis ever used gas chambers and claimed the historical evidence is “hugely against” Adolf Hitler being responsible for the death of 6 million Jews. The affair brought an anguished personal letter from Benedict to the bishops of the world apologizing for the way it was handled.
- Comments made by Benedict aboard the papal plane to Africa in 2009 to the effect that condoms make AIDS worse.
Source
- The National Catholic Reporter
- The Guardian
- CNN
- CNN
- NZCBC
- Image: Screen Shot – CNN
