Father John Mansford Prior's opinion piece specifically addressed the resignation of Bishop Hubertus Leteng of Ruteng on Flores.

It was published in the October 29 edition of Hidup, the Jakarta Diocese's Weekly magazine.

Prior subsequently told UCAnews the church's way of handling these cases is not credible because "priest investigates priest, bishop investigates bishop, and it is done in private."

"Who can really believe in the results of such a process?"

He pointed to a case in Flores where a priest was rumoured to have a mistress, prompting a probe by his provincial.

"The result, it is said to be gossip. The problem is, the investigation process is not transparent.

Even worse, the results were not announced from the pulpit. So, gossip continues," Prior said.

Prior said by promoting transparency, the church "acts fairly with the accused bishop or priest, as well as the lay people who are surrounded by gossip."

With the present model, he said, the church also just focuses on the perpetrator and not the victims.

"Victims should have sufficient counselling and receive compensation according to state rules, while the perpetrator is treated as a perpetrator," he said.

Pope Francis approved the Leteng's resignation on October 11 after an investigation into allegations of misappropriating more than US$100,000 of church funds and an illicit relationship with a woman.

In its official announcement, the Vatican did not give a reason for Leteng's resignation.

Source

• UCAnews
• Image RT

While his heart was set on completing the Year of Faith, the retired pope told Italian journalist Elio Guerriero that after his visit to Mexico and Cuba in March 2012, he felt he was "incapable of fulfilling" the demands of another international trip, especially with World Youth Day 2013 scheduled for Brazil.

"With the program set out by John Paul II for these (World Youth) days, the physical presence of the pope was indispensable," he told Guerriero in an interview, which is included in the journalist's upcoming biography of Pope Benedict.

"This, too, was a circumstance which made my resignation a duty," the pope said.

An excerpt of Guerriero's book, Servant of God and Humanity: The Biography of Benedict XVI, was published Aug. 24 in the Italian newspaper, La Repubblica.

Benedict said that although he was moved by the "profound faith" of the people of Mexico and Cuba, it was during his visit to the two countries in 2012 that he "experienced very strongly the limits of my physical endurance."

Among the problems with committing to the grueling schedule of an international trip was the change in time zones.

Upon consulting with his doctor, he said, it became clear "that I would never be able to take part in the World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro."

"From that day, I had to decide in a relatively short time the date of my retirement," he said.

Guerriero noted that while many believed the pope's retirement was a defeat for the church, Benedict continues to seem "calm and confident."

The retired pope said he "completely agreed" with the journalist's observation.

"I would have been truly worried if I was not convinced - as I had said in the beginning of my pontificate - of being a simple and humble worker in the Lord's vineyard," he said.

Source

• National Catholic Reporter
• Image: www.thedailybeast.com

Archbishop Aldo di Cillo Pagotto, 66, from Paraíba has been accused of a sexual relationship with an 18-year-old male.

The archbishop was also under investigation by a local prosecutor for alleged "connivance" in the sexual exploitation of minors.

In 2015, following an apostolic visitation, he was forbidden to ordain new priests and deacons.

Archbishop Pagotto denied the allegations.

He also faced criticism for ties to spiritualism and for joining a street protest against President Dilma Rousseff.

In his resignation letter, the prelate said his governance of the diocese led to a campaign of slander by anonymous priests.

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Benedict's comments were reported in the Italian newspaper Corriere della Serra.

The comments are in a new book of interviews between the retired Pope and journalist Peter Seewald.

Corriere della Serra has acquired the Italian newspaper rights for excerpts and has access to the book.

The book, called "Last Conversations" is scheduled to be released in September.

It is the first time in history that a former pope has judged his own pontificate after it is over.

The paper reported that, in one of the interviews with Seewald, Benedict said he came to know of the presence of a so-called gay lobby at the Vatican.

This was made up of four or five people who were seeking to influence Vatican decisions.

The article reported Benedict saying he managed to "break up this power group".

Gay rights campaigners have long said many gay people work for the Vatican.

Church sources have said they suspect that some banded together to support each other's careers and influence decisions in the bureaucracy.

Corriere della Serra also revealed how Benedict kept a diary during his papacy, which he now plans to destroy, despite its historical significance.

The upcoming book will also include details of the Pope Emeritus's life, faith and papacy, including his thoughts on current pope, Francis.

Benedict "admits his lack of resoluteness in governing", Corriere della Serra reported.

It is also reported that he was "surprised" when the cardinals chose Francis as his successor in 2013.

Corriere della Serra stated that Benedict "again denies blackmail or pressure" in his decision to resign.

But Benedict reportedly said he had to overcome his own doubts on the effect his choice could have on the future of the papacy.

Sources

• The Tablet
• Reuters
• Image: Catholic News Service

The Pope was asked about the subject by two young YouTube stars at a function at the Vatican on Sunday.

He was asked if he has ever considered resigning because he finds the demands of his job too much.

Francis, aged 79, answered in Spanish, saying, "It never occurred to me to stop being [pope] for the responsibilities."

"Allow me a confidence," he added as he addressed the closing of the VI "Scholas Occurrentes" workshop at the Vatican.

"It had never occurred to me that I would be elected pope," he said.

"It was a surprise, but in that moment, God gave me a peace that lasts to this day. This keeps me going. It's the grace I received."

"On the other hand, I'm by nature unconscious, so I keep going," he joked.

A report of the Pope's remarks on the Crux website noted that "Pope Francis was not asked, and did not answer, if he'd ever consider resigning the papacy, but if he's considered it to date".

In an interview with a Mexican TV station last year, Pope Francis said "I have a feeling that my pontificate will be brief. Four or five years, I don't know, even two or three."

At the time, he also praised his predecessors' decision to step down in 2013 as "courageous."

"Benedict should not be considered an exception, but an institution," Francis said at the time.

"Maybe he will be the only one for a long time, maybe he will not be the only one," he said, adding that in any event, "An institutional door has been opened."

Also present at the Vatican event on Sunday were Hollywood A-listers George Clooney, Richard Gere and Salma Hayek.

Sources

• Crux
• Image: Politico

Bishop Machado was the ordinary of São Carlos, a city of 220,000 in south-eastern Brazil.

In September, the bishop was stopped by police after he exhibited signs of intoxication while driving and almost hit a pedestrian and another vehicle.

An empty wine bottle was found in the bishop's car.

Days later, the diocese issued a statement denying reports that he had offered his resignation.

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The resignation of Archbishop Antonio Carlos Altieri, 63, of Passo Fundo, Brazil, came after a Vatican-ordered apostolic visitation of his archdiocese.

The investigation was conducted by Brazilian Cardinal Claudio Hummes.

According to a Brazilian media report, local clergy complained to the apostolic nuncio following a US$600,000 renovation of the episcopal residence as well as renovations to a seminary, chancery, and a retreat house.

Priests also opposed the imposition of a 10 per cent diocesan assessment on parish income.

Archbishop Altieri's alleged "rubricism" and "ritualism" in the liturgy also drew complaints.

And his willingness to accept seminarians who had left other dioceses and religious orders was also questioned, according to the report.

In a letter announcing his resignation, the archbishop apologised to anyone he may have offended.

In March, 2014, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of German Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, who was dubbed "the Bishop of Bling" after revelations that the price tag on renovations to his home and diocesan offices had skyrocketed to some US$40 million.

Another episcopal resignation was noted by a Vatican bulletin on June 25.

It announced the resignation of Bishop Gonzalo Galvan Castillo, 64, of the Autlan diocese in Mexico.

Mexican media noted that the bishop had been under fire for years for refusing to report to police or remove from ministry a priest, Fr Horacio Lopez, suspected of abuse.

In 2009, a 24-year-old man identified only as Eric reported to Bishop Galvan that Fr Lopez had sexually molested him when Eric was 11.

Eric's parents also demanded that Bishop Galvan take action to prevent the priest from harming other children, but the bishop reportedly transferred Fr Lopez to another parish.

The priest's current whereabouts are not known.

Sources

• Religion News Service
• Catholic World News
• Image: Pinterest

On Tuesday, the Vatican announced the resignation of Bishop Robert Finn of the diocese of St Joseph-Kansas City in Missouri.

The announcement cited canon law that a bishop who "has become less able to fulfil his office because of ill health or some other grave cause is earnestly requested to present his resignation from office".

Bishop Finn, 62, had made a surprise visit to Rome on April 14, during which he met the prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

In 2012, Bishop Finn was convicted on a misdemeanour count of failing to report suspected child abuse in the case of former priest Fr Shawn Ratigan, who produced child pornography.

The bishop had failed to inform authorities when a computer technician discovered hundreds of indecent photos of underage minors on Ratigan's laptop.

Bishop Finn sent him for therapy and ordered him to not be near children. Ratigan had reportedly attempted suicide.

But the priest continued to attend church events and take inappropriate photos of girls for five more months.

Church officials reported him in May, 2011, without Bishop Finn's approval.

After conviction, the bishop was given a suspended sentence and later struck a deal to avoid a similar charge by entering a diversion programme.

Local Catholics began calling for Bishop Finn's resignation in 2011.

An online petition asking for the Vatican to remove him was opened in 2012 and gathered more than 260,000 signatures.

An apostolic visitation of St Joseph-Kansas City diocese was carried out by Archbishop Terrence Prendergast of Ottawa in September, 2014.

Spokespeople for the diocese said in the wake of Bishop Finn's resignation that now is the time for healing.

According to an article in the National Catholic Reporter, the bishop's resignation "will have significance beyond the borders of Missouri".

"The issue of holding bishops accountable has long been the largest and most provocative unresolved element in the Church's handling of sexual abuse cases," the article stated.

Sources

• National Catholic Reporter
• The Tablet
• Crux
• Image: Kansas City Star

Cardinal O'Brien had previously admitted sexual misconduct towards several men.

He will no longer be invited to attend consistories and other gatherings of cardinals, including an eventual conclave for the election of a new pope.

But he retains the title of cardinal, and can wear a cardinal's vestments in private and also retains his faculties as a priest and retired bishop.

But according to the Scottish Catholic Church, he will be "reduced to a strictly private life with no further participation in any public, religious or civil events".

Cardinal O'Brien stepped down as archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh in early 2013.

This came after the Observer carried a story detailing complaints of three priests and one former priest who alleged he had made sexual advances toward them.

The cardinal initially denied the allegations but, less than a week later, he issued a public apology for his actions.

He did not attend the March conclave that elected Pope Francis.

Pope Francis subsequently asked him to undertake a period of prayer and penance and then sent then-Bishop Charles Scicluna to undertake an inquiry last April.

Archbishop Scicluna, a former top prosecutor at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, filed a report with Francis which was described by one of Cardinal O'Brien's accusers as "hot enough to burn the varnish" off the Pope's desk.

A Vatican spokesman said the resignation was "not a punishment resulting from a process" or any formal proceedings against the cardinal, but rather it came from the cardinal himself after a long period of prayer and reflection "in dialogue with the Holy Father".

In his own statement, Cardinal O'Brien again apologised "to the Catholic Church and the people of Scotland".

"I thank Pope Francis for his fatherly care of me and of those I have offended in any way."

Archbishop Leo Cushley of St Andrews and Edinburgh said the cardinal's behaviour had "distressed many, demoralised faithful Catholics and made the Church less credible to those who are not Catholic".

Sources

• The Tablet
• National Catholic Reporter
• Image: John Thavis

Archbishop Georg Ganswein said Benedict is certain and serene about his decision, made for the good of the Church, because of his waning strength.

Archbishop Ganswein said the retired Pope's usual routine these days involves prayer, reading, keeping up with correspondence, receiving visitors, watching the evening news and walking in the Vatican Gardens.

Benedict, who turns 88 in April, has been playing the piano much more often.

"Mozart especially, but also other compositions that come to mind at the moment; he plays from memory," Archbishop Ganswein said.

The only health issues, the archbishop said, are "every now and then his legs give him some problems, that's all".

Benedict, who has had a pacemaker for several years and uses a cane, still has an incredibly sharp mind, Archbishop Ganswein added.

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The inquiry, to be headed by an independent investigator, was ordered by Archbishop Peter Smith of Southwark.

A diocesan spokesman said the investigation would "be undertaken in respect of Bishop Conry's relationship with potentially vulnerable female adults".

It is expected to report within three to four months, but its report will not be released.

What happens next to Bishop Conry is likely to depend on the inquiry's findings.

The women with whom he was allegedly involved came to him for support when their marriages were in trouble.

It is believed this will be the main focus for the inquiry, in which Bishop Conry and the women involved will be invited to participate.

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Bishop Kieran Conry of Arundel and Brighton diocese said in a statement read in churches that his unfaithfulness had gone back several years.

He apologised for the damage and hurt caused by his actions, but he said he had done nothing illegal and no minors were involved.

"As a result, however, I have decided to offer my resignation as bishop with immediate effect and will now take some time to consider my future."

According to a report by The Mail on Sunday, the reasons behind Bishop Conry's resignation involved a relationship with a woman six years ago.

The newspaper also alleges the bishop was involved more recently with a married woman and mother of two children.

The bishop denied this more recent relationship had anything to do his decision to step down.

The Mail on Sunday reported having seen love letters between Bishop Conry, 63, and the second woman, 43, written in recent months, in which he told her that her husband didn't love her.

Approached by the newspaper in June, the bishop denied any sexual relationship with the married woman, but admitted she had stayed at his house twice, adding: "She is not the only woman who has stayed here."

The second woman's estranged husband, who filed for divorce last month, has labelled the bishop's behaviour as "appalling" and said he was sickened by it.

The Mail on Sunday understood the woman and her husband became involved with Bishop Conry in church activities last year.

The marriage hit a crisis last year and the woman moved into rental accommodation and became a regular visitor at Bishop Conry's house.

The husband's lawyer said legal action against the Church is being considered, because it had allegedly known for years about Bishop Conry's affairs and took no action.

The Mail on Sunday said Bishop Conry, who is a former press officer for the England and Wales bishops, is "seen as a progressive who has been critical of the Vatican's hard-line pronouncements".

Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster said the resignation was a "sad and painful moment", adding that the Church is made up of sinners called to conversion and repentance.

Sources

• Mail on Sunday
• Catholic News Agency
• The Tablet
• Christian Today
• Image: Catholic Herald

Cardinal Brady had turned 75 in August and according to Church law, bishops are asked to submit their resignations to the Pope at that stage.

The Pope can either accept or reject the resignation.

Cardinal Brady, who was primate of Ireland for 18 years, reportedly submitted his resignation in July.

His tenure was dogged by allegations of child abuse cover-ups, falling church attendance and strained relations with the Irish government.

Cardinal Brady publicly apologised for mishandling allegations of abuse after it emerged that in 1975 he was present at meetings with two teenagers who alleged they were sexually abused by Fr Brendan Smyth.

Instead of going to the authorities, the priests swore the alleged victims to secrecy, victims groups charged.

A BBC documentary in 2012 charged that Cardinal Brady had failed to ensure the safety of other victims.

In June, clerical abuse victim Marie Kane asked the Pope to remove Cardinal Brady from his post over the scandal.

This was on the same day that Francis held a Mass with adult victims.

Cardinal Brady has long maintained that he was just there to take the minutes of the meetings; as a young priest, he had no authority over Fr Smyth.

Cardinal Brady later said he was "shocked, appalled and outraged" to learn the Belfast priest went on to abuse others until the mid-1990s, when he was convicted of more than 100 charges of abuse.

Fr Smyth died in prison in 1997.

In his resignation statement, Cardinal Brady referred to the past abuse, saying he needed to apologise and to ask for forgiveness.

At the same time, he added, he must "trust in the mercy of God".

On learning of Cardinal Brady's resignation, another clerical abuse victim Marie Collins tweeted that she was unimpressed.

"If Cardinal Brady had resigned in 2010 when Brendan Smyth failures became known it might have meant something to survivors — meaningless now," she tweeted.

Ms Collins is a member of the Pontifical Council for the Protection of Minors, established by Pope Francis.

Cardinal Brady is replaced in Armagh by Archbishop Eamon Martin, who was appointed co-adjutor there last year.

Sources

• Religion News Service
• Sydney Morning Herald
• BBC
• Catholic Herald
• Image: RTE

Catholic Education Office chief executive Pat Lynch said, "These things do happen from time to time, but they don't happen often."

"It's important that in situations like this, we face the future and rebuild confidence."

Lynch said the school has a loyal following, and many parents care about its future.

The resignation came after a group of parents, named Save Our Lady of Victories (SOLV), began collecting signatures for a petition of no trust and confidence in Perry.

The school has been under the statutory management of commissioner Murray Strong since January 2012 after the previous board of trustees was dissolved as a result of issues related to inadequate board systems and processes, and poor communication.

Perry was suspended by Strong in October for "serious misconduct", which she denied.

The Employment Relations Authority ordered she last week be reinstated until after mediation between the two.

Strong told The Press that Perry had decided to "resign in the interests of the school being able to move forward at this time".
Source

• Stuff.co.nz
• NewsTalkZB
• Image: Stuff.co.nz

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.

• Watch video of announcement.
• Read full text of Benedicts resignation speech

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

Hinting at the pressures of the job, he said he hoped his successor would have 'the constitution of an ox and the skin of a rhinoceros'.

Before he steps down the Archbishop of Canterbury will visit Christchurch in November to offer his support to the quake-ravaged city. This visit will be his final international duty.

Archbishop David Moxon, Archbishop and Primate at Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, speaking on behalf of Archbishops Brown Turei and Winston Halapua has paid tribute to the Archbishop of Canterbury.

"He was greatly respected by us," he said, "as a deeply prayerful, thoughtful person, as someone of huge intelligence.

"But he was above all wise, in the Biblical sense, with a great heart for the diversity of the Anglican Communion, across all its cultures, and with all its theological tensions.

"We will miss Archbishop Rowan's grace and mind very much, and we wish him well."

Source

• Anglicantaonga
• The Press
• The Daily Mail
• Image: The Guardian

A number of people have been hinting at his resignation; however the soon-to-be 85 year old Pontiff concluded his speech with an indirect denial of his pending resignation.

"Pray also for me, that I may continually offer to the People of God the witness of sound doctrine and guide the holy Church with a firm and humble hand," he told the cardinals.

Leaks and poisonous comments from within the Vatican mean tensions are high at the moment. The place is rife with scheming.

"It is not easy to enter into the logic of the Gospel and to let go of power and glory," Benedict XVI repeated to the College of Cardinals.

Sources

• Vatican Insider
• Image: Buzzbox