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Resignation of Pope Benedict XVI

resignation of the pope

Pope Benedict XVI in

Date28&#;February ; 11 years ago&#;()
Time (CET)
CauseDeteriorating strength due to old age and the physical and mental demands of the papacy
Outcome

The resignation of Pope Benedict XVI took effect on 28 February at CET, following Benedict's announcement of it on 11 February.[1][2][3] It made him the first pope to relinquish the office[note 1] since Gregory XII was forced to resign in [4] to end the Western Schism, and the first pope to voluntarily resign since Celestine V in [5]

All other popes in the modern era have held the position from election until death.[6]Benedict resigned at the age of 85, citing declining health due to old age.[7]The conclave to select his successor began on 12 March [8] and elected cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, who took the name of Francis.

Benedict chose to be known as "Pope emeritus" upon his resignation, and he retained this title until his death in December [9][10]

Announcement

On 11 February , the World Day of the Sick, a Vatican holy day, Pope Benedict XVI announced his intention to resign at the Apostolic Palace in the Sala del Concistoro, at an early morning gathering held to announce the date of the canonisation of Catholic martyrs.[11][12][13] Speaking in Latin, he told the attendees that he had made "a decision of great importance for the life of the church".[2][14] He cited his deteriorating strength due to old age and the physical and mental demands of the papacy.[7] He also declared that he would continue to serve the Church "through a life dedicated to prayer".[7]

Two days later, he presided over his final public Mass, Ash Wednesday services that ended with congregants bursting into a "deafening standing ovation that lasted for minutes"[15] while the pontiff departed St.

Peter's Basilica.[16] On 17 February , Benedict, speaking in Spanish, requested prayers for himself and the new pope from the crowd in St. Peter's Square.[17]

Post-papacy

According to Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi, Benedict would not have the title of cardinal upon his retirement and would not be eligible to hold any office in the Roman Curia.[18][19] On 26 February , Father Lombardi stated that the pope's style and title after resignation are His Holiness Benedict XVI, Roman Pontiff Emeritus, or Pope Emeritus.[20][21] In later years, Benedict expressed his desire to be known simply as "Father Benedict" in conversation.[22]

He continued to wear his distinctive white cassock without the mozzetta.

Instead of the red papal shoes, he wore a pair of brown shoes that he received during a state visit to Mexico. Cardinal CamerlengoTarcisio Bertone destroyed the Ring of the Fisherman and the lead seal of Benedict's pontificate. Benedict wore a regular ecclesiastical ring.[20]

After his resignation, Benedict took up residence in the Papal Palace of Castel Gandolfo.

As the Swiss Guard serves as the personal bodyguard to the pope, their service at Castel Gandolfo ended with Benedict's resignation.[20] The Vatican Gendarmerie ordinarily provides security at the Papal summer residence; they became solely responsible for the former pope's personal security.[20] Benedict moved permanently to Vatican City's Mater Ecclesiae on 2 May , a monastery previously used by nuns for stays of up to several years.[23]

Benedict XVI lived in the monastery until his death on 31 December He died there after being ill for several days.

After his funeral on 5 January in St. Peter's Square, he was buried in a tomb next to his predecessors underneath St. Peter's Basilica.

Reactions

State

Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard,[24] Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff,[25] Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper,[26] Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel,[27] United Kingdom's Prime Minister David Cameron[28] and United States' President Barack Obama[29] praised Benedict and his pontificate; while Italy's Prime Minister Mario Monti[30] and Philippines' President Benigno Aquino III[31] expressed shock and regret, respectively.

Religious

Catholic

Cardinal Walter Brandmüller revealed that he initially thought the news of the renunciation was a "carnival joke", according to an interview he gave with the Germany daily newspaper, Bild.[32]

Metropolitan Archbishop of Lagos Alfred Adewale Martins said of the resignation:[33]

We do not have this sort of event happening every day.

But at the same time, we know that the Code of Canon Law promulgated in makes provision for the resignation of the pope, if he becomes incapacitated or, as with Benedict XVI, if he believes he is no longer able to effectively carry out his official functions as head of the Roman Catholic Church due to a decline in his physical ability. This is not the first time that a pope would resign.

In fact, we have had not less than three who resigned, including Pope Celestine V in and Pope Gregory XII in Pope Benedict XVI was not forced into taking that decision. Like he said in his own words, he acted with "full freedom", being conscious of the deep spiritual implication of his action. By his decision, the Holy Father has acted gallantly and as such we must commend and respect his decision.

Cardinal Timothy M.

Dolan, the archbishop of New York, said that Benedict "brought a listening heart to victims of sexual abuse".[29][34]

One year before the pope's resignation, historian Jon M. Sweeney spoke of Benedict's connection to Celestine V in his book,The Pope Who Quit, how Benedict's comment when he became pope, "Pray for me that I may not flee for fear of the wolves", recalled a similar comment made by Celestine.

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    • Sweeney also compared and contrasted other aspects of the two popes' personalities and tenures leader of the church.[35]

    Jewish

    A spokesman for Yona Metzger, the AshkenaziChief Rabbi of Israel, stated: "During his period there were the best relations ever between the [Catholic] Church and the chief rabbinate, and we hope that this trend will continue.

    I think [Benedict] deserves a lot of credit for advancing inter-religious links the world over between Judaism, Christianity and Islam." He also said that Metzger wished Benedict XVI "good health and long days."[36]

    Buddhist

    Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama and spiritual head of the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism, expressed sadness over the resignation, while noting "his decision must be realistic, for the greater benefit to concern the people."[37]

    Other authors

    New York Times columnist Ross Douthat expressed that "nothing in his papacy became him like the leaving of it: His stunning resignation was the kind of revolutionary gesture that the church so badly needed."[38] On Catholic Family News,Roberto de Mattei concluded: "The resignation of Benedict XVI [] is for me the symbol of the surrender of the Church to the world."[39]

    It was reported at the time in La Repubblica that the pope's resignation was linked to a "gay mafia" operating within the Vatican: an underground network of high-ranking homosexual clergy, holding sex parties in Rome and the Vatican, and involved with corruption in the Vatican Bank.

    The pope's resignation was supposedly prompted by a page dossier on the Vatican leaks scandal.[40][41] In a book, The Last Conversations, the Pope Emeritus downplayed the "gay mafia" rumour, describing it as a group of four or five people who were seeking to influence Vatican decisions that he had succeeded in breaking up.[42][43]

    The Code of Canon Law promulgated in introduced for the first time a distinction between the Latin juridical institutes of the munus petrinum (literally "the gift of St.

    Peter", which means: "to be the Pope") and the ministerium petrinum (literally "the ministry of St. Peter", which means: "to do the Papal office", e.g. to sign Papal documents and to appoint bishops and cardinals). The Pope has the faculty to choose to leave the munus or only the ministerium: giving up the munus the Pope automatically refuses also the ministerium, whereas the vice versa is not possible.

    According to the Italian bestseller titled Codice Ratzinger and to Stefano Violi, professor of Canon Law at the Theological Faculty of Emilia Romagna and at the Theological Faculty of Lugano, Benedict XVI gave up only the ministerium (as it is provided by the canon §2) and not the munus.[44] The Papacy entered in the state of the Impeded See (in Latin: Sedes impedita ).[45] According to Vittorio Messori, this act was coherent with the choice of keeping the title of Pope emeritus.[46]

    Final week

    Benedict XVI delivered his final Angelus on Sunday, 24 February.

    He told the gathered crowd, who carried flags and thanked the pope, "Thank you for your affection. [I will take up a life of prayer and meditation] to be able to continue serving the church."[47] The pope appeared for the last time in public during his regular Wednesday audience on 27 February [48][49] By 16 February, 35, people had already registered to attend the audience.[50] On the evening of 27 February there was a candlelight vigil to show support for Pope Benedict XVI at St.

    Peter's Square.[51] On his final day as pope, Benedict held an audience with the college of Cardinals, and at (&#;pm) local time he boarded a helicopter and flew to Castel Gandolfo. At about (&#;pm), he addressed the masses from the balcony for the last time as pope.[52] After this speech Benedict waited out the final hours of his papacy, which ended at CET ( pm) and promptly the see of Rome became vacant.[53]

    Benevacantism

    An uncertain number of people believed that the resignation of Benedict XVI was not valid, and that he therefore never resigned, that Pope Francis is an antipope and Benedict XVI still remained pope until 31 December Such a position was called "Benevacantism" (a portmanteau of "Benedict” and "sedevacantism"), "resignationism", or "Beneplenism".[54] Supporters of this position asserted that the phrasing or grammar of Benedict XVI's resignation statement, given in Latin, did not effectively remove him from office of the papacy.[55] This position became impossible to be held as of the death and funeral of Pope Benedict XVI, while Francis continued living.

    See also

    Notes

    References

    1. ^Cullinane, Susannah (12 February ). "Pope Benedict XVI's resignation explained". CNN. Archived from the original on 19 February Retrieved 18 February
    2. ^ abDavies, Lizzy; Hooper, John; Connelly, Kate (11 February ).

      "Pope Benedict XVI resigns due to age and declining health". The Guardian.

      Brief biography of pope benedict xvi resign from president Archived from the original on 5 March Retrieved 26 February The lack of transparency led to another embarrassing turn of events just before Benedict's exit, with the Vatican briefly relegated to a cash-only operation in early after Italian banks ceased doing business with the Holy See. Benedict cited his advanced age and deteriorating strength as the impetus for his resignation, explaining that his condition had forced him to "recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me.

      Archived from the original on 30 October Retrieved 11 February

    3. ^"BBC News – Benedict XVI: 10 things about the Pope's retirement". 2 May Archived from the original on 6 August Retrieved 17 July
    4. ^Messia, Hada (11 February ). "Pope Benedict to resign at the end of the month, Vatican says".

      CNN. Archived from the original on 19 March Retrieved 11 February

    5. ^de Souza, Raymond J. (12 February ). "The Holy Father takes his leave". The National Post. Retrieved 12 February
    6. ^"Pope Benedict XVI in shock resignation". BBC News. BBC. 11 February Archived from the original on 28 February Retrieved 11 February
    7. ^ abc"Pope Benedict XVI announces his resignation at end of month".

      Vatican Radio. 11 February Archived from the original on 11 February Retrieved 11 February

    8. ^"Conclave to begin Tuesday March 12th". Vatican Radio. 8 March Archived from the original on 13 February
    9. ^"Benedict XVI will be 'Pope emeritus'". The Vatican Today. Archived from the original on 1 March Retrieved 28 February
    10. ^Petin, Edward (26 February ).

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    11. ^Davies, Lizzy (12 May ). "Pope Francis completes contentious canonisation of Otranto martyrs". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 6 November Retrieved 11 August
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    13. ^"Pope will announce on Monday date for canonization for over saints". Rome Reports. 9 February Archived from the original on 12 February
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    15. ^Cowell, Alan (13 February ). "Pope Ushers in Lent, Making Its Message of Sacrifice Personal This Year". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 5 November
    16. ^Ralph, Talia (13 February ).

      "Pope Benedict XVI leads his final mass on Ash Wednesday". GlobalPost. Archived from the original on 1 March

    17. ^"Pope Benedict tells cheering crowd to pray 'for me and next pope'". NBC News. Archived from the original on 20 February
    18. ^Glatz, Carol; Wooden, Cindy (12 February ). "Benedict will be prayerful presence in next papacy, spokesman says".

      Catholic News Service. Archived from the original on 5 March

    19. ^Pullella, Phillip (15 February ). "Pope will have security, immunity by remaining in the Vatican". Reuters. Archived from the original on 18 November
    20. ^ abcd"Benedict XVI Will Be Pope Emeritus".

      Vatican Information Service. 26 February Archived from the original on 9 June

    21. ^"Benedict XVI Will Be Pope Emeritus". The Catholic News.

      Brief biography of pope benedict xvi resign from congress: Retrieved 12 February Underscoring the depth of the problem, the wrenching documentary Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God , about the abuse of four deaf boys in the s and the Church's attempts to bury the allegations, aired shortly before Benedict stepped down. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below. Pope Emeritus Benedict greets his successor, Pope Francis.

      27 February Archived from the original on 30 September Retrieved 30 September

    22. ^The request of a retired pope – simply call me 'Father Benedict', Catholic News Agency, accessed 13 April
    23. ^"Dopo le dimissioni il Papa si ritirerà presso il monastero Mater Ecclesiae fondato nel '94 per volontà di Wojtyla" (in Italian).

      Il Messagero. 11 February Archived from the original on 13 February Retrieved 12 February

    24. ^"Pope's resignation historic, says Prime Minister Julia Gillard". Archived from the original on 17 February
    25. ^"President Dilma Rousseff says she respects Pope's decision to retire". Archived from the original on 17 December
    26. ^Prime Minister's Office (11 February ).

      "Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI". Prime Minister of Canada's Office.

      Brief biography of pope benedict xvi resign Jesus Christ. As a defense against the Nazi regime, Ratzinger threw himself into the Roman Catholic Church, "a citadel of truth and righteousness against the realm of atheism and deceit," he wrote. Related internet links. But Benedict stuck to his original explanation, with a documentary, Benedict XVI: in Honor of Truth , providing supporting evidence that the pope emeritus felt he could no longer publicly lead the 1.

      Archived from the original on 20 May Retrieved 13 February

    27. ^Germany and Europe hail retiring Pope Benedict XVIArchived 10 September at the Wayback Machine, Deutsche Welle, 11 February
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      11 February Archived from the original on 15 February Retrieved 12 February

    29. ^ abPope Benedict's 'selfless leadership' praised by US church leaders&#;–President pays tribute to pope's work while senior Catholics say Benedict 'brought a listening heart to victims of sexual abuse'Archived 2 February at the Wayback Machine, The Guardian, 11 February
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      "World leaders surprised, but respect pope's decision". USA Today. Archived from the original on 15 February Retrieved 18 February

    31. ^ (11 February ). "Statement of The Presidential Spokesperson on the Pope's resignation". Retrieved 17 July
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      Breaking News. 21 September Archived from the original on 27 February Retrieved 26 February

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      11 February Archived from the original on 1 March Retrieved 17 July

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      Biography of pope benedict xvi Retrieved 18 February An urbane and cultured man, Pope Benedict was an accomplished pianist, with a penchant for Mozart and Brahms. Article Talk. As a defense against the Nazi regime, Ratzinger threw himself into the Roman Catholic Church, "a citadel of truth and righteousness against the realm of atheism and deceit," he wrote.

      The Christian Science Monitor. 13 February ISSN&#; Retrieved 13 May

    36. ^"As pope steps down, chief rabbi lauds Vatican ties". The Jerusalem Post. 21 November Archived from the original on 16 February
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      Web India Archived from the original on 26 December

    38. ^Douthat, Ross Gregory. To Change the Church: Pope Francis and the Future of Catholicism (pp. 16–17). Simon & Schuster.

      Brief biography of pope benedict xvi resign reason He chose to retain his papal name - rather than revert to being Joseph Ratzinger - but preferred to be known simply as "Father Benedict". The New York Times. But he took to his work with typically energetic enthusiasm. In , Ratzinger helped found the theological journal Communio , which became one of the most important journals of Catholic thought.

    39. ^de Mattei, Roberto (January ). "Socci's Thesis Falls Short". Catholic Family News (review of Antonio Socci's book The Secret of Benedict XVI). Translated by Pellegrino, Giuseppe. Niagara Falls, ON. Archived from the original on 6 January Retrieved 6 January
    40. ^"Papal resignation linked to inquiry into 'Vatican gay officials', says paper".

      the Guardian. 22 February

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      "Benedict XVI discusses resignation, "gay mafia," Pope Francis in new book-length interview". .

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    46. ^Vittorio Messori (28 May ). "Ecco perché abbiamo davvero due papi". Corriere della Sera.
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      27th". 16 February Archived from the original on 19 February Retrieved 22 February

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    54. Brief biography of pope benedict xvi resign from church

      55. 13 February Archived from the original on 25 February Retrieved 22 February

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      Dallas, TX. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 4 March Retrieved 6 September

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    Further reading

    External links