The Resignation of Pope Benedict XVI february 28 2013

POPE BENEDICT XVI has announced that he is to resign at the end of the month, saying he no longer has the strength to continue in office. His decision has taken the Catholic Church – which comprises more than 1.2 billion people – by surprise, and indeed shock.
In his resignation statement, which was perhaps prudently guarded, even from his most personal aides, Pope Benedict explained: “Having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer  suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry. I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds but no less with prayer and suffering. However, 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 govern the bark of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel,(sourced from freebrowsingtools) 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 fulfill 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.” Four popes have resigned in the history of the Catholic Church. Other than Celestine V and Gregory XII, they are Marcellinus, who abdicated or was deposed in 304 after complying with the Roman emperor’s order to offer a sacrifice to the pagan gods; and Benedict IX, who sold the papacy to his godfather Gregory VI and resigned in 1045.(sourced from freebrowsingtools) The life of the papacy reflects in many aspects the life of humanity itself, comprising both “saints and sinners”. I suggest Pope Benedict’s decision is a deeply reflective one, motivated for the enormous importance he so deeply values in this unique ministry. Papal departure has been mooted in modern times, too. Pope Pius XII was said to have lodged a letter of resignation with his Vatican aides during World War II. Many within the Church felt that Pope John Paul II should have resigned, as he endured so much suffering and ill health.Father Vincent Twomey, an Irish priest who studied under Pope Benedict in Germany, said he was not surprised by the announcement, saying that the pope looked very tired at an annual meeting of past students in August. He praised the pope’s courage in admitting that the was physically unable for the task. Fr Twomey said he would like to see Pope Benedict’s successor coming from the ‘young Church’, pointing us towards South America and Africa – continents where the Catholic Church continues to grow and blossom.
Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, reflecting on Pope Benedict’s relationship with the Irish Church, said: “He was a man who wanted to know a lot about what was happening in Irish society, not in a way of pointing fingers but of trying to learn and asking me and the Irish Church where are we in today’s society.” The archbishop believed that history would look at the pope in a ‘varied way’. Dr Martin said that Pope Benedict had a very clear understanding of some of the moral problems in the Church and he had addressed them ‘head-on’. (sourced from freebrowsingtools)
From the Irish viewpoint, the greatest discontent with the Church has arisen on the issue of clerical child sexual abuse and the issue has still not satisfactorily been explained by the Vatican. However, Benedict’s pontificate had zero tolerance regarding paedophile clergy. His summoning of the Irish hierarchy, following the publication of the ***Murphy Report*** highlights Benedict’s deep concern regarding the dysfunctional handling of this most dreadful reality.
History, perhaps, will note Pope Benedict as a scholastic father, determined to uphold what is best in a tradition, which he upheld and was determined to conserve. His writings are abundantly rich in insight and depth, including his prolific biography of Jesus of Nazareth – the first pontiff to publish such a remarkable account of the life of Christ. Pope Benedict’s, departure is fuelled with integrity and courage.
Perhaps this resignation is a prophetic action that will renew even the papacy itself. In his resignation statement, Benedict takes a huge step towards the demystification of the world’s oldest and most sacred office, with the quiet insistence that one has to be up to the job.(sourced from freebrowsingtools) A gauntlet has now been laid down now to those entrusted to choose his successor. I hope that the fresh winds of early spring will attune the forthcoming conclave to the voice of the spirit, selecting an energetic pontiff who can embrace with faith, hope and love this most sacred office. We all hope that God will appoint for us someone that can handle the post like our ex.