Pope Benedict XVI to Retire

[La literatura]

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/be...aratio_en.html

Dear Brothers,

I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonizations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the Church. After 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 barque 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 recognize 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, 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.

Dear Brothers, I thank you most sincerely for all the love and work with which you have supported me in my ministry and I ask pardon for all my defects. And now, let us entrust the Holy Church to the care of Our Supreme Pastor, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and implore his holy Mother Mary, so that she may assist the Cardinal Fathers with her maternal solicitude, in electing a new Supreme Pontiff. With regard to myself, I wish to also devotedly serve the Holy Church of God in the future through a life dedicated to prayer.

From the Vatican, 10 February 2013
BENEDICTUS PP XVI

On one hand, I am floored by the news. On the other hand, I am glad he is able to rest and enjoy retirement. I think this will set a healthy precedent.

[rocknrolla]

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[InChiefsHell]

The last Pope to do this was Gregory XII...in 1415...so this is NOT something that happens every day...I'm frankly shocked by this.

[007]

Good grief. He hasn't even been in the position that long.

[InChiefsHell]

Originally Posted by Guru

Good grief. He hasn't even been in the position that long.

Almost 8 years. Which, in Pope years is a lot. John Paul II was there for a very very long time. Most Popes don't last 5 years. The average is 7.2 years per google search, so that's not really that irregular. What's not normal is voluntarily giving up the office.

[otherstar]

Originally Posted by InChiefsHell

Almost 8 years. Which, in Pope years is a lot. John Paul II was there for a very very long time. Most Popes don't last 5 years. The average is 7.2 years per google search, so that's not really that irregular. What's not normal is voluntarily giving up the office.

Yep. It' is unusual, but Pope Benedict did write about it while he was still a Cardinal (can't find the link right now). Pope Benedict was a high respected scholar before he was elected, so I'm sure he knows what he's doing. Word is that he will live out his days in a monastery within Vatican walls. I don't really expect him to live long after he steps down.

[007]

Originally Posted by InChiefsHell

Almost 8 years. Which, in Pope years is a lot. John Paul II was there for a very very long time. Most Popes don't last 5 years. The average is 7.2 years per google search, so that's not really that irregular. What's not normal is voluntarily giving up the office.

8 years? Feels like it has only been 3 for some reason. Still, I'm used to seeing them stay in there for much longer than 8 years.

[Dave Lane]

He's had so many scandals and been so unpopular that its pretty apparent he's being forced out and this is the story.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by Dave Lane

He's had so many scandals and been so unpopular that its pretty apparent he's being forced out and this is the story.

You moron, you can't force out a Pope. He can convene and dismiss any council he wants. He's the unquestioned top dog of the entire church. Suggesting otherwise shows a lack of knowledge, and/or watching too much American television.

[dirk digler]

They will just replace him with another priest that either covered up child molestation or took part.

Here is a good story that just came out and I am sure he knew nothing about.

Twelve thousand pages of records are being released by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, documenting decades of child molestation and cover-ups. The documents revealed retired Cardinal Roger Mahony and his top aide’s efforts to conceal the molestations from authorities and shield priests accused of abuse.

In 2007 the Los Angeles archdiocese reached a $660 million settlement in a civil suit brought by more than 500 victims of sexual abuse. Ray Boucher, the lead attorney for the plaintiffs in that case, joined Ray Suarez to discuss these developments.

Boucher said that without a doubt these documents and files confirm that top church officials provided cover for accused priests in order to protect them from being criminally prosecuted. Because many of the crimes coming to light occurred over a decade ago, the victims may not be able to file a civil law suit, explained Boucher.

[La literatura]

FWIW, there is no credible way for the child abuse scandal of the Church to reflect poorly on Benedict's reign as pope. The actual incidents of abuse happened decades before, and the cover-ups ended before he became Pope.

Although we are still witnessing the aftermath now, the scandal can in no way be tied to Pope Benedict XVI.

[La literatura]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

They will just replace him with another priest that either covered up child molestation or took part.

This implies that Benedict either covered up child molestation or took part, yet there is zero evidence of that. Before becoming Pope, before even a higher-up Vatican official, Ratzinger did not spend much time in the position where he could cover-up molestation. He was a Theology professor at a university.

[dirk digler]

Originally Posted by La literatura

This implies that Benedict either covered up child molestation or took part, yet there is zero evidence of that. Before becoming Pope, before even a higher-up Vatican official, Ratzinger did not spend much time in the position where he could cover-up molestation. He was a Theology professor at a university.

He was Archbishop of Munich for 5 years and then was in charge of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which was also responsible for investigating sexual abuse cases.

You should watch the HBO documentary that just came out called Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God

The story really has two parts: what the priests did to the boys, and what the Church did to the priests. What did the Church do?
Very often the “treatment” for pedophile priests was prayer. And then they’d send them back out. Basically, what the Church did was to cover it up. We interview one person in the film called a “fixer.” He was a Benedictine monk. His job was to go around to parishes where there had been pedophile priests, bringing a bag of money to pay people off and make confidentiality agreements—to buy people off.

When you say “the Church knew,” who exactly are we talking about?
It had been believed for many years that bishops were basically on their own, dealing with these matters as they saw fit. That was the fiction that Rome had advanced. But it turns out that, to defrock a priest, you had to go to Rome. Only a pope can do that. Those issues went to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who ran an organization called the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith—formerly known as “the Inquisition.” In 2001 Pope John Paul II decided to give Cardinal Ratzinger all the authority on all sexual abuse cases.

Where is Cardinal Ratzinger now?
Now he is Pope Benedict XVI.

So who is the most knowledgeable person in the world about priests abusing children?
Pope Benedict. Every report starting in 2001 came to his office.

The first part of the story is what the priests did to the boys. The second part is what the Church did to the priests. And there is a third part: What did the Church do for the victims?
Almost nothing. The overriding concern of the Church was not justice for the victims, not protection of victims. It was to care for the priests. Pope Benedict said he was very sorry for the victims, but you can see in the actions of the hierarchy that their concern is for protecting the Church from scandal, and also protecting their brother priests.

[whoman69]

Brave choice. I think John Paul 2 should have done the same late in his life.

[Hammock Parties]

Worst Pope ever.