Thursday, March 28, AD 2024 7:54am

Resignation Questions

 

Pope Benedict will  resign his office today.  I wish him all the best.  I can only imagine the burden he lays down now.  Actually I can’t.  Being the Vicar of Christ and having the responsibility of shepherding His Church?  Only the men who have have filled the shoes of the Fisherman can have any comprehension of what must be the crushing weight of that office.  I hope he enjoys his well earned rest.  What are the practical long term consequences of his decision?

1.  What does the old Pope think? The new Pope will have to deal with something none of his predecessors had to deal with:  an aggressive world wide media incessantly trying to ask Benedict how his successor is doing.  I am confident that Benedict will remain mum, but that will not stop rumors from constantly arising as to whether he is pleased or displeased with the actions of his successor.  If this resignation starts a trend in popes resigning, then this may be something new for future popes to have to wrestle with.

2.  Will Benedict write his memoirs?  I doubt it, but it is a possibility.  Popes commenting on their own papacy in retrospect is something new under the sun.

3.  New ammo for the sedevacantists?  Opposition to the new Pope, and opposition there will doubtless be, on the fringes may argue that he is not really Pope because the resignation was invalid.  Since popes have resigned before I do not find this argument logical, but I am certain this will be made.

4.  Push for a papal mandatory retirement age?  There is already a mandatory retirement age of 70 for priests and 75 for bishops and archbishops.  I always have thought this was an unwise act on the part of Paul VI and I fear that there may be a push for such a mandatory retirement age for popes.

5.  Psst, did you hear the Pope is going to resign?  The Vatican has always been a rumor mill and now we will have a new one.  Whenever a Pope sneezes the rumors are going to fly.

6.  What does a retired Pope do?  Go to a monastery cut off from the world one hopes.  I trust that Benedict will realize he needs to isolate himself from the World as much as possible, for his peace and the peace of the new Pope.

7.  Duty for a Pope to retire?  With the advance of medical technology, popes are living longer and their dying will be more drawn out, as we saw with John Paul II.  These are rocky patches in any papacy as the Pope loses day to day control.  Will it now be argued that a Pope has a duty to “spare” the Church this and retire?  I think much mischief can be, and will be, done with this argument.

8.  Consultation with the old Pope?  What if a successor Pope wishes to consult a retired Pope?  I think such consultation would be a mistake for any number of reasons, but depending upon the man chosen I could imagine it happening.

9.  Changes in canon law?  Don’t be surprised if the new Pope implements changes in canon law to carefully spell out the role of a retired Pope.

10. Younger popes?  Will this resignation lead to the Cardinals considering a younger man than hitherto for the Papacy?  Age and health have never seemed to be major concerns at prior Conclaves, but I can imagine this first resignation in six centuries leading to a focusing upon age and health.

 

Lots of questions and few answers.  Time will supply them as it usually does.

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Thursday, February 28, AD 2013 1:54pm

[…] Collins, Linen. . . Benedict XVI Pledges Obedience to His Successor – Francis X. Rocca Resignation Questions – Donald R. McClarey JD, The American Catholic Benedict’s Final Meeting with Cardinals […]

Shanna Carson
Thursday, February 28, AD 2013 2:30pm

We may be religious or not, we may agree or disagree with Pope Benedict’s views, but I believe we have to admire a decision that places the good of the Catholic Church above his personal prestige.

Pinky
Pinky
Thursday, February 28, AD 2013 3:57pm

To the first question: I think the kind of man who would step down willingly from the papacy wouldn’t ever undercut his successor. Maybe if there is a mandatory retirement age, though, a less humble former pope wouldn’t be so well-behaved.

To the second question: Again, this being Benedict, I can’t see it happening. I wonder, though: would he be tempted to write as a theologian, which is his true passion? That could actually cause some problems. Not real problems, but I could see some people getting confused about the relative weight to put on a former pope’s writings. I think he’s old, and retiring for a reason, but I imagine that he could write letters and such.

Two other thoughts I’ve had lately. One, I’m surprised that Benedict didn’t stay through the canonization of John Paul. Personally, I don’t like the idea of rushed canonizations, but it does surprise me that Benedict wouldn’t see that through to the end. Second, the Pius X’ers. I keep thinking about Don Corleone, who set up peace between the families with the full knowledge that his son would kill all the family’s enemies when he took over. That’s grim, I know. But I get the feeling that Benedict did all he could to reunite them with the institutional Church, and his successor will not feel a need for greater acts of patience.

Mary De Voe
Mary De Voe
Friday, March 1, AD 2013 1:37pm

Pope Benedict XVI did what is in the best interest of the Church. It is going to be a bumpy ride for the Lavender Mafia.

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