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Wow, I didn't even know a Pope could resign.
Wow, I didn't even know a Pope could resign.
Heard this morning coming over the Hot News.. The news is also reporting it a partly being his age. He is 85. But again.....there hasn't been a Pope to resign in over 600 years.
But most popes don't get past 80, either. I think I read it reported that only Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI got past 80. Wikipedia says: If requested, a diocesan bishop must offer his resignation from the governance of his diocese on completion of his seventy-fifth year of age and cardinals are not allowed to join a conclave after reaching eighty.
A man can still be vital at 80 and certainly have all the intellectual capacity of any adult, but there is no octagenarian that can seriously claim to have the energy they did earlier in life. Being a leader on the world stage is a terribly hard job, even for a middle aged man in the prime of his life. Just look at pictures of past presidents from inauguration to their last days in office...the job ages you quite a bit.
How do you think this will affect the Catholic Church? Do you think it is also about the change with Catholics here in America? Besides his health issues and age. I wonder how the Leaders of some other religions are reacting to this news.
Pope Benedict to resign at the end of the month, Vatican says - CNN.com
ADDED: Health reasons are being cited in early reports.
Well, at least I doubt they'll be able to find someone worse for the job.
Many American Catholics will demand Ronald Reagan be made Pope. They will insist the fact that he is dead and wasn't a Catholic shouldn't be a reason to deny the world his greatness.
I am not Catholic so I am not really sure exactly what this means to the Church, but I would bet it is because of Alzheimers or some other organic brain disease, that he is afraid he will make bad decisions or something that his staff could not control.
That was my first presumption but I've also been seeing reports of relatively sudden physical problems; needing a cane, a drastic loss of energy noticed, advised not to travel.
I have a couple of questions? Does he continue to live at the Vatican or does he go back to Germany after all these years? I would imagine even when he resigns and a new Pope is picked, if he stays at the Vatican, people will still think of him as the real guy in charge.
Secondly, anybody here the buzz about the Nigerian Cardinal who apparently is the conventional wisdom's lead guy to replace him? A black Pope? I wonder what impact that would make on the church outside of the Third World? I wouldn't want to assume people are racist and believe the best but I was one a member of a so called protestant church where a odd dynamic occurred. The church began doing significant outreach into the black community. Over time many blacks joined the church. Some rose in church leadership serving in key roles as Assistant Pastors, Music Minister and Private School Principal. The odd part was it seemed over time the more blacks joined and took their places in various roles, the more whites left the church and didn't join in the same numbers. Today the church is about 80% black however with the same white Lead Pastor who saw the "white flight" from his church. Its thriving today but struggles financially as the newer members generally don't have the same levels of financial resources to contribute although membership numbers are the same. Again, I know race relations is a sensitive subject that a lot of people like to avoid and/or act like it is a non-issue and are quick to accuse anybody who thinks it is of "using the race card" but I honestly do wonder what a black Pope could mean to the Catholic Church already struggling to maintain relevance in Europe and North America. I also wonder how it would affect the Church in the Third World and more particularly its possible affect on the so-called Protestant Church. Anyhoo, just thinking out loud on IF the African Cardinal even gets the job.
I have a couple of questions? Does he continue to live at the Vatican or does he go back to Germany after all these years? I would imagine even when he resigns and a new Pope is picked, if he stays at the Vatican, people will still think of him as the real guy in charge.
It's my understanding that the current Pope will most likely remain at the Vatican, however, he will not be consulted (nor will he speak about) any decisions or actions involving the church. I would imagine that outside talking about his health we may never again hear from him in public circles once the new Pope is elected.
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