Monday, February 11, 2013

Benedict to Retire

According to both CNN and Yahoo News, it seems that Pope Benedict has decided to resign the ministry.
 "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," the pope told the cardinals, according to the Vatican.
A little Googling shows that the last Pope to resign was Pope Gregory, in 1415.  So, there is precedent and the Church normally takes the long view.  However, I bet that the Vatican is in a tizzy this morning.  It will be interesting to watch the selection process, as it's always interesting to watch the Church select a Pope.

1 comment:

Old NFO said...

At least he recognized his frailty and acted on it, rather than hanging on to the end. kudos to him!