A Pope Resigns, II (History)

It didn't take long after Pope Benedict revealed his intention to resign the papacy on Monday for church historians to find the historical precedents   He is certainly not the first to do so.  Father Tom Reese,  S.J., had this list up on the internet by mid-morning:

Historical evidence for papal resignations is limited, especially if one eliminates resignations that may have been forced.

1. Clement I (92?-101): Epiphanius asserted that Clement gave up the pontificate to Linus for the sake of peace and became pope again after the death of Cletus.
2. Pontian (230-235): Allegedly resigned after being exiled to the mines of Sardinia during persecution of Maximinus Thrax.
3. Cyriacus: A fictional character created in the Middle Ages who supposedly received a heavenly command to resign.
4. Marcellinus (296-304): Abdicated or was deposed after complying with Diocletian's order to offer sacrifice to pagan gods.
5. Martin I (649-655): Exiled by Emperor Constans II to Crimea. Before he died, clergy of Rome elected a successor whom he appears to have approved.
6. Benedict V (964): After one month in office, he accepted deposition by Emperor Otto I.
7. Benedict IX (1032-45): Benedict resigned after selling the papacy to his godfather Gregory VI.
8. Gregory VI (1045-46): Deposed for simony by Henry III.
9. Celestine V (1294): A hermit, elected at age of 80 and overwhelmed by the office, resigned. He was imprisoned by his successor.
10. Gregory XII (1406-15): Resigned at request of Council of Constance to help end the Great Western Schism.

Source: Patrick Granfield, "Papal Resignation" (The Jurist, winter and spring 1978) and J. N. D. Kelly, The Oxford Dictionary of Popes (1986).

In Light of the World, (1910) Pope Benedict responded unambiguously to a question about whether a pope could resign: "Yes. If a Pope clearly realizes that he is no longer physically, psychologically, and spiritually capable of handling the duties of his office, then he has a right and, under some circumstances, also an obligation to resign."

On the other hand, he did not favor resignation simply because the burden of the papacy is great. "When the danger is great one must not run away. For that reason, now is certainly not the time to resign. Precisely at a time like this one must stand fast and endure the situation. That is my view. One can resign at a peaceful moment or when one simply cannot go on. But one must not run away from danger and say someone else should do it."

The most "recent" of the resignations, by Pope Gregory XII, ended an 85 year period in which two, and sometimes three, men all claimed the office of Pope.  Not a very edifying century in the Catholic Church's history.  

Many have noted that Pope Celestine V, who resigned in 1294, is pictured by Dante in Hell for his act.  

What strikes me as you look at this list is that just about all the resignations were done for less than virtuous reasons.  Only the last one by Gregory XII, could be said to have had intention which served the church, not the man.

What is more fascinating to me is not the history, but the future.  By his resignation at age 85, Papa Ratzinger has effectively given "permission" to all future popes to do the same.  That is, he has freed his successors to determine if they have the energy, mental acuity and stamina to carry out the responsibilities of spiritually leading the 1.2 billion souls in the Catholic Church, as well as being a leading figure on the world stage.  

Benedict has also freed up the College of Cardinals, as they prepare to move into the Conclave in early March, to widen their search.  The 117 electors will not have to limit their thinking to the "sweet spot" of ages 68 to 72 (not too young, or else you get another 27 year reign such as with John Paul II; not too old, or else you lose the effectiveness of the man to must respond to the huge demands of our contemporary world).  If the Cardinals elect, say, a 63 year old, or even a 55 year old, such a new pope could in his mind say, I will give it everything I can, for as long as I can.  But he will also know that if his body gives out (or his mind; how many previous popes had Altzeimer's disease and their aides and doctors didn't know it?) he can -- for the good of the church -- resign and not leave the church leaderless.