A Pope Resigns, IV (Timing)

"There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens."  (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

"Timing is everything."  Anonymous

Why now?  Why did Pope Benedict XVI resign now, within two months of his 86th birthday (April 16), and within two months of the 8th anniversary of his election as pope (April 19)?  

Nobody knows.  As mentioned in a previous post, it has been revealed by media that Benedict fell and hit his head in the middle of the night, looking for the bathroom while on pilgrimage in Mexico last May.  And that he was exhausted after the trip, which also included a stop in Cuba.  And that sometime this winter, his doctor told him that he was too weak to consider any more trans-Atlantic flights (such as to Brazil for World Youth Days this summer).

His spokesperson has said that the pope is not terminally ill, and not with disease.  Father Lombardi takes the pope at his word, that age has made him weak and unable to carry out his duties as he wishes. I do too.

One report said that the pope was going to announce his resignation, and make it effective the next day.  But whomever he confided in said, no, that would be a bad idea.  Give the church, and the College of Cardinals, some time to digest the momentous decision.  Again, Father Lombardi said he did not know there was any particular significance to the date of resignation being Thursday, February 28.  He speculated that the pope thought this would be enough time for a new pope to be elected, celebrate his "Mass of installation into the Petrine Ministry," and celebrate the many liturgies of Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and the Sacred Triduum.

In that light, there are reports going around that the College of Cardinals (which have not yet set a date for the beginning of the conclave) may use a generous interpretation of the rules.  Under rules set out by Pope John Paul II in 1996, a conclave is to commence between 15 and 20 days after the death (or resignation) of the reigning pope.  The presumption in this is that it could take six to nine days from the actual date of death of a pope, to his funeral Mass (as in the case with Pope John Paul II).  A literal interpretation of this would set the beginning of the conclave between March 15 and 20.  

But a looser interpretation could be that the Cardinals will have had 17 days to discuss (outside of Rome, mostly) from the announcement on the 11th to the effective date of resignation.  John Allen reported speculation that the Cardinals, gathered in their General Congregation on March 1st, will take a vote, to begin the conclave, say, on Sunday, March 10.  This would give them all week to elect a pope.  Also, in this thinking, the Cardinals would try to have the election concluded by, say, the 17th, the Feast of St. Joseph, which would be a celebratory day in the midst of Lent for an inaugural Mass.

Maybe Benedict will tell us more about the timing in his memoirs, if he chooses to write them in retirement.  Or maybe, he woke up one day, and said, This is It!

"Time will tell."  Dad, and philosophers everywhere.