Pope Benedict XVI, 2013
For the first time in almost 600 years a pope resigns. In his brief notice (delivered in Latin, such that most of the Cardinals in attendance, at a consistory for new saints in the Vatican, did not understand the import of his words) he said that after repeated examinations of his conscience he had to step down because of his declining health. He was not able, in his mind, to carry out his responsibilities as pope as he could or should.
Notable in his announcement is that the pope does not need any "acceptance" of his resignation. By canon law, all that is required is that he be of sound mind and body (as he expressly stated), state that he is acting freely, that his resignation be in writing, and witnessed. (Canon 322, #2)
Pope Benedict XVI, April 19, 2005
In words that have been repeated over and over, Benedict's announcement humbles me tremendously. He has chosen to give up the "power" of his office, in striking contrast to politicians of every stripe and on every continent, who fight to the end to maintain their position. It is impossible to do anything other than take Benedict at his word: that he values the church more than his role as leader of it.
News reports after the Monday announcement have shed a little more light on his decision. He was exhausted after his pilgrimage to Mexico and Cuba in April. His doctor told him he was too weak to contemplate any more overseas flights (including a potential trip to Brazil for World Youth Day later in the year or to Philadelphia in 2015). He had publicly contemplated such a resignation in a 2010 book-length interview with a German reporter. And then there are his remarks to nursing home residents in November, as reported by Rocco Palmo on his "Whispers in the Loggia" blog:
“I come to you as Bishop of Rome, but also as an old man visiting his peers. It would be superfluous to say that I am well acquainted with the difficulties, problems and limitations of this age and I know that for many these difficulties are more acute due to the economic crisis. At times, at a certain age, one may look back nostalgically at the time of our youth when we were fresh and planning for the future. Thus at times our gaze is veiled by sadness, seeing this phase of life as the time of sunset. This morning, addressing all the elderly in spirit, although I am aware of the difficulties that our age entails I would like to tell you with deep conviction: it is beautiful to be old! At every phase of life it is necessary to be able to discover the presence and blessing of the Lord and the riches they bring. We must never let ourselves be imprisoned by sorrow! We have received the gift of longevity. Living is beautiful even at our age, despite some “aches and pains” and a few limitations. In our faces may there always be the joy of feeling loved by God and not sadness.
In the Bible longevity is considered a blessing of God; today this blessing is widespread and must be seen as a gift to appreciate and to make the most of. And yet frequently society dominated by the logic of efficiency and gain does not accept it as such: on the contrary it frequently rejects it, viewing the elderly as non-productive or useless. All too often we hear about the suffering of those who are marginalized, who live far from home or in loneliness. I think there should be greater commitment, starting with families and public institutions, to ensure that the elderly be able to stay in their own homes. The wisdom of life, of which we are bearers, is a great wealth. The quality of a society, I mean of a civilization, is also judged by how it treats elderly people and by the place it gives them in community life. Those who make room for the elderly make room for life! Those who welcome the elderly welcome life! ... When life becomes frail, in the years of old age, it never loses its value and its dignity: each one of us, at any stage of life, is wanted and loved by God, each one is important and necessary.
Dear friends, at our age we often experience the need of the help of others; and this also happens to the Pope. In the Gospel we read that Jesus told the Apostle Peter: “when you were young, you girded yourself and walked where you would; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish to go” (Jn 21:18). The Lord was referring to the way in which the Apostle was to witness to his faith to the point of martyrdom, but this sentence makes us think about that fact that the need for help is a condition of the elderly. I would like to ask you to seek in this too a gift of the Lord, because being sustained and accompanied, feeling the affection of others is a grace! This is important in every stage of life: no one can live alone and without help; the human being is relational. And in this case I see, with pleasure, that all those who help and all those who are helped form one family, whose lifeblood is love.
Dear elderly brothers and sisters, the days sometimes seem long and empty, with difficulties, few engagements and few meetings; never feel down at heart: you are a wealth for society, even in suffering and sickness. And this phase of life is also a gift for deepening the relationship with God.... Do not forget that one of the valuable resources you possess is the essential one of prayer: become interceders with God, praying with faith and with constancy. Pray for the Church, and pray for me, for the needs of the world, for the poor, so that there may be no more violence in the world. The prayers of the elderly can protect the world, helping it, perhaps more effectively than collective anxiety. Today I would like to entrust to your prayers the good of the Church and peace in the world. The Pope loves you and relies on all of you! May you feel beloved by God and know how to bring a ray of God’s love to this society of ours, often so individualistic and so efficiency-oriented. And God will always be with you and with all those who support you with their affection and their help.”All that I, or we he church, can do, is admire Benedict's bravery in tendering his resignation, and pray for good health as he approaches his 86th birthday in April, and a new chapter in his life, as a "retired pope."
Cardinal Josef Ratzinger, circa 1995
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