28th February - Sede Vacante - Two years later

February 28th 2013 the world saw a modern papal first with the abdication of Pope Benedict XVI from the See of St Peter. 

Over at Whispers in the Loggia, Roco takes us through that day 

Indeed, as head-spinners go, nothing in the current context – arguably nothing we've seen, ever – can compete with those 17 days in February 2013 between Benedict XVI's announcement of his resignation on the 11th and his departure from the Vatican at dusk on the 28th. Even if the modern information cycle holds its choicest rewards for the bright, shiny thing of the day – however fleeting it is – this moment deserved and still deserves more enduring attention than it got... and not just because, at some point in time, the reigning pontiff has quietly signaled his determination to follow suit and concretize the renunciation of the papacy in life as a matter of course. 

Ergo, let's go back to the scenes of that unbelievable night: first, B16's emotional, masterfully choreographed farewell from the Apostolic Palace and the chopper out...

Check out the videos and Rocco's commentary HERE including that hair raising scene of the dis-engagement of the Swiss guards at 8pm when the sede vacante came into force.

AFP - Two years on: forgotten pope sees out days in the shadows
CNA - The Pope who became a pilgrim: Benedict's resignation remembered
NCR - Pope Benedict XVI's resignation: a retrospective

A monsignor sobbed, then silence fell: an eyewitness account of Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation

Two years ago today, Pope Benedict XVI announced his abdication from the See of St Peter. The Catholic Herald reprints an article from Archbishop Leo Cushley is the Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh about the announcement and the days afterwards.
 

 

February 11 is a holiday in the Vatican. It is the day when the Holy See celebrates the settlement in 1929 of the so-called “Roman Question”, the resolution of the 59-year stand-off between the Kingdom of Italy and the Holy See after the fall of Rome in 1870 to the Kingdom’s troops and the effective end of the ancient Papal States in central Italy.

By chance it was also the day Pope Benedict XVI chose to resign.

The date had been scheduled for a small consistory, comprising midday prayer and the announcement by Cardinal Angelo Amato of some beati due to be promoted to saints. There had also been a little gentle buzz for some time in the Roman Curia about the Holy Father announcing one or two important changes then, perhaps near the top of the administration, but these kinds of rumours circle like the seagulls around the Vatican’s Belvedere: they come round frequently, make a bit of noise and go away again. In other words, as in most places, nothing happens until it happens.

There was no indication that this day was going to be any different. It was also a holiday, and although the rest of the Curia was enjoying a rest, the few people around the person of the Holy Father, including myself, were to be on duty in the Apostolic Palace’s Sala del Concistoro to welcome him as he went to pray with the cardinals present in Rome and to go through the short ceremony.

Continue reading HERE.

You can find SS102fm coverage of the papal abdication in 2013 HERE.

"The Moment thats finally seen Avignon turned on its head" - Papa-emeritus Benedict returns to Vatican City.

From Rome Reports:



Coverage of Benedict's return by Vatican News



"the moment that's finally seen
Avignon turned on its head."



"In style with his own personal manner, Pope Francis left the formalities of a welcoming ceremony to Vatican authorities, who awaited the arrival of the Pope Emeritus at the Vatican heliport. These included Cardinals Bertello - President of the Governatorate, Bertone - Secretary of State, and Sodano - the deacon of the College of Cardinals as well as some bishops.

But Pope Francis was awaiting his predecessor at the entrance to the “Mater Ecclesiae” Monastery in the Vatican Gardens where Benedict will be residing. Together they preceded to the chapel for a brief moment of prayer."

Continue reading here.

Some analysis/commentary/opinion from the Vaticanista's:

John Thavis - The Vatican has a retired Pope in residence

Robert Moynihan - First photo of two Popes

Whispers in the Loggia - B16 Returns and One Vatican.....Two Popes

"I am a pilgrim......"

For an interesting and reflective "scrap book" of moments of the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI, the Vatican website has put together an online album of quotes and reflections here.

Sede vancante ..........Come Holy Spirit

Source

And so we are a number of hours away from a "sede vacante" in the See of St Peter.

This morning Pope Benedict XVI greeted the cardinals who have already gathered in Rome ahead of the Conclave to elect his successor and during an audience thanked them for their help over the last eight years and pledged his obedience to his successor who (chances are) was probably already in the room.

He also reminded the cardinals (quoting Romano Guardini) "The Church is not an institution devised and built at table, but a living reality. She lives along the course of time by transforming Herself, like any living being, yet Her nature remains the same. At Her heart is Christ. "

Going on he reminded the cardinals "This was our experience yesterday, I think, in the square. We could see that the Church is a living body, animated by the Holy Spirit, and truly lives by the power of God, She is in the world but not of the world. She is of God, of Christ, of the Spirit, as we saw yesterday. This is why another eloquent expression of Guardini’s is also true: "The Church is awakening in souls." The Church lives, grows and awakens in those souls which like the Virgin Mary accept and conceive the Word of God by the power of the Holy Spirit. They offer to God their flesh and in their own poverty and humility become capable of giving birth to Christ in the world today. Through the Church the mystery of the Incarnation remains present forever. Christ continues to walk through all times in all places. Let us remain united, dear brothers, to this mystery, in prayer, especially in daily Eucharist, and thus serve the Church and all humanity. This is our joy that no one can take from us."

Full text of the address is here.

At 5pm Rome time, Pope Benedict XVI will be transported to Castel Gandolfo where he will be greeted by a number of dignitaries and also appear to the crowd gathered in the square before the papal villa. At the same time a last papal tweet from Pope Benedict XVI will be issued on the @pontifex twitter account which will then go silent until the new pope decides what he wants to do with it.



The ombrellino (the "little umbrella") to be more precise. This symbol will replace the papal tiara over the crossed keys of the Vatican's emblem" during the interregnum between the resignation of the Pope Benedict XVI and the emergence of his successor, to symbolize the lack of a Pope. If you look closely, you will find it on formal Vatican documents, on the masthead of the daily newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, both in hard copy and digital form. The Vatican State Post Office customarily issues stamps to mark this intermediate reign. - Read more here

At 8pm, when the sede vacante begins, the Swiss guard will depart from the papal villa signifying that their role is to protect the Supreme Pontiff  has ended as from that moment there is no Pope, and during a sede vacante their role is defend the College of Cardinals while it deliberates over a new successor. The security detail of Pope Emeritus Benedict will be dealt with by the Vatican gendarmerie.

At the same time, the papal seals and "ring of the fisherman" will be destroyed by the Camerlengo, Cardinal Bertone, and the papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace in Rome will be sealed. At that stage the camerlengo will declare the sede vacante and the Dean of the College of Cardinals - Cardinal Sodano - will officially summon the College together to meet in conclave to elect the next successor of St Peter.

Rocco has some more details over at Whispers. There is a lot of online coverage of todays events but we would recommend you keep an eye on Vatican news website News.va and in particular the Vatican Radio section. For anyone on Facebook, check out Vatican Radio's FB page. 

As we enter into this moment of transition, there will be a lot a coverage, speculation and down right wishful thinking by commentators and pundits alike. But as Pope Benedict XVI has been reminding us since he announced his decision to step down, this matter is now in the hands of the real Head of the Church. As Catholic Christians we are called to pray..........

It is about Jesus

CNEWA - Cardinal Dolan prays the rosary on the steps
of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem
 

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York recently posted on his blog about the reaction to the papal abdication and the response to it with the pointed reminder - it is not about the Pope, it is about Jesus.
Full text below.

“But why didn’t he say anything about his reasons for stepping down, or his plans for the future, or any personal reflections about his own legacy?” asked the journalist after Mass yesterday at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

This reporter had gotten up early to watch the last Sunday Angelus address Pope Benedict XVI would ever give, to 100,000 people in Saint Peter’s Square at noon in Rome. He had spoken of Lent, the Transfiguration of Jesus (the gospel for Sunday), and prayer.

“Because,” I replied, trying to provide an answer to the journalist’s fair-enough inquiry, “Popes don’t talk about themselves. They are really no longer themselves! That’s why they change their name. They take literally what Saint Paul wrote, that “I live now – - no, not I – - Christ lives in me.” They speak not of themselves but of Jesus. That’s why!”

“And you,” the reporter courteously persisted, “you didn’t say a word about your plans, your departure for Rome, your thoughts or observations. We got here to cover your 10:15 a.m. Mass, and you only mentioned the Pope in one prayer, and didn’t say anything personal.”

“Same reason,” I responded. “The Mass is about Jesus, not about me.”

That could be the most profound lesson this great professor-pontiff has taught the world. His heroic and humble decision of a week ago to step-down from the Chair of Saint Peter is a lesson: in the end, when all is said and done, it’s not about office, prominence, prestige, prerogatives. It’s not about me at all: it’s all about Jesus and His Church.

Tomorrow, though, I do leave New York for Rome. I take you with me. When I have the privilege of bidding farewell to the Holy Father this Thursday, the day he leaves, I’ll tell him that we – - you and me – - love him, pray with and for him, and thank him.

I’ll miss you. Sure, this will be awesome for me. But, I really like being your archbishop. And I’ll be eager to get back home to you. Besides, I can get a good bowl of pasta here in New York, too.

Please God, I’ll be home by Palm Sunday. Not a day will go by that I will not think of you here with love, prayer and gratitude. If I’m in Rome longer, please send peanut butter. You can’t get it there."

Year of Faith - Papal General Audiences - Pope Benedict XVI's last one

Pope Benedict XVI held the final General Audience of his pontificate on Wednesday in St Peter's Square. You can listen to a report from Vatican Radio here.
 
Vatican Radio's English translation of the Holy Father's remarks are available here.

Pope Benedict XVI's remarks in English during his final General Audience:

"Dear Brothers and Sisters,

 I offer a warm and affectionate greeting to the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors who have joined me for this, my last General Audience. Like Saint Paul, whose words we heard earlier, my heart is filled with thanksgiving to God who ever watches over his Church and her growth in faith and love, and I embrace all of you with joy and gratitude.

 During this Year of Faith, we have been called to renew our joyful trust in the Lord’s presence in our lives and in the life of the Church. I am personally grateful for his unfailing love and guidance in the eight years since I accepted his call to serve as the Successor of Peter. I am also deeply grateful for the understanding, support and prayers of so many of you, not only here in Rome, but also throughout the world.

The decision I have made, after much prayer, is the fruit of a serene trust in God’s will and a deep love of Christ’s Church. I will continue to accompany the Church with my prayers, and I ask each of you to pray for me and for the new Pope.

 In union with Mary and all the saints, let us entrust ourselves in faith and hope to God, who continues to watch over our lives and to guide the journey of the Church and our world along the paths of history. I commend all of you, with great affection, to his loving care, asking him to strengthen you in the hope which opens our hearts to the fullness of life that he alone can give. To you and your families, I impart my blessing. Thank you! " 
As always Rocco has some good coverage and commentary over at Whispers in the Loggia.

17th February 2013 - 1st Sunday of Lent - Abdication of Pope Benedict XVI

On this weeks programme we are joined by Fr Eamonn Conway to discuss the abdication of Pope Benedict XVI which was announced during the week. We also have our regular weekly reflection on the Sunday gospel which of course this week is that of the first Sunday of Lent. We have our regular liturgical odds and ends and some notices.

This weeks podcast can be listened to HERE.
 
Abdication of Pope Benedict XVI from the See of St Peter
 

We are joined this week by Fr Eamonn Conway to reflect on the dramatic events which occurred during the past week with the announcement by Pope Benedict XVI that  "After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry". The abdication was announced at a consistory of cardinals who had gathered for the announcement of the canonisation of new saints. The Pope made the announcement by his own decision in accordance with canon 332 and made it clear it was a decision being made under his own free will and determination.

 

[For a round up of coverage during the week, have a look at our blog post here and here].

 



Pope Benedict XVI visiting the remains of Pope St Celestine V in 2009


While there are a number of historical precedents with the most recent one being that of Gregory XII who abdicated the papacy in 1406 so as to enable the end of the Western Schism which saw three different claimants to the papal throne at one time. A more closer precedent would be the case of Pope St Celestine V who actually wrote the canon law being used by Pope Benedict to step aside in 1294 and who stepped down after five months as Pope. It is also interesting that Pope Celestine V is the pope who wrote the rule that the cardinals are to go into conclave until they elect a new pope as he was elected pope after a two year period without a successor to St Peter! It is also an interesting point to note that Pope Benedict XVI visited the remains of Pope St Celestine V at the Basilica Santa Maria di Collemaggio in Aquila and left his papal pallium on his grave in 2009.
 
The abdication could be viewed as a recognition of the proper role of the ministry of the Pope to properly lead the church which requires mental and physical health; which Pope Benedict acknowledges he no longer fully has. It demonstrates a freedom in himself to acknowledge his humanity and the frailty of that humanity. After showing the value of suffering demonstrated by John Paul II, Benedict seems to want to bring out the humanity of the papal office reminding us that Jesus Christ is at the centre of the church - yesterday, today and forever. It could be argued that for this teaching Pope, it is a final act of papal teaching, putting the papacy in its proper place.

This point was reflected in the statement from Br Alois the Prior of the Ecumenical Community at Taize

During this prayer [on Dec 29th in St Peter's Square], we were all turned together towards the Cross of Christ, and this was like an image of his whole ministry: to try and make Christians aware of what lies at the heart of the faith. He told me one day how much he appreciated that, in Taizé, young people are turned towards what is essential. And when I asked him what that essential was, he replied: a personal relationship with God.

At a time of deep-seated changes in the world, it is not easy to discern what the face of the Church of tomorrow will be. Pope Benedict XVI wanted, through his encyclical letters and his teaching, to focus his entire ministry on the foundations of faith. It is from there alone that the Church can discover how to live in the contemporary world.

 
When a leader steps down or dies the question always focuses on their legacy. But often it is history which is able to give a more accurate assessment of such things. Perhaps in time, the legacy of Pope Benedict XVI will be seem in his constant efforts to demonstrate the reasonableness of faith; the symbiotic relationship between faith and reason and how each compliments and develops the other. His contribution to the theological understanding of the person of Jesus in his three books. And finally one of his legacies will surely be his critique of contemporary culture and the de-humanising tendencies of that culture.

You can listen to Fr Eamonn's interview excerpted from the main programme HERE.
  
Gospel - Luke 4:1-13



Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness (
James J. Tissot, 1886-94)

This Sunday is the first Sunday of Lent and the gospel reading is Luke's account of Jesus' temptations in the desert in advance of the beginning of his public ministry. After being baptised by John in the Jordan and the manifestation of God; Jesus goes aside to prepare.

The example of going aside is what inspires the christian practise of Lent; a time of preparation and reflection in advance of Easter which mirrors Jesus preparation in advance of the first Easter and his journey towards Calvary.

We are all called in our daily lives at this time to make space of the silence of the desert in our daily lives. Carlo Caretto reminds us that "There are two kinds of deserts. The desolate wastelands, with their silences and overwhelming night skies, their hidden dangers, and the demands put on those who would enter them......we have also know another kind of desert - one that is constructed either by human malevolence (the gulags and camps..) or by human indifference and neglect (the slums and inner cities of our urban landscape)....It was Thomas Merton who taught us that solitude is not simply a matter of geography. All Christians need to find their desert if they wish to imitate the Christ who opened his ministry in one...The flight to the desert is not an effort to spurn the "world" and its secular inhabitants. Instead the desert is a school of love, a school of prayer, where we can learn to enter more deeply into the mystery of God who, out of love, entered so intimately into our humanity..."

The gospel also reminds us of the humanity of Jesus. Sometimes we have no problem "imagining" the divinity of Jesus but often we struggle to grasp the humanity of Jesus. The account of the temptation shows us how Jesus was "like us in all ways except in sin". It reminds us the need to constantly battle "the demons"within us; the "demons" who refuse to let God be God. We all play power games in our lives and often we try to play such games with God and in this weeks gospel Jesus refuses to engage with these temptations. He rejects what the demon is offering almost saying "I am not interested in your understanding of being powerful". But of course the temptations which the devil offers, he cant give because they are not his to give. We have nothing to give to God that has not already been given to us as gift. Everything we have is Gods gift to us and the gospel reminds us of the need to recognise our powerlessness and dependence on God's love.
 

***********

 
Pope Benedict XVI reflected on this gospel during the Weekly General Audience on February 13th:

First of all, the desert, where Jesus withdrew to, is the place of silence, of poverty, where man is deprived of material support and is placed in front of the fundamental questions of life, where he is pushed to towards the essentials in life and for this very reason it becomes easier for him to find God. But the desert is also a place of death, because where there is no water there is no life, and it is a place of solitude where man feels temptation more intensely. Jesus goes into the desert, and there is tempted to leave the path indicated by God the Father to follow other easier and worldly paths (cf. Lk 4:1-13). So he takes on our temptations and carries our misery, to conquer evil and open up the path to God, the path of conversion. 

In reflecting on the temptations Jesus is subjected to in the desert we are invited, each one of us, to respond to one fundamental question: what is truly important in our lives? In the first temptation the devil offers to change a stone into bread to sate Jesus’ hunger. Jesus replies that the man also lives by bread but not by bread alone: without a response to the hunger for truth, hunger for God, man can not be saved (cf. vv. 3-4). In the second, the devil offers Jesus the path of power: he leads him up on high and gives him dominion over the world, but this is not the path of God: Jesus clearly understands that it is not earthly power that saves the world, but the power of the Cross, humility, love (cf. vv. 5-8). In the third, the devil suggests Jesus throw himself down from the pinnacle of the Temple of Jerusalem and be saved by God through his angels, that is, to do something sensational to test God, but the answer is that God is not an object on which to impose our conditions: He is the Lord of all (cf. vv. 9-12). What is the core of the three temptations that Jesus is subjected to? It is the proposal to exploit God, to use Him for his own interests, for his own glory and success. So, in essence, to put himself in the place of God, removing Him from his own existence and making him seem superfluous. Everyone should then ask: what is the role God in my life? Is He the Lord or am I? 

Overcoming the temptation to place God in submission to oneself and one’s own interests or to put Him in a corner and converting oneself to the proper order of priorities, giving God the first place, is a journey that every Christian must undergo. "Conversion", an invitation that we will hear many times in Lent, means following Jesus in so that his Gospel is a real life guide, it means allowing God transform us, no longer thinking that we are the only protagonists of our existence, recognizing that we are creatures who depend on God, His love, and that only by “losing" our life in Him can we truly have it. This means making our choices in the light of the Word of God. Today we can no longer be Christians as a simple consequence of the fact that we live in a society that has Christian roots: even those born to a Christian family and formed in the faith must, each and every day, renew the choice to be a Christian, to give God first place, before the temptations continuously suggested by a secularized culture, before the criticism of many of our contemporaries 

The tests which modern society subjects Christians to, in fact, are many, and affect the personal and social life. It is not easy to be faithful to Christian marriage, practice mercy in everyday life, leave space for prayer and inner silence, it is not easy to publicly oppose choices that many take for granted, such as abortion in the event of an unwanted pregnancy, euthanasia in case of serious illness, or the selection of embryos to prevent hereditary diseases. The temptation to set aside one’s faith is always present and conversion becomes a response to God which must be confirmed several times throughout one’s life. 

The major conversions like that of St. Paul on the road to Damascus, or St. Augustine, are an example and stimulus, but also in our time when the sense of the sacred is eclipsed, God's grace is at work and works wonders in life of many people. The Lord never gets tired of knocking at the door of man in social and cultural contexts that seem engulfed by secularization, as was the case for the Russian Orthodox Pavel Florensky. After a completely agnostic education, to the point he felt an outright hostility towards religious teachings taught in school, the scientist Florensky came to exclaim: "No, you can not live without God", and to change his life completely, so much so he became a monk. 

I also think the figure of Etty Hillesum, a young Dutch woman of Jewish origin who died in Auschwitz. Initially far from God, she found Him looking deep inside herself and wrote: "There is a well very deep inside of me. And God is in that well. Sometimes I can reach Him, more often He is covered by stone and sand: then God is buried. We must dig Him up again "(Diary, 97). In her scattered and restless life, she finds God in the middle of the great tragedy of the twentieth century, the Shoah. This young fragile and dissatisfied woman, transfigured by faith, becomes a woman full of love and inner peace, able to say: "I live in constant intimacy with God." 

The ability to oppose the ideological blandishments of her time to choose the search for truth and open herself up to the discovery of faith is evidenced by another woman of our time, the American Dorothy Day. In her autobiography, she confesses openly to having given in to the temptation that everything could be solved with politics, adhering to the Marxist proposal: "I wanted to be with the protesters, go to jail, write, influence others and leave my dreams to the world. How much ambition and how much searching for myself in all this!". The journey towards faith in such a secularized environment was particularly difficult, but Grace acts nonetheless, as she points out: "It is certain that I felt the need to go to church more often, to kneel, to bow my head in prayer. A blind instinct, one might say, because I was not conscious of praying. But I went, I slipped into the atmosphere of prayer ... ". God guided her to a conscious adherence to the Church, in a lifetime spent dedicated to the underprivileged. 

In our time there are no few conversions understood as the return of those who, after a Christian education, perhaps a superficial one, moved away from the faith for years and then rediscovered Christ and his Gospel. In the Book of Revelation we read: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, [then] I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me"(3, 20). Our inner person must prepare to be visited by God, and for this reason we should allow ourselves be invaded by illusions, by appearances, by material things. 

In this time of Lent, in the Year of the faith, we renew our commitment to the process of conversion, to overcoming the tendency to close in on ourselves and instead, to making room for God, looking at our daily reality with His eyes. The alternative between being wrapped up in our egoism and being open to the love of God and others, we could say corresponds to the alternatives to the temptations of Jesus: the alternative, that is, between human power and love of the Cross, between a redemption seen only in material well-being and redemption as the work of God, to whom we give primacy in our lives. Conversion means not closing in on ourselves in the pursuit of success, prestige, position, but making sure that each and every day, in the small things, truth, faith in God and love become most important.

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Other reflections on this weeks gospel:
 
Word on Fire
Sunday Reflections
English Dominicans
Centre for Liturgy
Vatican Radio - Sunday Gospel 17th February
 
Liturgical Odds and Ends
 
Divine Office - Week 1
 
Saints of the Week
 
February 18th - St Colman of Lindisfarne
February 19th - Bl Fra Angelico OP
February 20th - Bl Jacinta and Francisco Marto - the Seers of Fatima
February 21st - St Peter Damian
February 22nd - The Chair of St Peter
February 23rd - St Polycarp

The Papal Abdication - some personal thoughts

To say it has been a dramatic week is probably an understatement in the context of historical moments that will be noted in history, although I am sure for the vast majority of the planet, the decision by Pope Benedict XVI to abdicate from the See of St Peter will probably pass many of them by. I know here it hardly warranted a mention and didn’t seem to impact on the general consciousness of the people around me.

Personally I have to honestly say I was in shock for some of the day after getting the word via the joys of social media that something had happened. And I struck me as something strange thinking back on it after. Why would it affect me so much? It is not as if I knew the man personally, I have only encountered him via his writings and public persona and even then only in a partial way. Unlike John Paul II who I had seen and listened to personally in Rome in 2000, I had never been to any public gathering with this man. In some ways the historical nature of the event itself may have been what threw me. We are creatures of habit, having ways and means to deal with the events of life; if he had died there is a tradition and a historic procedure to deal with the event, rite and ritual to lead us through the process of grieving and transition. But this is novel, strange, something which we (as in a church) haven’t had to deal with in 600 years and while the common saying is that the church deals in centuries not years, I am sure it has caused a little consternation in the corridors of power within the Apostolic Palace in Rome as well! But it also may have had something to do with how Roman Catholics define themselves. However much we may not want to recognise it, the divisions of Christendom are still alive and well where we understands in opposition to others within the Christian family with the papacy serving as a lightening rod of much of that division and conflict as opposed to the fact that the role of Peter is to unify the Body of Christ. Even the very name, Roman Catholic (which is a very Anglo-Saxon term) defines us by our relationship to the man sitting on the seat of the apostle in Rome.

But going back to the question of our understanding of the Pope and who he is and what he does. For many people particularly with the images of the last years of John Paul II’s life replaying in their minds the general belief was that the Pope died in office with his boots on. Not everyone is an anorak, interested in the minute of the Western Schism which was resolved by the last papal abdication or the intricate details of canon 325 which deals with how a Pope may step aside and declare the “sede vacante”. But perhaps this may be one the last teaching gifts of this teaching Pope?  I think the general agreement can be that managerially this papacy - aside from the beginnings of financial reform and some decisions that were finally made about the handling of the sexual abuse crisis - has been a disaster if you want to focus on the church as a multinational organisation continuing to lurch from crisis to crisis – but that is if you look at in human terms. If you understand the church in its own sense as God’s own bride perhaps the last fifteen years of inertia and bad management from the leadership have been a necessary purgatory for the institution to remind us all that ultimately the control of time and events is in God’s hand? Ever since the papal states were seized in 1870 we have seen a gradual dismantling of the caesaropapism which engulfed the papacy almost making the assumption of the office of the papacy as a sacrament in itself rather than recognising it for what it is, an office of service something which Pope Benedict XVI reminded us this week. The Pope has many titles but perhaps the most important one of all is Servant of the Servants of God. As Rowan Williams the former archbishop of Canterbury note, perhaps Benedict’s abdication may help to “demystify the papacy, [reminding us  that]the pope is not like a sort of God King who goes on to the very end. The ministry of service that the Bishop of Rome exercises is just that, a ministry of service and it’s therefore reasonable to ask if there is a moment when somebody else should take that baton in hand. So yes, I’d call it demystifying and in that sense reminding us that the position of the bishop of Rome, the primitive position of the bishop of Rome as the servant of the unity of the Church, of the bishop who convenes, mediates between, manages the fellowship of the bishops, that slightly more functional, slightly less theologically top heavy picture, that may be one of the things that emerges from this”.[1]

Again and again Benedict XV has sought to remind us that the role of the supreme pontiff is not to be a human leader but rather a guide, like John the Baptist, like Mary, pointing the way to the Way, the Truth and the Life. Br Alois of Taize noted that, “During this prayer [in Rome on December 29^th 2013], we were all turned together towards the Cross of Christ, and this was like an image of [Pope Benedict’s] whole ministry: to try and make Christians aware of what lies at the heart of the faith. He told me one day how much he appreciated that, in Taizé, young people are turned towards what is essential. And when I asked him what that essential was, he replied: a personal relationship with God. At a time of deep-seated changes in the world, it is not easy to discern what the face of the Church of tomorrow will be. Pope Benedict XVI wanted, through his encyclical letters and his teaching, to focus his entire ministry on the foundations of faith. It is from there alone that the Church can discover how to live in the contemporary world.”[2]

Papal Abdication Roundup

Getting tired of the secular media's pathetic attempts to understand what the abdication of Pope Benedict XVI means?

"Pope Benedict's resignation shows immense spiritual freedom. Rare is the person who can, and will, relinquish such power voluntarily. It is an example of what St. Ignatius Loyola meant by being "disponible," available, free of any disordered attachments, in order to be able to follow the will of God. Pope John Paul II was free enough to carry on in the midst of a difficult illness, and in the face of having to show to the public his obvious infirmities; Pope Benedict is free enough to accept his inability to carry on as he believes God would want him to. Spiritual freedom is on display today."
- Fr James Martin SJ - via Facebook


A round up of various interesting and thought provoking articles:

• For up to date information keep an eye on Vatican Radio's website and Rome Reports
• L'Observatore Romano editorial on the news - "It is God's future"
• iBenedictines reflect on what the papal abdication means in the context of Ash Wednesday.
• Fr Dwight Longnecker has a piece on the planning for the papal retirement at the Washington Post.
• He writes as well over at Patheos and rather than linking to the individual bloggers etc I would suggest you head over to the Catholic Channel under the stewardship of Elizabeth Scalia and have a read of many varied but excellent reflections although I would highlight one piece from The Anchoress about the abdication called Prayer and Penance: Did Twitter hasten Benedict's retirement
• A reasoned opinion piece from Ross Douthat at the New York Times
• Fr James Martin SJ has a piece in the New York Times as well
• Of course the prima donna of English speaking Vaticanista's John L Allen has been a busy scribe who actually happened to be in Rome when all this happened!
• The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams shares his reflections on papal abdication with Vatican Radio
• News.va - The unexpected announcement that rang out in the Consistory Hall
• Peggy Noonan writes on the issue over at the Wall Street Journal
• Various writers over at First Things have been reflecting from across the Christian spectrum on the abdication here and here .
• Cardinal Dolan's reaction within hours of hearing the news via MSNBC
• A reflection on the preaching of Benedict XVI - A shell and a bear
• George Weigel on Benedict

Let us pray..........

The team over at PrayTell have the right idea in all the media frenzy that will follow todays announcement from Rome:

There will be more, much more, to say about the shocking news that His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI is resigning. Let our first response be prayer.

Prayer of Thanksgiving for the Ministry of Pope Benedict XVI:

O God, the Father of every gift,
we confess that all we have and are comes down from you;
teach us to recognize the effects of your boundless care
and to love you with a sincere heart
and with all our strength.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

Prayer for the Election of a Pope:

O God, eternal shepherd,
who govern your flock with unfailing care,
grant in your goundless fatherly love
a pastor for your Church
who will please you by his holiness
and to us show watchful care.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

Amen

What is next?

Rome Reports gives a summary of what happens after February 28th:



Now that Benedict XVI announced that he will leave his post as Pope, the question is, who exactly will be in charge?

On February 28th, 2013 at 8.00 p.m. Rome time, the See of Peter will be vacant, a term known as the 'Sede Vacante.' So, in the following days, a conclave to elect a new Pope will begin.

During this transition, the chamberlain will be in charge. Right now, that post is held by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who also serves as the Vatican's Secretary of State.

To prevent any forgery, he must also break the pope's fisherman's ring by hitting it with a small hammer.

The pope's apartment must then be sealed by Cardinal Bertone, to prevent the tampering of any official documents. He's also in charge of organizing the conclave where the College of Cardinals meet to elect the new pope.

Until a pope is elected , which is indicated by the white smoke that comes out of the Sistine Chapel's chimney, the chamberlain is also charge of administrative issues.

But, when it comes to making key decisions in the Church, his authority is limited.

All Vatican officials symbolically lose their post, at least for the time being. Three representatives though, are spared. These include the prefect of the Apostolic Penitentiary, Manuel Monteiro de Castro, also the vicar of Rome held by Cardinal Agostino Vallini and chamberlain Bertone.

No more than 20 days can pass before the conclave starts. During that time, cardinals from all over the world, go to the Vatican, to take on the great task of electing the Church's new leader.

Pope Benedict XVI to abdicate the See of St Peter - UPDATED

For the first time in 600 years, a Pope is to renounce the See of St Peter and to step down. Pope Benedict XVI in a surprise announcement at the consistory being held in Rome this morning informed the College of Cardinals that he is to step down as Supreme Pontiff on 28th February 2012 at 8pm (European Central time).

The current number of cardinals eligible to choose the next Pope stands at 118 out of a possible 120 as set by Pope Paul VI. By canon law, the consistory must be scheduled within 20 days of the fact that the See of St Peter stands vacant which will occur with the resignation of Benedict XVI. From an Irish perspective, Cardinal Sean Brady will be eligible to be present and voting at the conclave.

Full text below:

Dear Brothers,

I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonizations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the Church.

After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry. I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering. However, in today’s world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the bark of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both 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.

For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to me by the Cardinals on 19 April 2005, in such a way, that as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant and a Conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have to be convoked by those whose competence it is.

Dear Brothers, I thank you most sincerely for all the love and work with which you have supported me in my ministry and I ask pardon for all my defects. And now, let us entrust the Holy Church to the care of Our Supreme Pastor, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and implore his holy Mother Mary, so that she may assist the Cardinal Fathers with her maternal solicitude, in electing a new Supreme Pontiff. With regard to myself, I wish to also devotedly serve the Holy Church of God in the future through a life dedicated to prayer.

From the Vatican, 10 February 2013       

 

 

UPDATES

 

Vatican Radio - Details of statement by The Director of the Press Office of the Holy See, Fr. Federico Lombardi, SJ including the comment, we should have a new Pope for Easter.

 

BBC has live coverage and a tracker here

Deacon Greg has links to all the major news channels but also an interesting analysis of the resignation of Popes by Fr Thomas Reese
 

From Rome Reports - images of the resignation being announced.

These images show how Benedict XVI, in a calm and surprising manner, announced in Latin that he will be resigning as the Successor of Peter.

The Pope explained that, “In order to govern the bark of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both 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.

 

 

Vatican Radio - The Pontificate of Benedict XVI - Potrait of a papacy

Pictures of a tired and frail looking Pope Benedict XVI at Vatican Radio Facebook page

Legally (in the sense of canon law) we are into uncharted territory for the church - Church law surrounding papal resignation "uncharted waters"

The Anchoress has some thoughtful words and a great round up

A humerous take on things from Dan Horan:

Frank Webster over at Patheos has an interesting round up here but ends it with the following prayer:

 

Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.

 

– St. Teresa of Avila