Thread: Pope stepping down

Pope Benedict to resign for health reasons - World - CBC News

I was not a big fan of him, but I do respect his decision to step down.
Being pope is a gruelling job, and I can see how he is facing problems at 85 years of age.
Given the challenges facing the church today, they need someone with the energy to face those problems.

The Wife just came in to tell me, I guess this hasn't happened for 600 years ???? That a Pope steps down

I respect the Pope's wishes, too.

I do have a question. Once a new Pope is elected what happens to Pope that is still alive? Usually the Pope elect lives in the Vatican thus I wonder if Pope Benedict will or if he will reside offsite not to mention what his new title will be.

Just curious.

Originally Posted by Logistics

I respect the Pope's wishes, too.

I do have a question. Once a new Pope is elected what happens to Pope that is still alive? Usually the Pope elect lives in the Vatican thus I wonder if Pope Benedict will or if he will reside offsite not to mention what his new title will be.

Just curious.

He could be the first pope emeritus ever!

@Glen: I have no idea. There is no current precedent. However, I suspect that he will step down completely and live a quiet life of contemplation out of the spotlight. Similar to a US president after his last term. He has to disappear from the scene in order to give the new guy the opportunity to lead. Him openly doing anything that would disagree with the new pope would be extremely dangerous and put the RC at risk.

I respect that more than staying in the saddle until it has become pathetic. No disrespect to the previous pope, but to put it crudely: he took too long to die. The RC needs a leader. Today more than ever. And to need you need energy. John Paul 2 didn't have it anymore, and Benedict feels his slipping away. A pope really has a very taxing schedule, and to stay on without fulfilling the duties would put the RC at risk.

I hope that the new guy is under the common retirement age.

An important thing as well: It is legal for the pope to step down voluntarily, but there cannot be reasonable doubt about his motivations.
He also has to be of sound mind. This means that you have to do it before you get to the point where it is too late.
Regardless of whether he would have wanted to or not, John Paul 2 had passed this point.
I think Benedict is determined not to let that happen to him.

EDIT: I guess we're finally going to find out if the prophesy of the popes is real or not

I am not much into Catholicism, but the Catholic church is facing a number of challenges, some which have been around for awhile and yet hardly addressed. I think it would be nice to see a younger, vigorous yet traditional man in the Vatican, someone who could help get the "house in order" so to speak. I do respect the current Pope for "seeing the handwriting on the wall" and making a very wise decision IMO. A very hard decision to make I am sure.

I agree completely that the new Pope needs plenty of energy. I believe it is time for an American Pope, and I hope his Papal name will be Pope Jack. Pope Jack will have to know where the reset button is.

Unlikely for a US pope, since Protestantism is much more popular there.
The age will be interesting. Anything under 65 is considered young for a pope.
There is also the dilemma that the cardinals need to elect someone who has the required energy to face the challenges. But a young pope also means that he will be around for quite a while. As a result, it is much harder to predict his course of actions, and alter course should the cardinals want that with the elections of the pope after the next one.

Originally Posted by Logistics

I respect the Pope's wishes, too.

I do have a question. Once a new Pope is elected what happens to Pope that is still alive? Usually the Pope elect lives in the Vatican thus I wonder if Pope Benedict will or if he will reside offsite not to mention what his new title will be.

Just curious.

Once Pope Benedict steps down, he will retire to the Vatican monestary to spend the rest of his life in prayer and meditation. He will also go back to using his birth name and will once again have the title of Cardinal.