PopeWatch hopes that the Pope Emeritus has enjoyed his years of leisure and that he isn’t too distressed by the thought of all the Catholics he betrayed by thinking of himself first.
PopeWatch: Almost Nine Years After He Retired Because of His Health
- Donald R. McClarey
Donald R. McClarey
Cradle Catholic. Active in the pro-life movement since 1973. Father of three, one in Heaven, and happily married for 43 years. Small town lawyer and amateur historian. Former president of the board of directors of the local crisis pregnancy center for a decade.
A matter hard to overlook..
Mistake, big mistake.
But will he outlive F1? I think so.
Hmmm- but was it really his choice at the end of the day. Or was he forced….
To be fair, I can imagine scenarios where he had to make the unpopular decision. Maybe he retired because of a “greater good” or to avoid a “greater evil” that we can’t yet know? We can’t really know why he did what he did, except he has proven to be one great pope and one great Catholic–dissapointment aside.
Agree Don. Not to mention all his good works in reaffirming and defending Catholic Doctrine for decades, prior to his Papacy. No current Cardinal is even in the same league as him when it comes to defending the Faith.
I don’t think it was a choice made freely at the end of the day…
I’m one of those Catholics who prefers the Vetus Ordo, the Extraordinary Form of the Mass. I’m deeply grateful to Benedict for all he did for Catholics like myself while Pope.
Sure, I’d prefer it if he’d never abdicated. But I cannot blame him for doing so. Like Don L wrote in his comment above, I too wonder if Benedict resigned because doing so was the better of the options he had. I doubt we’ll know in this life what drove that decision. I’m sure he knew his resignation would be an opportunity for the wolves behind this current pontificate to grasp power— but giving Francis the papacy was the conclave’s decision, not Benedict’s.
but giving Francis the papacy was the conclave’s decision, not Benedict’s.
Which they wouldn’t have had but for his resignation. If the resignation was the result of blackmail, which I suspect, then Benedict knew precisely the jackals he was turning the Church over to. Cowardice is a weak term to describe what he did.
I share both our host’s irritation and the sentiments expressed by others above. It is a great mystery. I have seen speculation, perhaps based on some inside information or perhaps not, that Benedict was under great pressure, possibly some sort of blackmail attempt, and was assured by people he trusted (wrongly, it turns out) that the conclave would elect someone like Sarah or Arinze. If that was the case, I would wonder why he accepted the notion, since he knew that Bergoglio had nearly been elected in 2005, and had to know of the existence of the Sankt Gallen cabal. But again, this is mere speculation. I viewed Ratzinger/Benedict as something of a spiritual mentor, based on his actions as JP II’s lieutenant and as Pope, and I try to hang onto that while the present storm rages. It becomes more difficult to do that with each new outrage perpetrated by the current crew of demolition experts. And I’m still deeply suspicious of the timing of the German attack on his tenure as Archbishop of Munich. Something is afoot there, to be sure.
No father abandons his family. It is an inseparable bond. Yet, he allowed an abusive stepfather to move in and he sat mute, or in some cases approved. He is a coward. He also did much good as Pope. Ultimately, none of our opinions count. That is God’s prerogative.
I understand too the irritation at it all, and the wonderment of why Ratzinger/Benedict decided to step down, the anger directed. We don’t know why. Shouldn’t judge then.
There’s this observation:
Through all the terrible “mess” Francis-The-Worst and Company are making …. Ratzinger/Benedict has remained serene and at peace.
-Isn’t at least possible that in Adoration/Prayer the Lord asked Ratzinger/Benedict to step down?
-Isn’t it possible that if the “mess” didn’t play itself out, (with Ratzinger/Benedict still alive giving doubt to Francis’ claim to the papacy).. things would have become worse down the road?
In order for blackmail to be effective, the blackmailer has to be able to control the secret. Try controlling a secret that could bring down a sitting Pope with the kind of paper trail of a Joseph Ratzinger in a place like the Vatican.
On February 28th 2013 at the age of 85 Pope Benedict XVI stepped down.
Here’s his words taken from a reporter;
According to several media reports, Benedict’s decision centered on his old age, and physical and mental weakness. In one statement, the pope explained, “I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise.” He went on to state, “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 St. 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 St. Peter.”
Until you walk in a man’s shoes..
He reportedly said that he prayed he wouldn’t be choosen as St. Pope JPII successor. At 78 years of age and in a Vatican crawling with viper’s, one can understand his pray very well.
Cut him some slack.
“-Isn’t at least possible that in Adoration/Prayer the Lord asked Ratzinger/Benedict to step down?”
I would think Pope Benedict would have mentioned such a divine intervention at the time. The smart money is on blackmail.
“Cut him some slack”
He did not have to accept election. Once he did he should have no more resigned than Christ resigned from the Cross. Serving out his term as Pope for the remainder of his life was simply what almost all his predecessors did. By resigning he gave us Francis and he set a bad precedent. He gets not an iota of slack from me. As Peter Parker’s Uncle noted, with great power comes great responsibility..
[…..a mile in a mans shoes. ]
Correction.
What’s done is done. Blackmail, weaknesses, participation in clergy cover-up from the pedophile scandals. The battlefield is littered with scoundrels and heroes alike.
The push to normalize homosexuality and it’s “expression thereof,” is an enemy that has no grounds for victory. None. They can have a new rigid-free Pope who can wave the rainbow flag all he wants but in the end its all for not.
Be happy your not thrown into the arena that houses criminals and malcontents. Trying to navigate in that fog wouldn’t be easy for a 50 year old v someone who’s 78.
If Pope Benedict suffered from cowardice, which it’s highly probable, then we must remind ourselves that we are all fallible and at that age his fragility made him even more susceptible.
I agree, things may have played out much better if he didn’t back out.
However we will never know on this side of the veil.
Lets pray for his soul, which looks like it’s ready to leave the body soon.
Lets also pray for heroes to come.
Those that will play a part in the greatest Return of the King ever imaginable.
He’s been the greatest pope of my lifetime. I don’t see him acting cowardly. He seems to have always acted according to both an intellect and devotion to God much beyond mine, so I’m not going to question him.
“ I would think Pope Benedict would have mentioned such a divine intervention at the time. ”
Unless instructed not to-
He does seem at peace, more than we!
“Unless instructed not to-”
Once we start down that track than anything can be said.
“He does seem at peace, more than we!”
Yep, he has been amazingly peaceful as Pope Francis wrecks the Church. I think that says nothing good about the Pope Emeritus.
“He’s been the greatest pope of my lifetime.”
Seriously? Compared to Pope John Paul II I regarded him as, at best, a B- Pope.
I do wonder if Benedict was given a diagnosis to which we haven’t been made privy, after which his infirmities took an unanticipated trajectory.
We had a friend who announced some years ago that she’d been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Then, some time later, she announced that her doctors had walked it back. Then we heard her husband was divorcing her. It sounded to us like an asset-protection scheme dreamed up by an elder lawyer, but she insisted over the phone to a mutual friend that it was for real and that her sister had offered her a place to live. Her father had the support of their one and only child in this plan. Then her daughter and daughter’s family moved to Canada, where our friend and her husband could not follow. Then she and her husband moved about as close to their daughter as they could manage and nothing more was said about any divorce. Then she disappeared from social media. Her husband still posts but not often, never mentioning her. Their daughter put up a goopy post on her father’s birthday; her mother’s three months earlier went unacknowledged by her. People who have known this couple for 30+ years are puzzled about what’s been up the last half dozen years.
One more thought.
Lets say he never resigned.
Under the pressure he dies at 82.
Wouldn’t the infamous concave of ’13 have a similar influence when it came time to replace him?
Speculation means nothing at this point, I know, but it probably would of been Pope Francis…
Granted less damage and ambiguity for the Church as a whole, but the overall results could of been the same. Could.
As for peace in his soul.
I hope and pray he has that.
Remembering that his years of service began much earlier than 2013.
Under the pressure he dies at 82.
Unlikely considering the extreme longevity of both him and his late brother. Francis was about to retire in 2013, so if Benedict had more intestinal fortitude, a vastly under appreciated virtue, we would almost certainly have been spared Francis the Worst.
Good points.
I didn’t realize George was considering retirement in ’13.
The image of the lightning strike on St. Peter’s Dome the very afternoon that Benedict reigned was for me an image that portends a gloomy period. Nine years later that feeling is substantiated.
How does one clean house, when the house is the Vatican?
A new holy priesthood is the only concrete solution that my feeble mind can muster. Just maybe..the Francis I project plays a role that Francis didn’t expect. The visible and tangible effects of his papacy becomes a call to arms for young clean men. A clarion call which will help cleanse the the Church of anti-Christian biases and popular secular initiative’s that have nothing to do with Salvation.
One can hope.
Under the pressure he dies at 82.
He reached the age of 82 in 2009. He was 86 when he abdicated. His brother died at 96. If I’m not mistaken, his closest relative is a cousin decades his junior, currently living in Australia. I do wish he were living in her home.
“Seriously? Compared to Pope John Paul II I regarded him as, at best, a B- Pope.”
It’s a good thing that Jesus built the Church such that our individual ratings of popes means nothing. We can do this “’75 Steelers or ’85 Bears” thing all we want to, as long as we realize that we’re sheep and we’re duty-bound to follow the guy with the crook. Or maybe we should do it a bit less, because that path leads to Lutheranism.
The most significant thing of the Papacy of John Paul II: He taught people, by example, how to die with dignity.
as long as we realize that we’re sheep and we’re duty-bound to follow the guy with the crook
Follow him where?
and we’re duty-bound to follow the guy with the crook.
Not over cliffs we aren’t, especially when the shepherd gives every indication of being in league with the wolves.
https://www.thecatholicthing.org/2014/11/11/on-heretical-popes-3/
The most significant thing of the Papacy of John Paul II:
Hands down his role in freeing the Eastern Bloc.
That too. He was vital to the collapse of communism. His successor now seeks, in effect, its revival, or something worse in the New World Order. My, how quickly things change In one’s lifetime.
I think that while Bergoglio has the power, Pope Benedict still holds the keys.
St. Pope JPII was criticized for rapid canonization of many a blessed.
Along with his help to bring down the iron Curtain he waa instrumental in bringing us two huge Saints.
Kolbe and Faustina. I can not reveal the graces bestowed upon the dieing through the practice of the Divine Mercy chaplet. If i was to reveal them to you, you might not believe it. I’m nearing 22 years at elder care. Physical and spiritual care. Bedside ministry for the dieing is for the family as well as the individual on their deathbed. Being the Catholic representative in the home I’ve had the honor in making sure they have the sacraments before departure.
So many children have left the faith and don’t consider this to be important.
Divine Mercy Sunday and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy are incredibly important and rich beyond the imagination.
St. Pope JPII is my favourite Pope.
Please pray for us.
St. Pope JPII is my favourite Pope.
Please pray for us.
Mine too. Amen.
The article “On Heretical Popes” doesn’t cite any examples of papal heresy, only of accusations of papal heresy. It does voice the possibility of papal heresy and the need to watch out for it, ok. And the fact that a thousand crazy people have jumped off buildings thinking they could fly doesn’t disprove the idea that I could succeed at it. Except, what happens to the guy who fails flapping his arms is infinitely better than what likely happened to Luther.
And the fact that a thousand crazy people have jumped off buildings thinking they could fly doesn’t disprove the idea that I could succeed at it. Except, what happens to the guy who fails flapping his arms is infinitely better than what likely happened to Luther.
I’m sure this analogy made sense to you on some level.
Yup. I’m saying that if you can’t identify a pope who committed heresy, given all the accusations over the last 2000 years, then the bias should be strongly against the idea that you’ve found a case today. Insanity and expecting different results and all that. The second sentence means that I’d rather be wrong and fall off a building than be wrong and endanger my soul.
We don’t live in times where Catholics open their CCC as a reference for everyday life. The Popes over the last Century and this one have generally clarified Doctrine for the faithful through the media, writings, articles and modern forms of communication. Most recently through Social Media (love it or hate it).
So it makes no difference to your average Catholic whether the words have been officially modified in say the CCC regarding Doctrine and teaching. Most will take their cue from the Pope. What he says in interviews, in the media, SM, in speeches etc…He is the highest authority and spokesperson in our Church. That’s a no-brainer.
So if he throws loose words around the issue of gays or abortion or whatever, this is what Catholics will generally follow and understand. And it has a trickle down effect.
So it matters greatly if the Pope declares his opinion about how we Catholics approach these issues. Pope Francis has on a number of occasions been teaching heresy and contradictions throughout his Papacy. Period.
His job is to guide the Faithful to the Truth, without ambiguity or doubt. The Truth which has always and will be True- regardless if he is around or someone else takes his job.
That’s Pope Francis job. He is not doing his job.
Personally, I think (yes it’s my opinion), that the Pope did not himself have proper formation, as a cradle Catholic. And hasn’t been properly corrected throughout his development. Only because he finds no issue with what he teaches. He believes his own words.
I’m saying that if you can’t identify a pope who committed heresy
Pope Honorius I
I’m saying that if you can’t identify a pope who committed heresy, given all the accusations over the last 2000 years, then the bias should be strongly against the idea that you’ve found a case today.*
Is that how low the bar is today? Unless the Pope is a provable heretic, he’s A-OK?!? They actually watered down the term some 50 years ago so no one would be a heretic today unless they wanted everyone to know they were. “… openly and obstinately deny a divinely revealed doctrine of the faith.”
… Ambiguity covers a multitude of heresies, Pinky.
There’s a lot of ambiguity in the term “committed heresy.” It could mean:
-Had beliefs which were heretical (definitely happened as Don noted.)
-Had beliefs which were heretical and could be known at the time to be heretical (may or not have happened. Lots of debate here.)
-Advocate heretical beliefs infallibly from the seat of Peter (never happened.)
And that’s without even getting into the possibility of the pope aiding those who believed heresies, without necessarily advocating for said heresies himself.
I expect a lot of hay to be made from the ambiguity in what needs to be proven to show that a pope “committed heresy.”
Very rude, uncalled for, and not a Christian response. More unprofessional rhetoric from Donny McClarey. No small wonder that the National “catholic” Reporter links this page to theirs. Along with the anti-Catholic page of the late Jack Chick. No need to use Big Pulpit, NcR had the link on their main page to this anti-Catholic article.
My thoughts are that they threatened to release a deadly virus that would kill the majority of the world’s population. They did it any way, knowing they held control of everything and could suppress any medication that would save lives.
Anti-Catholic is to be blind to the obvious in regard to the sudden resignation of the Pope. Catholicism has nothing to fear from the truth but much to fear from ignoring it.
PINKY One of the Christ’s Temptations in the Wilderness was to throw Himself off of the Temple.
…and to be rescued by the angels. I’ve always understood that as an appeal to vainglory. The Church talks about “the world, the flesh, and the Devil”. The bread was an appeal to the flesh, the Temple was an appeal to the world (vainglory), and the bowing was an appeal to the devil (pride). Do you think that Christ was being tempted to giving up his ministry by going to the most public place in Jewish worship and performing a miracle?
(I wish we had the edit function here. I should say that He would have been giving up His sacrificial ministry by performing the miracle and being crowned king without the Cross, but that’s not a parallel to a pope stepping down from the papacy to assume no public position.)
Pope Benedict XVI should not have resigned. And it’s not anit-Catholic to say Pope Francis should not have resigned, contrary to what Mathius Lusch indicated. Nor is it anti-Catholic to recognize and speak the truth –> Pope Francis is a Marxist Peronist Caudillo more interested in environmentalism and socialism as he sells the Church out to the Chinese Communist and otherwise ruins Her witness in the west as he ingratiates himself with every liberal progressive news media outlet and politician.
Pope JP II wasn’t perfect. But he served out his term to the end of his life, and with Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, he was instrumental in the fall of the Iron Curtain. At least (unlike the current Pontiff) he openly opposed communism.
My thoughts are that they threatened to release a deadly virus that would kill the majority of the world’s population. They did it any way, knowing they held control of everything and could suppress any medication that would save lives.
It has killed 0.08% of the world’s population (or, at least, they were ill with it at the time they died).