Patterico's Pontifications

2/11/2013

Pope to Quit

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 7:16 pm



Apparently this doesn’t happen that often.

Seems like a story on a slow news day.

56 Responses to “Pope to Quit”

  1. they say we’re all gonna have something like 8 careers before we’re done

    happyfeet (323d6f)

  2. Hopefully the next guy cleans up the place a little.

    Ghost (2d8874)

  3. I think it’s been like 400 years since a Pope resigned while alive.

    MD in Philly (3d3f72)

  4. reason for leaving last position

    ______________________________________________

    felony convictions? (last 10 years only)

    _____ y _____ n

    if yes, please explain:

    __________________________________________

    happyfeet (323d6f)

  5. Seems like a decent precedent to me, but what the hell do I know. I’m not even culturally Catholic.

    C. S. P. Schofield (fdfc57)

  6. Obama might appoint Benedict’s replacement by virtue of a “recess appointment.”
    You know, it’s that clause about “regulating interstate commerce” or whatever.

    Father Pfleger ?

    Elephant Stone (1785a6)

  7. Benedict is in poor health. He has Parkinson’s. He can’t travel, and cannot do much at all. He’s an honorable man for resigning so that a more active person can take the proverbial baton and run with it.

    Incidentally, Cardinals have mandatory retirement at age 75. For instance, Cardinal Mahoney, here in Los Angeles, had to retire last year due to age.

    Pope Benedict is 85.

    Elephant Stone (1785a6)

  8. I don’t get the furor over this. He chose to place the interests of the Church ahead of his desire to be the Pope, something he knew he no longer could perform the duties of.

    JD (5a02de)

  9. i think it’s more that a new pope is always exciting

    happyfeet (323d6f)

  10. you only get so many of those in your one god-given life you know

    happyfeet (323d6f)

  11. I don’t imagine the next Pope will be any more pleasing to the Church’s critics than this honorable man was.

    JD (5a02de)

  12. Well JD, they give the same due diligence that they do to every other subject, usually with one data point, it’s been 600 hundred years since the last time it happened,

    narciso (3fec35)

  13. Part of the reason for the furor, such as it is, is that it’s been on the order of 600 years since the last time a Pope resigned while alive. It’s extraordinarily rare, and that makes it per se newsworthy.

    I’m not entirely sure it makes sense theologically – how does the Vicar of God on Earth tell God he doesn’t want the job any more? – but I’m not qualified to judge that.

    aphrael (1abf8e)

  14. Mahoney’s retirement home should be Soledad.

    askeptic (2bb434)

  15. I don’t think that he said he didn’t want it. He said he was no longer physically capable.

    JD (5a02de)


  16. I don’t imagine the next Pope will be any more pleasing to the Church’s critics than this honorable man was.

    Comment by JD (5a02de) — 2/11/2013 @ 8:07 pm

    Fervently hope not. He wouldn’t be of much use to the Church if he were.

    aphrael, I feel very certain he’s “prayed this one out,” as it were. And I admire his humility, though I might admire it even more if I didn’t remember he totally didn’t want the job in the first place. 🙂

    no one of consequence, née noyk (ecc99a)

  17. JD and I cross posted, but I remember him saying something about feeling too much an introvert to be up to the duties needed.

    no one of consequence, née noyk (ecc99a)

  18. “I don’t imagine the next Pope will be any more pleasing to the Church’s critics than this honorable man was.”

    JD – H8rs gotta H8

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  19. You know it’s hard out here for a Pope.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  20. a church without critics would be like a comment thread without contentiousness

    happyfeet (323d6f)

  21. You know it’s hard out here for a Pope.

    Comment by daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 2/11/2013 @ 8:22 pm

    now that’s funny, I don’t care who you are

    no one of consequence, née noyk (ecc99a)

  22. I am curious what issues Obama worked on with the Pope.

    JD (b63a52)

  23. Now that’s making a sacrifice for Lent.

    Diffus (4a5ca6)

  24. I am curious what issues Obama worked on with the Pope.

    Comment by JD (b63a52) — 2/11/2013 @ 8:25 pm

    Why, he was the one benevolently granting the pope’s prayers. (Well, the ones progressive enought to be worth listening to, anyway.) This planet isn’t going to heal itself, you know.

    no one of consequence, née noyk (ecc99a)

  25. When there’s a new Pope it’ll be fun to see how Obama manages todeftly insert himself into the congratulatory message he records for the world’s Catholics.

    There are apparently at least two Cardinals of color who are considered to be frontrunners.

    elissa (4438e0)

  26. “Why, he was the one benevolently granting the pope’s prayers.”

    Nooc – Double Heh!!

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  27. aphrael – given Papal Infallibility, by definition, Pope Benedict is making the correct decision, is he not ?

    Alasdair (a28b33)

  28. JD @22, I believe the last time they met he told the Pope to open up the Swiss Guard to gays and women, the NLRB has determined Vatican City needs to let the AFL-CIO attempt to unionize its workforce or it would be guilty of unfair labor practices, that while the Holy See is a religious employer HHS has determined the Vatican is not so it needs to offer sterilization, contraceptives, and abortifacients to any Americans who are employed there or the IRS will start seizing its assets, and that it would be in their own best interests to make territorial concessions to the Palestinians.

    Then he said St. Peter’s was a “nice little church” and made a joke about drone strikes.

    But ay least the Obama’s gave the Pope lovely state gifts. An assortment of “Obama/Biden 2008” campaign memorabilia that he assured the Pope would one day be worth lots of money and would make great heirlooms for his grandkids.

    Steve57 (0e996b)

  29. Funny, Steve. I thought he might give an autographed copy of the HHS religious “accommodation”

    JD (b63a52)

  30. Funny stuff, Steve57.

    I can almost envision clueless Barry O in conversation with the Pontif, saying, “I overheard that fellow over there calling you, ‘Father,’—I didn’t even know you had a son !”

    Elephant Stone (1785a6)

  31. I just wonder how many White House staffers right now are trying to figure out how to make the President the new Pope.

    By acclamation.

    Ag80 (b2c81f)

  32. aphrael – given Papal Infallibility, by definition, Pope Benedict is making the correct decision, is he not ?

    Um, no, and popes aren’t always infallible. Only when speaking ex cathedra on matters of faith. That hasn’t been invoked in almost 150 years.

    But I think Benedict XVI is making the right decision, and it’s to his credit that he is putting the Church first.

    Chuck Bartowski (ad7249)

  33. i think this whole thing has to stay largely in the realm of mystery

    unless he writes a tell-all book or something and goes on oprah so we can get the 411

    happyfeet (323d6f)

  34. the next pope is exciting though

    maybe he’ll speak out against encroaching fascism in america

    happyfeet (323d6f)

  35. As JD reminded us, upon learning of the Pope’s retirement Obama issued a statement fondly recalling their first meeting in 2009 and working with the Pope over the past four years. Then Obama paid homage to the importance of the RCC in the US and around the world. When I read that I, no doubt like JD, had to exert a great deal of self control to avoid spewing my drink all over my living room.

    Given that the Obama administration is being sued by what now must be every Catholic diocese in the country, Catholic charitable organization, and the USCCB for an unprecedented assualt on religious liberty I tried to imagine what Obama would have us believe the words “working with” mean. Comment #28 was the result. Note that most people would use the words “not working with” to describe the state of the relationship.

    In other Pope related US political news, Nancy Pelosi issued a statement saying she was saddened to hear of Pope Benedict’s retirement and prayed for his health but hoped the next Pope would help Catholics get over “that conscience thing.” Toward that end she announced she would be introducing a “Sense of the House” resolution urging the RCC to make abortion a sacrament.

    And Neal Boortz tweets that the administration will honor the Pope’s service by issuing an official WH photo of Barack Obama lighting a candle.

    Steve57 (43b783)

  36. The Pope’s car is way more cool than Obama’s. Giving that up must be tough.

    Plus the Swiss Guard uniforms are sweet compared to what the Secret Service wears.

    St. Peters compared to the White House. No contest.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  37. and yet Mr. 57 food stamp won the catholic vote, no?

    we need a pope daddy to smack these ones upside their head I think

    happyfeet (323d6f)

  38. Mr. Feets – Mr. 57 food stamp economy raping blameshifter offers people free stuff he can’t deliver on while he’s destroying jobs and the economy.

    The Pope ain’t throwing down the free stuff. Whachu want Willis?

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  39. Mr. Feets, that’s why Pope Benedict decided it’s time to step aside to let a younger man in better condition take his turn at bat, I’m sure.

    He was having his daily conversation with God and God told him, “You know old friend, you don’t look like you’re up to giving the kind of Old Testament kind of whoopings those American ‘Catholics for Choice’ types are just begging for anymore.”

    Steve57 (43b783)

  40. Maybe Mr.57 food stamp economy raper will give a shout out to the Pope and Ted Nugent in the visitors gallery at the SOTU.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  41. “God gave us always some reason, some hope; but now
    a new terror has soiled us, which none can avert,
    none can avoid, flowing under our feet and over
    the sky;
    Under doors and down chimneys, flowing in at the ear
    and the mouth and the eye.
    God is leaving us, God is leaving us, more pang, more
    pain than birth or death.
    Sweet and cloying through the dark air
    Falls the stifling scent of despair;
    The forms take shape in the dark air:
    Puss-purr of leopard, footfall of padding bear,
    Palm-pat of nodding ape, square hyena waiting
    For laughter, laughter, laughter. The Lords of Hell
    are here.
    They curl around you, lie at your feet, swing and wing
    through the dark air.
    O Thomas Archbishop, save us, save use, save yourself
    that we may be saved;
    Destroy yourself and we are destroyed.”

    Leviticus (17b7a5)

  42. O/T

    CNN reports the NORKs may have conducted an underground nuclear test. USGS reported a 4.9 magnitude seismic event with an epicenter where the last two tests took place.

    Kim Jong Un must have watched Hillary!’s Benghazi tetimony and Drooling Chuck Hagel’s SecDef hearings. Then when he learned the DPRK’s old friend Hanoi John F’n Kerry is SecState he knew he can now do pretty much what he wants.

    Think President Humility will be too humble to mention it?

    Pope Benedict, pray for us.

    Steve57 (08bc52)

  43. I’m not entirely sure it makes sense theologically – how does the Vicar of God on Earth tell God he doesn’t want the job any more? – but I’m not qualified to judge that.

    That’s an excellent question, aphrael, and though I am not really versed on these matters my conjecture is that Pope John Paul II changed the game so much that the modern Papacy is way different than it has been. Fifty years ago the Pope would stay in Rome and issue edicts, but those days are long gone. For better or for worse (and I think it is clearly for better), modern pontiffs are expected the travel the world to deliver the message of the gospel. Pope Benedict, I think, simply decided that he wasn’t healthy enough for the task.

    Every year right before the Advent season starts (i.e., right after Thanksgiving), the Church issues its new missal (the book that lays out the instructions for mass). This year, I noticed that the Eucharistic Prayers had left blank the place where the Pope’s name is invoked. In other words, at a certain point the priest prays aloud for (as it reads in the missal) “Benedict, our Pope, and N. our bishop,” with the priest inserting the appropriate name for the local bishop. For the 2013 missal, the prayer read “N. our Pope, and N. our bishop,” meaning that whoever was in charge of creating the missal seemed to know there was a strong likelihood that Benedict would not be the Pope for the whole year.

    Anyway, just some grist for the Vatican conspiracy theorists.

    JVW (4826a9)

  44. Saw this elsewhere:

    Pope joins Twitter, loses interest in job.

    Tregonsee (12c9d9)

  45. The Philadelphia physician wrote:

    I think it’s been like 400 years since a Pope resigned while alive.

    And even longer since one resigned after he was dead. 🙂

    The snarky Dana (3e4784)

  46. elissa wrote:

    There are apparently at least two Cardinals of color who are considered to be frontrunners.

    I believe that all Cardinals wear red. 🙂

    The very snarky Dana (3e4784)

  47. The Whore of Babylon insinuates the Apostle of Rome is on board with her world-transforming vision.

    gary gulrud (dd7d4e)

  48. Aphrael wrote:

    I’m not entirely sure it makes sense theologically – how does the Vicar of God on Earth tell God he doesn’t want the job any more? – but I’m not qualified to judge that.

    Technically, the Pope is the Bishop of Rome, and all bishops are required to submit their resignations when they reach 75. (In some cases, the resignations aren’t accepted for a couple of years.) In effect, the Pope is retiring as Bishop of Rome.

    The Catholic Dana (3e4784)

  49. Is a Borgia available?

    SPQR (1e3571)

  50. I wonder if Benedict got Obama’s permission to do this. After all, Chris Rock says Obama’s “our Dad.”

    Isn’t that the same as being “our Father” ?

    Elephant Stone (ffae36)

  51. I think Salafist, Wiccan, Santerian and Druid Cardinals should have a vote this time around if only to please the good catholic leftists.

    gary gulrud (dd7d4e)

  52. Comment by The snarky Dana (3e4784) — 2/12/2013 @ 5:49 am

    True that. High Five to you!!!!

    MD in Philly (3d3f72)

  53. MD wrote:

    True that.

    It’s Mardi Gras, so it has to be, “True dat!”

    The Cajun Dana (3e4784)

  54. O/T

    I hear President Humility will mention the NORK nuke test. He will say all the NORK nuke program has succeeded in doing is to isolate that regime.

    I did not discount the possibility that President Up is Down Peace is War Slavery is Freedom would claim this obvious signal that the NORKs have not been isolated as proof positive that it has been.

    Whether the NORKs will be isolated following this test depends entirely on the PRC and how it sees this latest NORK action effecting its interests. But keep in mind when Obama insists we unilaterally reduce our arsenal we are increasingly a non consideration.

    Pope Benedict, pray for us.

    Steve57 (43b783)

  55. here’s a page where you can figure out what number pope the next one will be for you

    happyfeet (4bf7c2)


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