Vatican City State: Pope Benedict XVI, January 2006 - February 2013

[SalannB]

As for the Bible, Catholics have never taken it literally ( I really don't see how anyone can. Again, my opinion).

Oh, really?

As a Catholic, I heartily disagree. Yes, you are entitled to your opinion, but you cannot and should not make such a broad, sweeping statement.

 

[Meraude]

19 Gregory's and Benedicts

Does antipopes really count as popes? As the present pope is Benedict XVI it seems as at least the Vatican doesn't count the three antipopes named Benedict into the rank of popes when choosing an ordinal number.

 

[Mirabel]

Oh, really?

As a Catholic, I heartily disagree. Yes, you are entitled to your opinion, but you cannot and should not make such a broad, sweeping statement.

As a Catholic, do you take the bible literally?
I was taught that it is against Catholic teaching to do so, but perhaps you were instructed differently?

 

[lucien]

@MaxFosterCNN: Benedict's title on retirement undecided - spox

@MaxFosterCNN: Spox says cardinals will decide autonomously who will be next Pope. Benedict will be retired and not be involved in the appointment

@MaxFosterCNN: Considering what happened when JP2 died, Pope vote likely 17 days after Benedict's resignation according to spox

It's not Max Foster who decides,let alone CNN and he isn't the best in the business...far from it..Anyway..:...

If he had listened better he would have known that Ratzinger,as he will be known,will retire in the convent adjacent to the outer wall of The Vatican and will have no mingling in nor any business in the public eye but pray,read and meditate and maybe write.

As of february 28th at 20.00PM local time the Sede Vacante situation sets in and the very next day,on march 1st,the Conclave will start to elect a new Pontifex Maximus.It's expected that even though there is no clear favorite,at all,it will still not take longer then one to two weeks at most before a new Pontiff will be elected.Well ahead and in time before the extensive Holy Week and Easter ceremonies will take place.

The present Pope is too much of a humble and modest person to even think of a role stretching further then I mentioned above.And as for the health reasons,his heart condition isn't optima forma as he recently had a pace-maker installed too.Again,a wise and brave decision.

 

[lucien]

Does antipopes really count as popes? As the present pope is Benedict XVI it seems as at least the Vatican doesn't count the three antipopes named Benedict into the rank of popes when choosing an ordinal number.

Anti Popes do not count as Popes,no.

 

[lucien]

As a Catholic, do you take the bible literally?
I was taught that it is against Catholic teaching to do so, but perhaps you were instructed differently?

Yes we do.But maybe that's very Philly to be instructed the opposite of what is instructed to RC's....grin..

 

[Lumutqueen]

It's not Max Foster who decides,let alone CNN and he isn't the best in the business...far from it..Anyway..:...

You do realise those are his tweets live this morning from a papal press conference? He's reporting news.

 

[An Ard Ri]

Sadness and enthusiasm in pope's German hometown


Sadness and enthusiasm in pope's German hometown - YouTube

 

[Osipi]

One thing that will be done according to tradition is that all articles belonging to Pope Benedict that signify his papacy will be destroyed. Most significant is his papal ring. I knew they destroyed the ring upon death of a pope but wasn't sure if a retired pontiff would continue to wear his so I looked it up.

Pope Benedict will perform the Mass is St. Peter's square for Ash Wednesday on February 13th before he steps down. Record numbers of people are expected to attend as this will be the last public Mass he celebrates as Pope.

Funmoods - web search results - papal ring

As far as papal name for the new Pontiff, perhaps Peter or something with Peter in it such as James Peter or John Peter?

 

[ricarda]

I guess having witnessed the last (depressing) years of pope John Paul II (which lead to stagnation and really did the church no good) played an important role in the current pope's decision to resign.
I also think Benedict always knew in his heart he wasn't the right man for the task to regenerate the church. And I applaud him for his decision.

 

[lucien]

You do realise those are his tweets live this morning from a papal press conference? He's reporting news.

No.He isn't good at it,that Foster boy.. and he isn't quoting the exact tweedledees either..Don't look at CNN if you wish to have the nearest to the thruth..

http://www.vatican.va/

 

[Lumutqueen]

No.He isn't good at it,that Foster boy.. and he isn't quoting the exact tweedledees either..Don't look at CNN if you wish to have the nearest to the thruth..

http://www.vatican.va/

He's a news reporter, reporting on the news. So yes not no. His tweets aren't 'exact' because they are shortened due to twitters word limit. Everything he reported was true and accurate.
The link you provided is quite hard to navigate and I couldn't find any up to date news. Twitter is much easier to follow.

 

[lucien]

Copying alleged tweets,is that,just that,copying.Not reporting.So no,he's lousy at his job and doesn't have the best insides either.But regardless,I have explained what the present Pontiff will do after 20.00PM on february 28th.

Oh but the site is really easy to circumnavigate,really is,touch were it says " Holy See " and see what happens.

 

[Kataryn]

If he had listened better he would have known that Ratzinger,as he will be known,will retire in the convent adjacent to the outer wall of The Vatican and will have no mingling in nor any business in the public eye but pray,read and meditate and maybe write.

German papers reported that he won't go into a closed convent but that this convent is currently lived in by 7 nuns who for a five-year-period live there and care for the pope. They will build an appartment for Josef Ratzinger there with easy access to the Vatican library, but of course the former pope is free to travel and stay eg. with his brother in Germany for as long as he likes. I believe if he had known about that potential decision he wouldn't have given up his home in Regensburg's countryside which he had built for his retirement to a charity which uses it is a seminar building now. But his brother still lives in their house in Regensburg city.

He won't be a prisoner at all, but will have suitable accommodation at the Vatican and be able to travel if his health allows it. He has the German state pension for retired university lecturers plus his pensions from his time as Archbishop of Munich and Cardinal in Rome. It is very common for retired priests to stay close to their former parishs, but in private accomodations payed for by the Church.

One should not forget that if there are rules how to handle an abdication he will follow them. If not, he has still the power to make them now as he pleases and I don't think his successor would dare to change them after his ascension.

It's just as yet unnamed "church experts" who claim that Ratzinger has no right to be "politically" active after he retires but that again has yet to be proven. And who can stop him receiving his (still his!) Cardinals one by one to say good-bye and tell them personally about his reasons for retirement? And to receive guests afterwards? He is still a personality who has given his whole life for the service of the church and while he might not have a right to be heard in an absolute monarchy if the new pope does not want it, he surely will still be held in high regard and be visited.

Especially as lots and lots of Germans who have met him these past months say he is in good mental health even though his body became more and more frail.

 

[Lumutqueen]

Copying alleged tweets,is that,just that,copying.Not reporting.So no,he's lousy at his job and doesn't have the best insides either.But regardless,I have explained what the present Pontiff will do after 20.00PM on february 28th.

There was no copying. The reporter wrote the tweets, which get the news out to a lot more people than waiting for daily news bulletins or articles to be published online. Clearly he has the best 'insides' because he was at the papal conference listening to the information live, like news reporters to. He's quite good at his job by the looks of it.

Also - what you said matches up with what the news reporter said this morning. However apparently conclave will not start on March 1st, there will be a period between resignation and conclave. This doesn't come from CNN.

 

[Osipi]

Isn't it very possible that the seclusion that the Pope will go into after his official date and time of resignation is until there is a newly elected Pope? By all accounts that I'm familiar with, once he steps down, until a new Pope is elected, its a state of "sede vacante"

"The current regulations regarding a papal interregnum—that is, a sede vacante ("vacant seat")—were promulgated by John Paul II in his 1996 document Universi Dominici Gregis. During the "sede vacante" period, the College of Cardinals is collectively responsible for the government of the Church and of the Vatican itself, under the direction of the Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church;"

Pope - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

With this in mind, it makes sense that during this period, Benedict would go into seclusion and have no contact with anyone so as to assure that during this interim, he was not involved in any way. As this is the first time a Pope has resigned in centuries, there's no precedence for the interim period of a retired Pope so perhaps this is to ensure that the same conditions exist for a papal election as it would be on the death of a Pope, he's voluntarily going into seclusion.

I'm sure that once a new Pope is elected, he will be out and about as his health permits and enjoy a peaceful retirement.

 

[Lumutqueen]

A lot of people say Benedict will have a say in the new pope because he promoted several cardinals that will be involved in the selection process. We all know his conservative views.

 

[Osipi]

A lot of people say Benedict will have a say in the new pope because he promoted several cardinals that will be involved in the selection process. We all know his conservative views.

This has always existed. As in any political arena, there are camps and lobbying and its always pretty well known who the previous Pope has favored and had "on his side" in matters of the Vatican. It could be that the camps doing their lobbying is a big part of what goes on behind the sealed doors of the Sistine Chapel. We will never know as the Cardinals are sworn to secrecy.

My supposition on the seclusion is that it is a physical removal into seclusion so as to portray the sede vacante as accurately as possible.

 

[An Ard Ri]

Hard to believe this was less than 8 years ago!

Joseph Ratzinger Elected New Pope - YouTube

 

[Iluvbertie]

Last time the papacy was vacant the conclave lasted a day - 18th and 19th April - 18th saw the cardinals at mass and one vote (black) - 19th saw 2 more unsuccessful votes before Benedict was elected.

Other conclaves, in the past, have lasted much longer.

 

[Osipi]

Last time the papacy was vacant the conclave lasted a day - 18th and 19th April - 18th saw the cardinals at mass and one vote (black) - 19th saw 2 more unsuccessful votes before Benedict was elected.

Other conclaves, in the past, have lasted much longer.

Found this a pretty interesting read.

I was just reading earlier about the longest papal election in history. Seems back in 1268, most of the Cardinals resided in Viterbo, located in central Italy. It was there in a palace they held the election that year. After 2 years and 8 months without electing a new pope, the villagers decided to lock the Cardinals in. Even then, there was no success. Next trick was to starve the Cardinals. The Cardinals ended up taking off the roof and it was jokingly referred to as "letting the Holy Spirit in". The conclave eventually chose Gregory X as its new pope but he was not a cardinal nor a priest; he was a crusader off fighting in the Holy Lands. It took him eight months to return from the battlefield.

Inside Longest Papal Conclave in History - ABC News

 

[An Ard Ri]

Longest papal conclave was 105 days in 1799/1800.

Lets hope we don't have one of those

 

[Blue_]

A lot of people say Benedict will have a say in the new pope because he promoted several cardinals that will be involved in the selection process. We all know his conservative views.

Of course he did. Like every pope does. When a cardinal is 75 he has to be replaced. So no big deal.

 

[Blue_]

As a Catholic, do you take the bible literally?
I was taught that it is against Catholic teaching to do so, but perhaps you were instructed differently?

I do take it literally!

 

[EIIR]

I certainly won't miss Mr Ratzinger. Given his position at the head of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, wherein he set the guidelines for how the Roman Catholic Church should go about trying to cover up the rape and torture of children, he should never have got anywhere near the role at all.

As with many things, Hitch said it best:

Very much more serious is the role of Joseph Ratzinger, before the church decided to make him supreme leader, in obstructing justice on a global scale. After his promotion to cardinal, he was put in charge of the so-called “Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith” (formerly known as the Inquisition). In 2001, Pope John Paul II placed this department in charge of the investigation of child rape and torture by Catholic priests. In May of that year, Ratzinger issued a confidential letter to every bishop. In it, he reminded them of the extreme gravity of a certain crime. But that crime was the reporting of the rape and torture.
The accusations, intoned Ratzinger, were only treatable within the church’s own exclusive jurisdiction. Any sharing of the evidence with legal authorities or the press was utterly forbidden. Charges were to be investigated “in the most secretive way … restrained by a perpetual silence … and everyone … is to observe the strictest secret which is commonly regarded as a secret of the Holy Office … under the penalty of excommunication.” (My italics). Nobody has yet been excommunicated for the rape and torture of children, but exposing the offense could get you into serious trouble.

Pope Benedict XVI resigns: Hitchens assesses pedophilia and corruption in the Catholic Church. - Slate Magazine

Living as I do on the island of Ireland, it's hard to quantify the damage Ratzinger's policy has done to countless innocent, defenseless children, in this country and across the world.

His Papacy itself has been a complete failure. The march of secularism in Europe, and indeed much of the Western world, continues unabated.

 

[Blue_]

Hard to believe this was less than 8 years ago!

Joseph Ratzinger Elected New Pope - YouTube

Neither can I
I hope I won't be at university when the new pope is elected, I want to see this live again!

 

[Osipi]

I certainly won't miss Mr Ratzinger. Given his position at the head of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, wherein he set the guidelines for how the Roman Catholic Church should go about trying to cover up the rape and torture of children, he should never have got anywhere near the role at all.

As with many things, Hitch said it best:



Pope Benedict XVI resigns: Hitchens assesses pedophilia and corruption in the Catholic Church. - Slate Magazine

Living as I do on the island of Ireland, it's hard to quantify the damage Ratzinger's policy has done to countless innocent, defenseless children, in this country and across the world.

His Papacy itself has been a complete failure. The march of secularism in Europe, and indeed much of the Western world, continues unabated.

Just an odd thought. Isn't this method of dealing with internal problems and meting out justice similar to how the military does things sometimes with their own internal problems? Not saying that its the correct way to do it but it is not uncommon.

 

[Lumutqueen]

Just an odd thought. Isn't this method of dealing with internal problems and meting out justice similar to how the military does things sometimes with their own internal problems? Not saying that its the correct way to do it but it is not uncommon.

Definitely not uncommon and to expect anything less than what EIIR described from the Catholic Church makes little sense.

 

[An Ard Ri]

Neither can I
I hope I won't be at university when the new pope is elected, I want to see this live again!

I was only a toddler when Pope John Paul II was elected so the only one I've ever seen was Benedict XVI's election it a week or two after the funeral of Prince Rainier III.

 

[NGalitzine]

Hard to believe that Ratzinger in the 60s was considered part of the progressive part of the Roman Catholic Church.

As for how the military might prosecute one of its own members I rather doubt if a soldier raped a little boy or girl that would simply be transferred to another unit, and if they offend again well transfer them again.