Posted on 02/17/2013 7:06:13 PM PST by Salvation
Benedict XVI's mind is fully functional, he is not an invalid, and has not been diagnosed with dementia, Alzheimer's Disease, etc. ...
You and I have no idea what his physical or mental condition is. Everything anyone says in the media is really nothing more than pure speculation or is based on public statements from people who are not medical professionals and have no knowledge of any medical issues that may be in play here.
Do we have a Saint Pope Pius X?
Pope Benedict's Devotion to Saint Celestine Signaled His Resignation from the Papacy
Scott Hahn has additional info: SCOTT HAHN: Pope Benedict had a profound effect on this former Presbyterian minister
Very well said!
Thanks Salvation! I really liked that article on St. Celestine.
You can keep saying it all day, but it's irrelevant. Just because they DID stay, doesn't mean it was the best thing for either themselves, or more importantly, for the Church. Pope Benedict believes that for the sake of the Church, there should be someone in the office of the Papacy who is strong enough, both physically and mentally, to take on the challenges that he knows are coming.
There is no doctrine that requires the Pope to stay in office until his death. That most have done so in the past is simply custom, and custom can be laid aside, if the situation requires it.
Benedict is an old man and he realized thet he couldn't continue to do the job...I didn't think that he would resign either.....until I looked at myself. I am 74 and active, but I certainly wouldn't be able to handle the job of being Pope.
as far as your statement that you are no longer a Catholic....yes you are, you will always be a Catholic...get your act together, repent of your nonsense, and come home!!!
he will be a former pope but his title will be Bishop Emeritus of Rome.
“quitter” is a word from vernacular of the world of American sports. More precisely, thug sports. The Pope is not a jock!
I've been thinking along the same lines. The "bad" precedent being set for future Popes - and many Catholics - is that it is no longer seen as a Divinely-appointed position but something decided by a popularity contest of sorts. If this authority is God-ordained - and, presumably, a God-enabled anointing - then, how is it that such a person decides he no longer wants the job and "retires"? Did the Apostle Peter retire? Did Paul? If God truly is behind the appointment of every Pope and it has historically been a lifelong anointing, then is God not able to empower such a man and overcome any and all impediments to fulfilling his purpose? This retirement, to me, has the appearance of a man who, as we know never really wanted to be the Pope, now has an "out" so he can spend whatever time he has left in luxurious comfort and ease getting to sleep in every day he wants, never lacking for anything.
As a former Roman Catholic and now a born-again Christian, I don't accept or recognize the Pope's authority over myself or all Christians. It is times like these that only reinforces my sense of the rightness of my decision to come out of Catholicism and into the light of the Gospel of the grace of God.
Committing to a life of prayer is hardly retiring,dear sister. Leading this kind of life is even more daunting then even being Pope.
Those who are infected by modernism have a hard time digesting this reality
IBTZ, troll.
Suppose you are right, it has NEVER been done. Are you arguing that it CANNOT be done?
The papacy is an office, not a Sacrament. If the current Pope steps down, he relinquishes the post to another.
A priest is always a priest, a bishop is always a bishop, and we will miss our German Shepherd.
Hey, Christ didn’t leave. A certain pope did. It will be okay.
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