What does he mean by this kind of statement? Is he saying he has lost faith?
no, i think he is basically saying he is too ill to be able to hold it all together and needs to leave it to a younger man, thats all.
He neither said nor did he imply anything of the kind.
No. Not at all. Just the opposite. I think he wants to avoid a repeat of what happened with JP2. I adore Pope Benedict, and I’m sad to see him resign, but I have to believe that he has prayerfully asked for guidance from the Holy Spirit.
You took that out of context- he says he is old and/or sick in the same question.
Is he saying he has lost faith?
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Absolutely NOT!
It’s clear that he is referring to a WORLD that has been shaken by such questions. It is also clear that he is saying that such a world needs a Church led by someone strong both in mind and BODY.
Utterances by all popes since Pope Pius XII are very difficult to analyze. Subsequent to the Vatican II debacle Vatican doublespeak has been rampant.
I read it that he believes he has lost the 'mental agility' to keep up with the flood of crap the modern anti-theistic world is throwing up. He may be much more seriously ill than he appears.