Posted on 12/12/2014 2:55:21 PM PST by marshmallow
There shouldn’t be any more confusion about a Pope emeritus than there should be about a president emeritus or a professor emeritus. The person in question ceased to be a Pope, or a president, or a professor, as applicable.
Maybe Benedict was trying to be gracious, hoping it would all get sorted out under Francis. But, it didn’t.
In our diocese we have a Bishop Emeritus who still takes the place of the current Bishop Earl i.e. Bishop Emeritus Carl Mengling, still confers Confirmation on the candidates when the current Bishop is attending something else. We attended our granddaughter’s confirmation last year when Bishop Emeritus Carl performed the rites, Diocese of Lansing, MI. I do not know what other activity Bishop Earl was involved in at that time.
It's just dismaying that even on commonplace decisions like this, there seemed to be people standing there who were quite willing to override his choices, with him too physically / mentally worn down to go and nail down every daggone detail.
It's a little thing. It *shouldn't* cause confusion, But at the same time, it's shocking.
Well, in terms of Holy Orders, a bishop is always a bishop. But a pope is not always a pope.
It’s a sad window into the sin that remains among even the best intentioned and best positioned of believers. That they sometimes cannot find it in themselves to be gracious even when the world is watching. It will be gone in heaven, but it hurts us (and God) here.
He was 86 and in poor health. Though I’m not Catholic, Benedict kept the conservative tone of the church. Francis, I’m not so sure.
Francis tries to be good-hearted, but he’s not as well learned about the follies of liberalism as Benedict was.
I think he did better — more in his element — when he said dogs all go to heaven, then when he pushed for a nebulous somebody to help the poor without saying who those somebodies should be, or in what manner they should help. A lot rides on those details.
Has he lost his mind? It's after Labor Day!
Later, when Pope Urban VI was elected in 1378 and quickly antagonized the cardinals, who proceeded to elect a rival pope, the Great Western Schism began, which lasted until 1415. The line of popes who are now regarded as the rightful popes were in Rome, while the rival line resided in the papal palace at Avignon (Avignon remained a papal possession until the French Revolution)--that line are now considered antipopes. At the time it was hard for people to sort it out--some countries recognized one pope and some the other. It got worse when the Council of Pisa tried to end the schism by deposing both popes and electing a third man, which simply meant there were three men all claiming to be the pope.
I don't think St. Francis would have been happy if he had foreseen the grand basilica that was built over his tomb.
But now, in retrospect, we can see the reasoning that lay behind the Pope’s decision to resign. If he felt too weak to enforce his decision on a matter as simple as what he should be called, what decisions could he have enforced? By the end of his term, Pope Benedict surely saw the need for thorough reforms at the Vatican; he knew that he lacked the energy to lead them.
If he had been fully confident in his subordinates, Pope Benedict might have stayed in office, cutting back his own schedule and delegating more decisions. But as I commented at the time, his resignation seemed a clear indication that he did not have that level of confidence in the Vatican bureaucracy. “For the welfare of the Church, he could not allow the Roman Curia to act on his behalf.”
“Why does he still wear white?
Has he lost his mind? It’s after Labor Day! “
Gosh Alex, even I, as a Catholic, cannot help laughing at that one.
LOL
Now, THAT, Alex, was funny!
Regards,
“Frankly, I’m a Catholic and not a huge Francis fan, but your post just reads like this was an opportunity for you to hop on your anti-Catholic hobby horse.”
A good trick considering that monsieur Bunk is a mackerel snapper of long provenance. Perhaps he mocks himself.
But he is also a wit who can’t pass up a good joke. This trait isn’t always appreciated by the crabby and humorless. I recommend burning him at the stake, if for no other reason just to see what bon mots he will toss off at his farewell.
Merry Christmas to all and please find it in your hearts if not exactly to forgive me, not shoot me. Sometimes my jaundiced cynical eye overcomes my great affection for the Church of Rome and the somewhat wayward branch to which I belong.
BTW, Pel, mackerel snapping trolling a wet fly streamer rig can get you four or five at once, right off Kennebunk Beach. Sauté filets in butter, dry but fruity white wine, bit of mint ...voilà ... a divine breakfast...even for Congregationalists! And let this be a lesson to you young fellows, The DownEast humor thing just doesn't ship well sometimes.
Apparently, the last time a Pope resigned, he simply went back to being a Cardinal. Perhaps that is what should have been done in this case, rather than inventing some new title out of whole cloth.
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