[one guy in new jersey]

“...find some 90 year old priest who was ordained by a pre-conciliar bishop and make him Pope long enough to denounce Vatican II, retire all of the heretical cardinals, and fill the cardinalate with traditionalists. Then when he goes to meet his Maker, the stage will be set for a true renewal of the Church.”

__________

Benedict XVI’s so-called resignation failed to meet the clear requirements of Catholic Canon Law. Presumably he is tanned, rested and ready to admit that he has remained both the Bishop of Rome AND the Vicar of Christ all this time. Will he do?

[who_would_fardels_bear]

If Benedict has an epiphany, denounces Vatican II, clears out the homosexual mafia cardinals, etc. then that would be great.

When I was in my 20's the thought of Ratzinger becoming Pope was only an amazing dream that I thought could never come true. The impossible happened, but it turned out to be a big "meh".

[Alberta's Child]

As outlandish as your scenario seems, it does raise a very interesting point that I have made frequently in recent years:

I can say with absolute certainty that it's no coincidence that all of this is happening while Pope Benedict is still alive.

Go back to those rare times in history when the Catholic Church had TWO (or even THREE) popes simultaneously -- and it sometimes took years for the Church to sort out the mess and figure out which one was the "real" one.

A close friend of mine once said: "In those days, most people had no idea who the real pope was."

To which I countered: "In those days, most people had no idea that there was even more than one pope laying claim to the Chair of Peter in the first place."

That last point is an important one. Back in those days there was no internet, no TV news, and even no daily newspapers. Most people lived in very sheltered worlds and had very little knowledge about what happened beyond those sheltered worlds.

If someone asks me today to name the pope, I can say with all honesty: "I have no idea." And I can say this with confidence because Benedict XVI is still alive, I have no knowledge of the circumstances surrounding his "resignation," and the guy sitting there claiming to be the pope is giving plenty of empirical evidence that he is a pagan idolater and a secular bureaucrat who doesn't even believe in God.

As I have said many times ... We have no idea what the history books will say when they recount the historical facts of this period.