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(from Fox News) – In a sudden announcement that caught Catholics around the world off guard, Pope Benedict XVI said he will resign at the end of February, becoming the first pontiff to step down in nearly 600 years. [He will step down Feb. 28.]
The 85-year-old pontiff made the announcement Monday, saying he no longer had the strength to carry out his papal duties.
“After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the [papacy],” the pope said according to a statement released by the Vatican.
He said he is aware of the “seriousness” of his resignation, but that he did so in “full freedom.” He will live out his days on Vatican grounds, according to officials.
The last pope to resign was Pope Gregory XII, who stepped down in 1415 in a deal to end the Great Western Schism among competing papal claimants. The sudden announcement sets the stage for the Vatican to hold a conclave to elect a new pope by mid-March, since the traditional mourning time that would follow the death of a pope doesn’t have to be observed. There are several papal contenders in the wings, but no obvious front-runner, according to Vatican watchers.
A Vatican spokesperson told “Fox & Friends” that Pope Benedict “will not take part in conclave” to choose his successor. Officials hope to have a new pope in place in time for the start of Holy Week, on March 14. Although there has been much speculation about Pope Benedict’s health, a Vatican spokesman said he is not in any immediate danger.
“There’s nothing immediately serious or grave,” the Vatican spokesman told ABC.
The pope’s 89-year-old brother, Georg Ratzinger, told a German news agency that the pope has had difficulty walking recently and has considered stepping down for months. “His age is weighing on him,” Georg Ratzinger said. “At this age my brother wants more rest.”
Fox News Executive Vice President John Moody, former Vatican bureau chief for Time magazine, told Fox News Channel that Pope Benedict showed courage by accepting that the rigors of the papacy had become too much for him.
“I think it is one of the bravest things I’ve ever heard of,” said Moody, who is author of a 1996 biography of Pope John Paul II. “Nobody gives up power willingly. Nobody gives up power without forethought. For this man, who really the world hasn’t gotten to know very well, despite the fact that he’s been around as pope for seven years, to do this speaks volumes about the kind of man he is and the kind of leader of the church that he insisted on being.”
Born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, Pope Benedict became the 265th pope after being elected by his fellow cardinals on April 19, 2005, at the age of 78 following the death of the popular John Paul II. The ninth German pope and first in nearly 500 years, Benedict was ordained in 1951 and was a major figure at the Vatican stage for decades before his ascension.
Ratzinger chose the name Benedict, which comes from the Latin word meaning “the blessed,” in homage to Pope Benedict XV, who was pope during World War I, and Saint Benedict of Nursia, who established the Benedictine monasteries.
During his papacy and in the years prior, Benedict was a key figure in the church’s efforts to address widespread instances of sexual abuse of children by priests. In 2001, then-Cardinal Ratzinger convinced John Paul II to put the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which he led, in charge of investigating cases and setting policy regarding what he termed “filth” in the church. As a cardinal, Ratzinger pushed through important reforms, including making Internet offenses against children a violation covered by canon law, extending child abuse offenses to include the sexual abuse of all under 18, waiving of the statute of limitation and speeding the process of dismissing guilty priests.
Even before becoming pope, Ratzinger had experienced health problems and attempted to resign from his role as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith several times, only to stay on at the behest of Pope John Paul II. In 1991, Ratzinger suffered a stroke, according to reports. After becoming pope, Benedict, who predicted a short tenure for himself, suffered another stroke in May 2005, according to the Vatican. He is also believed to suffer from a heart condition.
As pope, Benedict embraced technology. In December, he began using Twitter, where he has 1.5 million followers.
“We must trust in the mighty power of God’s mercy,” read his most recent tweet, posted yesterday. “We are all sinners, but His grace transforms us and makes us new.”
Reprinted here for educational purposes only. May not be reproduced on other websites without permission from FoxNews. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Questions
1. a) How many Catholics are there in the world?
b) What is the role of the Pope?
c) How do these facts make the Pope’s resignation a major news story?
2. a) Why is the Pope stepping down?
b) Why is Pope Benedict’s resignation historic?
3. Define Vatican and conclave (as used in para. 7)
4. a) By what date will a new pope be chosen?
b) Why is this quicker than the time usually taken to choose a new pope?
c) How is the pope chosen?
5. From London’s daily Telegraph: “In the age of 24-hour news, email and Twitter, few announcements of state are kept a secret before they are made, even fewer have the power to make the world stop in disbelief.” Why do you think the pope’s surprise resignation was able to do so?
6. Andreas Dingstad, a spokesman for the Catholic diocese in the Norwegian capital of Oslo, said the time might be right for a “youngish” pope, possibly from the developing world. “The church is growing most in the south. So I think lots of people will be ready for a pope from Africa, Asia or South America,” Mr. Dingstad said. “But who knows; it’s the early days still.”
a) What percent of Catholics are American?
b) What percent of Catholics are Latin American (Central and South America, excluding Mexico)?
c) What percent of Catholics are Asian?
d) What percent of Catholics are African?
e) What percent of Catholics are European?
f) Should the new pope be from Africa, Latin America or Asia, or should he be chosen without considering what country/region he is from? Explain your answer.
(find the answers at: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church_by_country)
Background
According to the United States Census Bureau, as of today, it is estimated by that the population of the world is 7.066 billion.
According to the Census of the 2012 Annuario Pontificio (Pontifical Yearbook), the number of Roman Catholics of the world was about 1.196 billion at the end of 2010.
According to the CIA World Factbook, the five countries with the largest number of Catholics are Brazil, Mexico, Philippines, the USA, and Italy.
The role of the pope:
The pope is the spiritual leader of the Catholic church. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the pope inherits this power from St. Peter, whom Jesus anointed as the head of his church. Elected by an assembly of cardinals, the pope holds his position for life. Upon his death, the assembly elects a new pope, who must fulfill the same set of duties as his predecessor.
The conclave:
- Next month, the College of Cardinals will hold a conclave, a secret meeting in the Sistine Chapel where cardinals cast ballots to elect a new pope. There will be four votes per day – two in the morning and two in the afternoon until a pope is chosen.
- Benedict in 2007 passed a decree requiring a two-thirds majority to elect a pope, changing the rules established by John Paul II who had decided that the voting could shift to a simple majority after about 12 days of inconclusive voting.Benedict made the change to prevent cardinals from merely holding out until the 12 days had passed to push through a candidate who had only a slim majority.
- As per tradition, the ballots are burned after each voting round; black smoke that snakes out of the chimney means no pope has been chosen, while white smoke means a pope has been elected.
- All cardinals younger than 80 are allowed to vote, and the conclave must begin 15 to 20 days after Benedict’s resignation takes effect Feb. 28. There are 118 cardinals younger than 80 and thus eligible to vote. The group includes 67 who were appointed by Benedict. However, four of them will turn 80 before the end of March. Depending on the date of the conclave, they may or may not be allowed to vote.
- Benedict XVI will not take part in the conclave to elect his successor, but will be on hand to give advice, if desired, to his replacement as he will continue to live in Vatican City.
- The timing of Benedict’s announcement is significant: Lent begins today– Ash Wednesday–and is the most solemn period on the church’s calendar. Lent culminates with Holy Week and Easter on March 31.By Easter Sunday, the Catholic Church will have a new leader, a potent symbol of rebirth in the church that echoes the resurrection of Christ in its celebration of Easter.
For a further explanation a conclave, go to:
csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2013/0212/How-does-the-Vatican-elect-a-new-pope-7-things-to-know-about-a-conclave/What-is-a-conclave
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