Catholibertarian

I was shocked to read about the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI as I read through my emails on Monday morning.  To be honest at first I thought it was a hoax or something when I saw the headline on one of the blogs I frequent. But then soon enough I came to learn that it was true.

For most of the day I was ambivalent as to whether I would classify the Pope’s resignation as humble or not. In fact it was kind of hard for me to grasp why Pope Benedict would be resigning now when Pope John Paul II didn’t resign when his Parkinson’s Disease got really bad.  As I started reading the various commentaries on news sites/blogs I found this explanation by Damian Thompson very helpful:

Yes, the controversies surrounding child abuse have darkened his reign; my own feeling is that he has had to shoulder the burden of scandals that should have broken many years before he became pope, and also that his personal culpability as the Vatican’s doctrinal watchdog during that period should not be exaggerated. John Paul II rather than Benedict XVI can be accused of turning a blind eye to certain abominations, not least to those of the Mexican child abuser the late Fr Marcel Maciel, whom Benedict sent into disgraced exile as soon as he became Pope. One reason Maciel was not dealt with in time was that John Paul II was too ill and, let us be honest, mentally enfeebled to confront Maciel’s crimes. Ratzinger has been determined from the beginning not to allow the same situation to overtake him. {I do encourage you to read his entire piece here}

After reading that I came to the conclusion that Pope Benedict’s stepping down due to his failing health is indeed an act of humility, a sign of a humble man.

It’s not often that lightning strikes St. Peter’s Basilica. And the same day the Pope announced his resignation. A sign of the Holy Spirit?

H/T Father Z

Pat Buchanan article A Godly Man in an Ungodly Age takes a look at the Pope’s resignation in light of Christianity’s decline in the West over the past few centuries.

Spero news article highlights Seven good reasons to admire Pope Benedict XVI.

Let us pray for Pope Benedict and his health, for Holy Mother Church, and for the papal conclave when the College of  Cardinals meet to elect a new Pope.