Benedict XVI First Pope in 600 Years to Resign

[93henfan]

Wow.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/ ... story.html

By Associated Press, Updated: Monday, February 11, 6:32 AM

VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI announced Monday that he would resign Feb. 28 — the first pontiff to do so in nearly 600 years. The decision sets the stage for a conclave to elect a new pope before the end of March.

The 85-year-old pope announced his decision in Latin during a meeting of Vatican cardinals on Monday morning.

He emphasized that carrying out the duties of being pope — the leader of more than a billion Roman Catholics worldwide — requires “both strength of mind and body.”

“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 Petrine ministry,” he told the cardinals...

[danefan]

Wow

[D1B]

Next step: arrest the piece of shit.

[Ibanez]

Wow! A papal resignation. This is interesting.

[D1B]

Wow! A papal resignation. This is interesting.

His fingerprints are all over the child rape scandal.

It's surprising the Cardinals didn't just poison him. Course,they need a live scapegoat.

[CAA Flagship]

What color smoke would represent a resignation?

[D1B]

One of many disgusting piece of shit popes.

[93henfan]

One of many disgusting piece of shit popes.

Which Pope was your favorite?

[JoltinJoe]

Served admirably and with grace in the face of constant slander by the ignorant, misinformed and hateful.

I hope the next Pope is willing to give more thought to theologians like Hans Kung.

[SuperHornet]

The article I read indicated that thre are no front runners, but three were getting a push, including a Canadian. We'll probably never see an American pope....

[JoltinJoe]

The last two popes grew up in a Church persecuted and repressed by their national government: John Paul II, in Poland, where the Church was repressed first by the Nazis (who sent priests to concentration camps) and then by the Soviets; and Benedict XVI in German, where the Nazis actively suppressed the Church and sent Catholic priests to concentration camps.

Of course, John Paul II was seen as an ardent foe of Soviet totalitarianism and his papacy was a principal cause of the fall of the Soviet Union. As routinely acknowledged by historians, John Paul II's visit to Poland in 1979, and the words he spoke while there, were a catalyst for the rise of the Polish labor movement and later the fall of Soviet communism throughout Eastern Europe. The Soviets knew the threat they confronted in John Paul II. That was why the KBG tried to assassinate him.

But I hope the next Pope does not come from a life experience of perceiving the Church under siege by the state, or even by civil movements. The Catholic Church has survived for 2000 years, much longer than any current government. It will continue to grow and thrive, despite periods of persecution and siege (indeed, the Church in China is under siege, so much so that the Cardinal in China cannot be publicly identified).

So I hope the next Pope is willing to open the window and not feel the Church is under siege by modern events.

[Pwns]

[GannonFan]

Benedict was a disappointment for me - was too hard line, way too abrasive, didn't have a sliver of the charisma of the guy who came before him - he just came off as being old. And being yet another European didn't really excite at all either. It would be nice to have a relatively young one this time around, and like JJ said, coming from a different world perspective would be nice as well. WWII is over and has been for a long time, time to get a different outlook on things.

[Vidav]

I miss him already.

[Ibanez]

The last two popes grew up in a Church persecuted and repressed by their national government: John Paul II, in Poland, where the Church was repressed first by the Nazis (who sent priests to concentration camps) and then by the Soviets; and Benedict XVI in German, where the Nazis actively suppressed the Church and sent Catholic priests to concentration camps.

Of course, John Paul II was seen as an ardent foe of Soviet totalitarianism and his papacy was a principal cause of the fall of the Soviet Union. As routinely acknowledged by historians, John Paul II's visit to Poland in 1979, and the words he spoke while there, were a catalyst for the rise of the Polish labor movement and later the fall of Soviet communism throughout Eastern Europe. The Soviets knew the threat they confronted in John Paul II. That was why the KBG tried to assassinate him.

But I hope the next Pope does not come from a life experience of perceiving the Church under siege by the state, or even by civil movements. The Catholic Church has survived for 2000 years, much longer than any current government. It will continue to grow and thrive, despite periods of persecution and siege (indeed, the Church in China is under siege, so much so that the Cardinal in China cannot be publicly identified).

So I hope the next Pope is willing to open the window and not feel the Church is under siege by modern events.

I happened to be travelling through Traunstein in 2010 (my wifes family is from the town and the region). That town adores him and i'm sure there will be much saddness today in that tiny, Bavarian town. If I can find it, i'll post the pictures of the bust that was made of him.

[93henfan]

I miss him already.

He only took the job for the Cadillac health care package.

[D1B]

The last two popes grew up in a Church persecuted and repressed by their national government: John Paul II, in Poland, where the Church was repressed first by the Nazis (who sent priests to concentration camps) and then by the Soviets; and Benedict XVI in German, where the Nazis actively suppressed the Church and sent Catholic priests to concentration camps.

Of course, John Paul II was seen as an ardent foe of Soviet totalitarianism and his papacy was a principal cause of the fall of the Soviet Union. As routinely acknowledged by historians, John Paul II's visit to Poland in 1979, and the words he spoke while there, were a catalyst for the rise of the Polish labor movement and later the fall of Soviet communism throughout Eastern Europe. The Soviets knew the threat they confronted in John Paul II. That was why the KBG tried to assassinate him.

But I hope the next Pope does not come from a life experience of perceiving the Church under siege by the state, or even by civil movements. The Catholic Church has survived for 2000 years, much longer than any current government. It will continue to grow and thrive, despite periods of persecution and siege (indeed, the Church in China is under siege, so much so that the Cardinal in China cannot be publicly identified).

So I hope the next Pope is willing to open the window and not feel the Church is under siege by modern events.

I happened to be travelling through Traunstein in 2010 (my wifes family is from the town and the region). That town adores him and i'm sure there will be much saddness today in that tiny, Bavarian town. If I can find it, i'll post the pictures of the bust that was made of him.

Benedict help hide pedophiles and contributed to the suffering of thousands of child victims of rape.

He'll go down in history as the Pedophile's Pope.

[∞∞∞]

Isn't the next Pope supposed to be the last?

[D1B]

The last two popes grew up in a Church persecuted and repressed by their national government: John Paul II, in Poland, where the Church was repressed first by the Nazis (who sent priests to concentration camps) and then by the Soviets; and Benedict XVI in German, where the Nazis actively suppressed the Church and sent Catholic priests to concentration camps.

Of course, John Paul II was seen as an ardent foe of Soviet totalitarianism and his papacy was a principal cause of the fall of the Soviet Union. As routinely acknowledged by historians, John Paul II's visit to Poland in 1979, and the words he spoke while there, were a catalyst for the rise of the Polish labor movement and later the fall of Soviet communism throughout Eastern Europe. The Soviets knew the threat they confronted in John Paul II. That was why the KBG tried to assassinate him.

But I hope the next Pope does not come from a life experience of perceiving the Church under siege by the state, or even by civil movements. The Catholic Church has survived for 2000 years, much longer than any current government. It will continue to grow and thrive, despite periods of persecution and siege (indeed, the Church in China is under siege, so much so that the Cardinal in China cannot be publicly identified).

So I hope the next Pope is willing to open the window and not feel the Church is under siege by modern events.

The church was never under siege. Catholic priests were not sent to concentration camps in any large numbers, there may have been a few rabble rousers.

It's well known, the church partnered with Hitler's government and profited immensly from several concordats and treaties signed between the vatican and Germany and Italy. If the catholic church was moral and possessed courage of conviction, fascism would have never been born at the doorsteps of the Vatican.

[JoltinJoe]

Please, we're trying to have a serious discussion here, based on real facts. If you want to discuss your make believe facts, based on your make believe sources that no serious historian credits, then talk to your make believe internet friends on the lunatic fringe message boards.

For example, every seminarian in the seminary with John Paul II was sent by the Nazis to concentration camps.

John Paul II himself was in the seminary when it was raided and, liked the others, he hid. All others were caught, but John Paul hid in the basement of his uncle's house, which the Nazis searched to find him. He explained later than a number of times during the siege a Nazi soldier seemed to look right at him, and yet inexplicably no one saw him. A miracle -- God preserved him because of his future calling.

[Skjellyfetti]

a Nazi soldier seemed to look right at him, and yet inexplicably no one saw him. A miracle -- God preserved him because of his future calling.

[JoltinJoe]

a Nazi soldier seemed to look right at him, and yet inexplicably no one saw him. A miracle -- God preserved him because of his future calling.

When you lead an overthrow of a brutal authoritarian world-wide system of repressive government -- and do so without having one of your supporters fire a single shot -- talk to me.

[dbackjon]

Isn't the next Pope supposed to be the last?

You talking Nostrodamus predictions?

[JoltinJoe]

Isn't the next Pope supposed to be the last?

You talking Nostrodamus predictions?

No, he's talking about the so-called prophesies of St. Malachy.

The next pope identified in these so-called prophesies is "Petrus Romanus" ("Peter the Roman"), who is supposed to preside over the end of time.

Just saw on-line that Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana is running second, at 4-1, in the odds to be the next pope.

[Skjellyfetti]

God gave John Paul II his invisibility cloak and said, "fuck it, I don't need the rest of these guys. off to the camps for y'all!"