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Recent Comments

1. In the tension between a collegial model of governance for the Church and a monarchical model, I would normally side with those promoting greater collegiality.
   In this instance. I find myself on the side of the pope and his freedom to act as he sees fit in terms of retirement.
   The apparent demand by some Cardinals to restrict the freedom of the Pope is, at the very least, a little odd.
   It amounts to a view that as supreme pontiff the pope is responsible to earthly power even if he is essentially free to do as he sees fit. If these reports are to believed (and let us hope they are an exaggeration), the new Pope, as one elected by the Cardinals, will get the nod only if he agrees to voluntarily limit his effective freedom and agree to their demands with regard to retirement.
   Either Benedict XVI acted in response to the promptings of the Holy Spirit or he did not. If he did we have to wait until the implications of his actions work their way through history. Attempts to control the actions of the Holy Spirit to the point of only giving the nod to one who will take the job under new conditions I suggest is akin to Mary contemplating a termination because her pregnancy was unexpected.
   Let us hope and pray that wiser views prevail.
   

   Posted By: John Francis Collins

2. Please! No! No! No!
   Allow future Popes to resign.
   I can't see that Benedict's resignation has destabilised the church.
   It has destabilised the heirarchy perhaps, but not the Church.

   Posted By: Pauline Power

3. How wrong can you be, and how out of touch are the Cardinals who want the next Pope to stay until death.
   Pope Benedict went before he was merely a cypher in the hands of his advisers and while he still had his faculties.
   Are some of the Cardinals thinking only of their own power and influence?
   They now have a chance to set the Church off on a new, reinvigorated way just when we need a change and a shake-up.
   Come out of the shadows, leave the secrecy behind and try to make the Church relevant to the people in it not just an Old Boys' Club giving power to a lot of old men.

   Posted By: gloria healey

4. Assuming that the report in the Australian newspaper is correct, we regard the suggestion that the new pope serve unto death as contrary to common sense and an insult to Benedict xvi and his wise and responsible decision given his age and failing health.

   Posted By: Frederick and Marie Thompson

5. I certainly hope this is not true. How can anyone know, even a Pope, what he will be doing in the future?
   I accept that Pope Benedict listened to the Spirit and acted according to his conscience.
   A bit of a worry if this is the thought of the majority of the Cardinals voting on the future Pope.

   Posted By: Joan Smith

6. Having reached only my 62nd year, with a great many ailments, I applaud the Holy Father for his strength to retire.
   We share the mobility problems and memory problems. He is to be commended for his pastoral forethought.
   Holy Church will continue...

   Posted By: Father Joseph, OSB

7. At a time when the decision by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI to resign, for reasons he has fully explained, has been welcomed as a courageous, it is hard to fathom why certain cardinals are calling for the new pope to serve until death.
   "We need to safeguard the freedom of the church from external influences", says an unnamed cardinal.
   And worse from Polish Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, who said of the Pope’s resignation 'One doesn't step down from the Cross', is appallingly insensitive.
   At a time when the Church needs to be seen to be moving forward, such comments are not only unhelpful but also arrogant.
   A contrary view is that ‘external influence’ is what is missing [from the hierarchy].

   Posted By: Jeff Kevin

8. Assuming this is true, it would be foolhardy of any cardinal to try to second-guess the Holy Spirit.
   Mere man-made rules never do!

   Posted By: Tony

9. I agree with Pauline Power.
   Clearly the Cardinals have been a bit thrown by the Pope's resignation, as witnessed by their unusual willingness to criticize him in public.
   Certainly, they shouldn't be making serious changes to the Pope's 'terms of office' while they're all trembly. Once they settle down they'll think better of it, I'm sure.

   Posted By: Joan Seymour

10. Common sense prevails more by lay people and by priests as is evident in these comments then it seems to be by Cardinals.
    

    Posted By: anne

11. I totally disagree that the Pope should be asked to govern until death.
    I applaud Pope Benedict's decision to retire.
    As a member of the Church community, I do not want to see someone who is not well struggling to keep up with the commitments of the Office, which is what we have seen Benedict courageously doing.
    I believe he has given great hope to many catholics who have become numbers rather than statistics.
    Comments about having such an old and ailing man at the helm have often been voiced in conversations I have found myself in.
    I continue to be saddened when I see many aged priests struggling to continue with their ministry.
    Maybe the example from the head may encourage them to have the courage to retire and enjoy some peaceful and quiet years as their earthly journey comes to a close.
    Seriously who of us will continue in secular society to be in positions of authority and governing a whole 'empire' so to speak beyond even our 70's? All people , including the Pope, must have the freedom to act as they see fit for the good of the whole.
    I believe that the resignation of the Pope has/will in some way be a source of greater credibility for us as Catholics. Why can't we have a Pope for a time of office (say 6 years) and allow for renewal for a second term?

    Posted By: Helen DRUETT

12. If this report is correct, it is yet another example of the lack of understanding of good governance in the hierarchy of the Church.
    The consequences of serving until death include:
    1. voting bias to older candidates as a means of limiting the term in case the electee doesn't work out, and
    2. increasing influence of the unelected and unaccountable bureaucracy/Curia as the Pope becomes more frail of body and or mind.
    Contrary to this silly idea, the cardinals should introduce a limited set term of say 10 years to ensure proper consideration of younger candidates and to increase accountability due to awareness of the need to return to the ranks.
    They might also introduce courses in good governance for all the hierarchy.

    Posted By: Peter Johnstone

13. The general consenus appears to be in support of the Pope's resignation for reasons related to age and health.
    The opinion is that the Pope acted according to his will and was guided by the Holy Spirit in making his decision. That's fine.
    Now let us consider the opposite scenario.
    A Pope, although in failing health and suffering the mental consequences of old age, does not wish to resign.
    He believes in holding office until death.
    Would those praising Benedict for following his will now demand the resignation of the Pope against his will and presumably by analogy against the will of the Holy Spirit? That's called a double standard.
    I hope any Pope is free to choose how he exits this most sacred office (by resignation or by death) and that he wont be bullied into resigning against his will.
    Of course the question could be asked as to what to do in a situation where the Pope becomes disabled by severe dementia or severe brain damage due to accident?
    Presumably the College of Cardinals has an answer for that hopefully unlikely situation.

    Posted By: deric davidson

14. The destabilisation of the Church has not occurred because of Benedict's courageous decision to resign, but rather largly because of the hierarchy's mishandling of the sexual abuse crisis and growing disconnect that the faithful see between the message of the Gospel and lived reality of Church governance.

    Posted By: James

15. It looks like Benedict has stepped down from one cross only to be lumbered with another -- criticism.
    I find this whole thing a slur on his decision and very unfair considering the state of his health.
    Do they want Popes to be tottering around with Parkinsons disease or something just so the Cardinals can feel safe.
    Maybe the church needs a bit of destabilising.
    Might shake it up a bit and do some good.

    Posted By:  Bill Brady

16. I wish to commend Pope Benedict for the courage to retire from office.
    And to impose a condition on any new Pope, that they stay in control till death, is just a ridiculous requirement.
    Only the person in the position would know if they are capable of carrying out the job properly, and if they want to retire for the benefit of the church or themselves, so be it.

    Posted By: Barry Aulich

17. When anyone of any age, or in any position, prayerfully considers that he or she is unable to continue responsibly in a role, it would be expected that a resignation be submitted.
    How right it is for this to be the norm for the person in leadership of the Catholic Church.
    I really admire the action of the Pope and I am horrified at the suggestion that this would not be the case in the future.
    I would not appreciate it if the next Pope were to be forced to continue, regardless of his state of mind or body.

    Posted By: Claudette Cusack

18. I believe Pope Benedict Emeritus was so wise and humble in his decision to resign.
    Who is served by a Pope who is incompetant physically emotionally and cognitively ?
    I think the church could be severely compromised by corrupt officials /Cardinals and others who might have their own agenda rather than the good of the whole church at stake.
    Even now there is a severe problem in the vatican and its officers as demonstrated by Vatileaks and many comments made by Pope Benedict Emeritus.
    I long for the day when our church does not promote itself as a Monarchy but a group of Bishops and the Pope and some suitably faith-filled and well-qualified women all seeking truth and the way forward together, with the Pope still being first among equals. Yes both men and women can be cardinals.
    Come Holy Spirit and renew your church.
    Free us from a 15th Century Renaissance Court.

    Posted By: Margaret M. Coffey

19. When I was 19, I promised to 'love and honour you all the days of my life'.
    I had no idea of what that really meant! Forty three years, four children (alive) four children lost to still birth and six grandchildren later, I remain loving and honouring for the rest of my life.
    Jesus sent them out in twos - he knew what he was doing!
    If a man alone decides he cannot continue, having endured the constant tidal wave of responsibility surrounded by the imperfection of humanity (Curia) he can celebrate free will... Which even I have and for the sake of the common good, he should be allowed to walk on!
    In the story of the rich young man even the Son of God allowed him to walk away - with love!

    Posted By: Louise Roach

20. A few years back I was jumped on for having the temerity to remark (in suitably orthodox company) that poor old JP2 should have been given the option to either resign or hand over to a trusted deputy since he was so gravely physically and possibly somewhat mentally) incapacitated by his advanced Parkinson's disease.
    God's anointed is not exempt from the enfeeblement of age and/or illness.

    Posted By: JR,Sydney

21. The destabilisation of the Church has not occurred because of Benedict's courageous decision to resign, but rather largly because of the hierarchy's mishandling of the sexual abuse crisis and growing disconnect that the faithful see between the message of the Gospel and lived reality of Church governance.

    Posted By: James

22. CathNews sources only a single Polish cardinal for this supposed 'requirement'.
    I am with those who laud Benedict's act.
    It serves to de-mystify the Papacy, which can only be good. The objective should be total transparency in all Vatican doings.
    And much more collegiality in supervision of the bureaucracy, and in policy (or if you prefer in 'doctrinal') determination.
    I suggest we can say the Holy Spirit in the last two hundred years has been behind those who promoted secular democracy, human rights, the freedoms of speech, assembly, conscience, the press, and from fear, rather than those who tend to shelter behind mystification.
    I am not saying all hierarchs do this absolutely. But there is a tendency. Besides, even a Pope has a human right to a tranquil retirement and old age. Who are we to require anyone to climb up onto a cross? Some common sense at last!

    Posted By: Brian Dethridge

23. I feel it is totally unrealistic to expect anyone to guarantee they will lead until their death, I think it is very brave and sensible of Pope Benedict to make this decision, no one could possibly believe he would have resigned unless he really needed to. Full credit to him.

    Posted By: Rhonda Debono

24. None of this makes much sense.
    In the event that a Pope decides he should resign, he isn't bound by an assurance he gave years earlier.
    The Pope can do what he likes, and canon law makes it clear he can resign.
    How would the cardinals enforce this requirement?
    I suspect that this is just some rumour, blown out of proportion.

    Posted By: David Kennedy

25. It takes true humility to accept one's limitations, as Pope Benedict did.

    Posted By: Narelle Mullins

26. But for the comment of one named Cardinal, we could hope that this is juvenile journalism at its best.
    Just when Benedict has taken a brave and sensible step, those with their heads in the sand show their absolute lack of understanding of the serious decision that Benedict made - one which he made for the welfare of a Church which may hopefully have some futuristic outlooks. And that was his motive, knowing full well from experience that good governance can not come from an ailing old man who needs carrying around or propping up until he takes his last gasp.

    Posted By: Greg

27. I agree with all the posts so far. It was very painful to watch the late JP11 slowly fading away.
    The wife and I were in the Vatican in November 2012 and witnessed the weekly audience by Benedict in St Peter's Square. He looked so very tired and very frail. I think he was right to make his decision.
    Remember that Bishops and Priests are required to signify their intention to retire, why not the Pope as well?? He is after all human not super human!

    Posted By: Gavin

28. I applaud Benedect XVI's decision. He is in touch with reality.
    It is only in the past 150 years that we have been able to live until we're in our late seventies or eighties; healthy lifestyle and medication prolong physical health. To wear the triple tiara (a symbolic expression) until death is asking too much of a man these days. It was okay when life expectancy was nowhere near as long. Forget Benedict's term as pope and remember his lifetime of self-giving as priest and bishop. He reached an age where any human being deserved to retire.

    Posted By: Tony

29. Out of more than a billion Catholics on God's Green Earth, there must be at any particular time at least two or three who would make good Popes.
    To think that any Pope will necessarily be the best person to hold the office for the remainder of his natural days is simply absurd.
    Bishops resign all the time, so why not Popes?

    Posted By: Randy E Winn

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