I had not intended to make this a current events or "issues of the day" blog, but I do feel compelled to comment on yesterday's stunning news that BXVI is resigning as of the end of February. Most news outlets are reporting that his is the first Papal resignation since 1415, but that is a bit misleading. In 1415, there was in effect a civil war on, with competing claimants to the Papacy. That Pope's resignation was not exactly voluntary, as he was on the losing side. One must go back several more centuries to Celestine V for the last truly voluntary resignation. Celestine V was essentially a hermit who had been (to his surprise) elected to be Pope. He lasted only five months. During that time, he was responsible for only a few acts, one being the issuance of a decree that establishes the Pope's right to resign from office, a right he then exercised so that he could return to a life of solitude and prayer.
What to make of yesterday's news? Too soon to tell, I guess. I believe that the Holy Spirit works always through the Church, and so I trust and hope that God is working through these events for the betterment of the faith and of all of us. The Vatican assured us that the Pope's decision came after much prayer and examination of conscience. I do hope so. Interesting that our time without a Pope will coincide with Lent, a time of doing without and journeying toward the Resurrection. Let us see what the journey brings us.
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