Pope Benedict Resigns 2

In an historic move, Pope Benedict XVI plans on resigning effective February 28th, 2013.

The reasons being given for the resignation are health related, as Pope Benedict does not believe he is physically capable of carrying out his duties.

There is also speculation that the rumors of banking scandals and conspiracies involved with covering up child molestation cases may be inching towards the papal office.

It is the rareness of the resignation that is leading to speculation that Pope Benedict might be hopping out of the frying pan before the fire gets too hot. The last pope to resign was Gregory XII in 1415, and this was dues to a schism in the Church when there existed more than one pope.

But the last pope to resign was not the first, and the most interesting of these handful of men throughout the millemiums is undoubtedly Pope Celestine V who formalized the authority of a pope to resign during his brief reign..

In resigning from the papacy in 1294, Celestine sited, “the desire for humility, for a purer life, for a stainless conscience, the deficiencies of his own physical strength, his ignorance, the perverseness of the people, his longing for the tranquility of his former life”.

Celestine never wanted to be pope, and was literally “escorted” into the position. The church had been without a pope for over two years, and the lack of an ability to elect a new one resulted in Celestine being chosen for his reputation as a very holy man.

One of the perks of being pope is that you answer only to God — so before Celestine it was always a mystery as to whom would the pope tender a resignation. It was Celestine who formalized the authority of the pope to resign himself from office

In 2009, Pope Benedict visited the remains of Pope Celestine, and left as a gift the woolen pallium worn during the papal inauguration in April 2005. Pope Benedict has also indicated in interviews that he would be willing to resign his position should he no longer be able to fulfill his duties.

The demands on the office of the pope have changed over time. While Pope Benedict recently created his own Twitter account – that is not a physically demanding activity – and the over 1 billion people claiming Catholicism as their religion have come to expect a more visible pope in the 21st Century.

On thing is for certain, the historic nature of Pope Benedict’s resignation does offer a reminder that the pope is only human.

LINKS

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Celestine_V

http://www.saint-mike.org/library/papal_library/celestinev/biography.html

http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1201-1500/resignation-of-pope-celestine-v-11629849.html

http://www.cleveland.com/world/index.ssf/2010/07/benedict_xvi_praises_13th-cent.html

http://carlosechevarria.blogspot.com/2009/08/bxvi-honors-pope-celestine-v.html