Like everyone else, I was caught completely by surprise this morning when my pager went off and it announced the Pope’s resignation. I have been told that in the room where the Pope announced it to a number of Cardinals, that you could have heard a pin drop. While this was kept very secret, there were some events and happenings that gave one the impression that something very serious was up at the Vatican.
I was in the Holy Father’s presence, just a month and a day ago, on Jan. 9. At the audience, he didn’t look well at all, but seemed to be struggling to keep going. Also they had changed the format for the audiences. Usually, the groups were called out after the Pope had arrived, which took a considerable amount of time. However, in January, the groups were called out before he arrived. When he came in, he simply gave his talk in several languages, gave the Apostolic Blessing, and basically left after a few handshakes. It has also been greatly noticed that the Pope was on a moving platform any time he entered St. Peter’s in processsion.
Additionally, in the last few months the Pope has made some appointments regarding those who have been serving him over the past few years, making them bishops, archbishops, and in one well-deserved case, a Cardinal. These were all seen as “Thank You” appointments. So, the quiet speculation was that His Holiness was sick, and he was rewarding everyone who had closely collaborated with him. The idea of a Papal Resignation was far from most of our thoughts, even though at one time earlier in his papacy, he had said that a Pope should resign if he could not carry out the office.
Benedict XVI obviously spent a lot of time in prayer about this choice. His love of Christ is without question. His love of the Church is without question. His decision took a great amount of courage. His decision took a great amount of honesty. His decision took a great amount of humility.
Let us pray for our Holy Father as he approaches the end of his pontificate. Let us pray that the Holy Spirit will guide the Church in the days ahead as we pray for the arrival of a new Pontiff.
That’s is for now, but I am sure there will be lots more to come as I get a chance to continue in the blogosphere.
The Concho Padre
THE CONCHO PADRE POST 