Pope Benedict XVI hours from His Holiness Benedict, Pope Emeritus

POPE TO COLLEGE OF CARDINALS: “I WILL BE NEAR TO YOU”

Vatican City, 28 February 2013 (VIS) – At 11:00am in the Clementine Hall, Benedict XVI greeted the College of Cardinals, whose dean, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, addressed a short farewell to the Pope on behalf of all those present.

“It is with great emotion,” he said, “that the Cardinal Fathers present in Rome gather around you today, to once again express to you their deep affection and heartfelt gratitude for your selfless witness of apostolic service, for the good of Christ's Church and of all humanity.”

The cardinal recalled the words that, last Saturday at the end of the Lenten Retreat, the Pope addressed to his collaborators in the Roman Curia: “I would like to thank all of you and not only for this week, but for these past eight years that you have borne with me—with great skill, affection, love, and faith—the weight of the Petrine ministry.”

“Beloved and revered Successor of Peter,” the cardinal exclaimed, “we are the ones who must thank you for the example you have given us in these eight years of your Pontificate. On 19 April, 2005, you joined the long line of successors of the Apostle Peter and today, 28 February, 2013, you are about to leave us, awaiting that the helm of Peter's Barque be transferred to other hands. Thus the apostolic succession, which the Lord promised to His Holy Church, will continue until the voice of the Angel of the Apocalypse is heard on earth, proclaiming 'Tempus non erit amplius ... consummabitur mysterium Dei' 'There shall be no more delay. ... The mysterious plan of God shall be fulfilled!' Thus will end the history of the Church, together with the history of the world, with the coming of a new heaven and a new earth.”

Full story here

Pope Benedict XVI: The Boat Belongs to Jesus

I slept for a couple of hours last night, waking at 12:40 a.m. and was unable to return to sleep. I had peeked at Facebook using my mobile phone and began to read a long and bitter comment thread involving some "Christians" who made it clear that they hate the Roman Catholic Church, and that Catholics will suffer hell for eternity. In the past, I may have joined the conversation to try to persuade them to see that the things that they thought they hated about the Church were simply not true, but the vileness of the comments was such that I just stayed out of it.

By then I noticed it was nearly 3:00 a.m., and Pope Benedict XVI would soon be greeting his final public audience as the pontiff. I had to stay up to watch, and I was surely not disappointed.

Pope Benedict, as always, spoke warmly and sincerely. Those who have criticized him, like the aforementioned group, do so for what they think he says, not what he really says. I hope that you will take the time to read the full text found here, and check out a few of my favorites (below) from the address (emphasis mine):

Nevertheless, I always knew that the Lord is in the barque (boat), that the barque of the Church is not mine, not ours, but His - and He shall not let her sink. It is He, who steers her: to be sure, he does so also through men of His choosing, for He desired that it be so.

and 

Here, one can touch what the Church is – not an organization, not an association for religious or humanitarian purposes, but a living body, a community of brothers and sisters in the Body of Jesus Christ, who unites us all. To experience the Church in this way and almost be able to touch with one’s hands the power of His truth and His love, is a source of joy, in a time in which many speak of its decline.

and 

I said before that many people who love the Lord also love the Successor of Saint Peter and are fond of him, that the Pope has truly brothers and sisters, sons and daughters all over the world, and that he feels safe in the embrace of their communion, because he no longer belongs to himself, but he belongs to all and all are truly his own. The “always” is also a “forever” - there is no returning to private life. My decision to forgo the exercise of active ministry, does not revoke this. I do not return to private life, to a life of travel, meetings, receptions, conferences and so on. I do not abandon the cross, but remain in a new way near to the Crucified Lord.

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Papacy: Renunciation, Abdication, Papabile, and More

This morning on Women of Grace (Yeah, yeah, yeah) Johnnette Benkovic interviewed James Noonan. Mr. Noonan is the author of The Church Visible: The Ceremonial Life and Protocol of the Roman Catholic Church; first published in 1996, but revised this past August.

This was a fascinating and educational interview that I am excited to share with you. Mr. Noonan explains why we are wrong to think or say that Pope Benedict is simply resigning or retiring, discusses the magnitude of this historic moment in Church history, and discusses renunciation, abdication, papabile, and more.

A few possible names are even suggested. Johnnette introduces Mr. Noonan just after the ten minute mark. Well, here's the link to the audio:


Johnnette Benkovic; Women of Grace: February 13, 2013 with James Noonan

Thank you to Johnnette for making the audio available.

You Can Participate in the Conclave

Unless you live under a rock, you know that Pope Benedict XVI has announced that he is resigning the papacy on February 28, 2013. Yep, as in at the end of this month.

I watched and listened to the whirlwind of comments yesterday. Most of those in the secular media were of course dead wrong, over-speculative, and in some cases just disgusting.

But there were many Catholics over-reacting as well. At least that's my opinion.

In short, I believe that Pope Benedict is doing what he has always done; following what he has discerned to be the Will of God in what is best for the Church.

With that said, let us trust that the Holy Spirit will provide the Church with the right man to be the Vicar of Christ on earth at this time.

But don't sit on the sideline. Participate in the conclave! How? Pray. Start praying now. And don't pray for an African pope or an Italian pope or an American pope. Pray for the right pope; not through the lenses of your own experiences and not one that meets your expectations  but one who will be most open to the Will of God by the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

Carry on.