POPE "EMERITUS"
 |
| VATICAN CITY (AP) |
Pope Benedict XVI has recalled
moments of "joy and light"
during his papacy but also times of great
difficulty in an emotional,
final general audience in St. Peter's Square before
retiring.
St. Peter's Square Wednesday
February 27th. Thousands gathering
to hear
Pope Benedict XVI's final address before his planned resignation.
Photo: AFP/Getty
* Special thanks to "ABC News", "the guardian.com", "Wikipedia" "USA Today"
and "Mad Magazine". Some photos and art courtesy of "Google Images".
and "Mad Magazine". Some photos and art courtesy of "Google Images".
by Felicity Blaze Noodleman
Last week here at the Noodleman group we explored the
resignation of Pope Benedict XVI.
We looked at some of the most relevant and reliable news sources trying
to learn and understand what is going on at the Vatican with the man formally known
as Cardinal Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger the former Archbishop of Munich and Freising. This week we
continue the story as there is more news on this unusual event. How could we do anything less? After all; the Pope is supposed to be
infallible and serve as the head of the Roman Catholic Church until his death isn’t he? Today
we’re posting
the latest articles on the story. We've included four news articles
from various news agencies and a short excerpt from "Wikipedia".
An
estimated 200,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City to see
and hear the Pope’s farewell address on Wednesday and speculate concerning the
selected of the next Pope. Roman Catholics from around the world demonstrated their faith and support for their Church and live with a vision of Christian living here on earth. ABC News covered the event and has filled the
following report:
Pope Benedict XVI Delivers Farewell Address
"ABC News"
By MATTHEW JAFFE (@matthewbjaffe) and DAVID
WRIGHT (@abcdavid)
VATICAN CITY, Feb. 27, 2013
 |
| Benedict XVI |
"The decision I have made, after much prayer, is the fruit of a serene trust in God's will and a deep love of Christ's Church," Benedict said to cheers in his last public words as pope.
Benedict, 85, is the first pope to resign in 600 years. He told the crowd today that he was "deeply grateful for the understanding, support and prayers of so many of you, not only here in Rome, but also throughout the world."
Pope Benedict's Last Sunday Prayer Service
Under sunny skies on this late February day, hundreds of thousands of people, some waving flags, some banners, flocked to Vatican City to see Benedict make a final lap around St. Peter's Square. Throughout his eight-year papacy, Benedict has conducted a weekly audience from St. Peter's. Before delivering his last papal address today, Benedict waved to the festive group of supporters as he toured the square in his glass-encased popemobile.
The city of Rome planned for more than 200,000 people to head to the Vatican for today's event. Streets around St. Peter's were blocked off to cars as pedestrians from around the world headed to the square.
9 Men Who Could Replace Pope Benedict XVI
Among them were Rachael Richter and some classmates from Pittsburgh's Duquesne University who are studying abroad.
"When I came here, I never expected that something like this would happen," she said. "It's the opportunity of a lifetime, so I'm just taking it all in and enjoying every minute of it."
But it was also bittersweet, judging by the reactions from observers like Christopher Kerzich, who hails from Chicago and is studying at the Pontifical North American College in Rome.
"It's definitely a historic moment," he said. "There's a sadness of Pope Benedict not being there to shepherd our church but a sense of excitement, too."
Kerzich added: " Looking around the crowd I saw people with faces of sadness. But then when the Holy Father came out, there was this great joy that came across the people. So I think it's mixed emotions.
"Many Catholics have come to love this pontiff, this very humble man. He is a man who's really fought this and prayed this through and has peace in his heart. I take comfort in that and I think a lot of Catholics should take comfort in that."
Either way, the conclave to elect Benedict's replacement will start next month at a date yet to be determined. Benedict issued a decree known as a "motu poprio" that will allow cardinals to convene the conclave sooner than the March 15 date that would have been mandated under the old rules.
Benedict today asked the faithful to pray for him and for the new pope.
"My heart is filled with thanksgiving to God who ever watches over his church," Benedict said.
The German-born Benedict, who had appeared frail at times in recent months, seemed more energized in his remarks today. He has said he will devote more time to prayer and meditation after he leaves the papacy.
Benedict will meet Thursday with his cardinals in the morning and then flies by helicopter at 5 p.m. to Castel Gandolfo, the papal residence south of Rome. Benedict will greet parishioners there from the palazzo's balcony, his final public act as pope.
Then, at 8 p.m., the exact time at which his retirement becomes official, the Swiss Guards standing outside the doors of the palazzo at Castel Gandolfo will go off duty, their service protecting the head of the Catholic Church finished.
In retirement, Benedict will continue to wear white and will be called "Pope Emeritus," or the "Supreme Roman Pontiff Emeritus" or "Your Holiness," the Vatican announced Tuesday. Benedict will ditch his trademark red shoes, opting for a pair of brown shoes given to him on a trip to Mexico. But he will still reside on Vatican grounds in a former nunnery.
Benedict's final days as pope have been marked by controversy. For nearly a week now Italian newspapers speculated that Benedict really resigned because of a dossier he was given detailing a sex and blackmail scandal in the Catholic Church. The Italian media news reports do not state any attribution.
It turns out a dossier does exist. The Vatican spokesman Monday underscored that the contents of the dossier are known only to the pope and his investigators, three elderly prelates whom the Italian papers have nicknamed "the 007 cardinals."
But the dossier itself will remain "For the Pope's Eyes Only."
Also Monday, Britain's top cardinal, Keith O'Brien, resigned and decided not to participate in the upcoming papal election following published reports in a British newspaper that he made unwanted sexual advances toward four priests in Scotland in the 1980s.
He has denied the allegations.
The Scottish cardinal, 74, is the latest voting member of the College of Cardinals to be tainted by scandal.
U.S. Cardinal Roger Mahony has also faced pressure to bow out of the conclave on the grounds that their moral authority has been compromised because of the church sex-abuse scandal. Church documents show that for more than a decade he enabled priests to keep molesting children rather than report them to law enforcement.
Documents from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles show that Mahoney covered up for pedophile priests.
Mahony is already in Rome and has been blogging about the upcoming conclave and lashing out at his critics for persecuting him.
Pope Benedict issued new rules about the timing and procedures of the vote to choose his successor.
Benedict has already given the College of Cardinals the go-ahead to move up the start date of the conclave, tossing out the traditional 15-day waiting period. But the cardinals won't be able to set a date until their official meetings begin Monday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
"ABC News"
An old point of view once stated that; “Our faith is
supposed to be in God and not the men who attempt to administrate God’s
affairs"! I feel it safe to say that most people are
over the initial shock and “blunt force trauma” of this event. We will be looking at the lighter side of this
historic event as posted in various locations placed near and far on the net. We
will also try to protect the names and identities of the innocent (AKA: most Catholics worldwide)! Humor is always a good balm to apply after a
injury as we try to regain our equilibrium and proceed forward. We will be placing these comic points of view
throughout this article. I also promise
to keep things on the side of good taste as we edit the cartoons to be
selected for this article (I’ve seen some
shocking art on the subject).
Meanwhile, back at the head offices . . .!
As
you might imagine, there is a lot being written on the subject of this
resignation. From a review of Popes who
served until their deaths and the physical infirmities they suffered while
doing so - to the speculation of who will be selected as the next Pope. We have also selected two news articles from
the English news site “theguardian”
. This is only fitting since the English broke with the Vatican sometime around the year
1533 during the reign of King Henry VIII and his marriage to Anne Boleyn. If you may remember, Henry’s marriage to Anne
was grounds for Excommunication from the Roman Catholic Church, which caused the King to break
with the Vatican and was the beginning for the Church of England.
Benedict to Become 'Pope Emeritus' After Resignation
“theguardian”
Associated Press Tuesday 26 February 2013 12:58 EST |
| Pope Benedict XVI |
Pope
Benedict XVI will be known as "emeritus pope" in his
retirement and will continue to wear a white cassock, the Vatican has
announced, again fuelling concerns about potential conflicts arising from
having both a reigning and a retired pope.
The pope's title and what he would wear have been a major source of speculation ever since Benedict stunned the world and announced he would resign, the first pontiff to do so in 600 years.
The Vatican spokesman, the Rev Federico Lombardi, said Benedict himself had made the decision in consultation with others, settling on "Your Holiness Benedict XVI" and either emeritus pope or emeritus Roman pontiff as his titles following his resignation this Thursday.
Lombardi said he did not know why Benedict had decided to drop his other main title: bishop of Rome.
In the two weeks since Benedict's resignation announcement, Vatican officials had suggested that Benedict would be likely to resume wearing the traditional black garb of a cleric and would use the title "emeritus bishop of Rome" so as to not create confusion with the future pope.
Benedict's decision to call himself emeritus pope and to keep wearing white is sure to fan concern voiced privately by some cardinals about the awkward reality of having two popes, both living within the Vatican walls.
Adding to the concern is that Benedict's trusted secretary Monsignor Georg Gaänswein will be serving both pontiffs – living with Benedict at the monastery inside the Vatican and keeping his day job as prefect of the new pope's household.
Asked about the potential conflicts, Lombardi was defensive, saying the decisions had been clearly reasoned and were likely to have been made for the sake of simplicity. "I believe it was well thought out," he said.
Benedict himself has made clear he is retiring to a lifetime of prayer and meditation "hidden from the world". However, he will still be very present in the tiny Vatican city state, where his new home is right next door to the Vatican Radio and looks out over the dome of St Peter's Basilica.
While he will no longer wear his trademark red shoes, Benedict has taken a liking to a pair of hand-crafted brown loafers made for him by artisans in León, Mexico, and given to him during his 2012 visit. He will wear those in retirement, according to Lombardi.
Lombardi also spoke about the College of Cardinals meetings that will take place after the papacy becomes vacant – crucial gatherings in which cardinals will discuss the problems facing the church and set a date for the start of the conclave to elect Benedict's successor.
The first meeting was not now expected until Monday, Lombardi said, since the official convocation to cardinals to come to Rome will only go out on Friday – the first day of what is known as the sede vacante or the vacancy between papacies.
Benedict gave the cardinals the go-ahead on Monday to bring forward the start date of the conclave – tossing out the traditional 15-day waiting period. But the cardinals will not actually set a date for the conclave until they begin meeting officially on Monday.
Lombardi also further described Benedict's final 48 hours as pope. On Tuesday, he was said to be packing, arranging for documents to be sent to the various archives at the Vatican and separating out the personal papers he will take with him into retirement.
On Wednesday, Benedict will hold his final public general audience in St Peter's Square – an event that has already drawn 50,000 ticket requests. He will not greet visiting prelates or VIPs as he normally does at the end but will greet some visiting leaders – from Slovakia, San Marino, Andorra and his native Bavaria – privately afterwards.
On Thursday, the pope meets with his cardinals in the morning and then flies by helicopter at 5pm to Castel Gandolfo, the papal residence south of Rome. He will greet parishioners there from the balcony of the palace – his final public act as pope.
And at 8pm, the exact time at which his retirement becomes official, the Swiss Guards standing outside the doors of the palace will go off duty, their service protecting the head of the Catholic church then finished.
Benedict's personal security would be assured by Vatican police, Lombardi said.
"theguardian.com"
Pope Forces Out Cardinal Keith O'Brien
By Severin
Carrell and Sam Jones
"The Guardian",
Monday 25 February 2013 16.28 EST
 |
| Cardinal Keith O'Brien |
Senior Catholics said Cardinal Keith O’Brien's resignation was intended to stop the allegations turning into a crisis. Photograph: Angus Blackburn/Rex Features
O'Brien stood down as archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh the day after the Observer published accusations by three serving priests and a former priest about his conduct towards them during the 1980s.
He issued a statement in which he ambiguously apologised for "any failures" and to those he had "offended", and announced that he would no longer travel to the Vatican to help select a successor to Pope Benedict XVI, who retires at 8pm on Thursday. O'Brien had been due to be the only British cardinal with a vote.
The cardinal revealed in his statement that he had been asked by the outgoing pope to stand down immediately. Already due to retire next month, the cardinal stated: "The Holy Father has now decided that my resignation will take effect today."
Senior Catholics said his resignation was intended to stop the allegations turning into a crisis. The church is already under pressure over unrelated abuse and corruption scandals in other dioceses.
Professor John Haldane, one of Scotland's senior Catholic theologians and an adviser to the Vatican, said O'Brien's decision was "shocking and sad" but, given the timing of the allegations and the "inevitable" media interest, it was not a surprise. "He would not want that burden to fall upon the church and the pope at what is obviously a critical moment in the life of the Roman Catholic community," Haldane said.
But the move led critics to demand that other cardinals at the centre of scandals over failures to report sex abuse by priests – including Roger Mahony, emeritus archbishop of Los Angeles, and Seán Brady, the primate of all Ireland – "recuse" themselves from the papal conclave, citing O'Brien's decision as a precedent.
Insiders said O'Brien's abrupt departure had left the Scottish Catholic church, which he had led for 10 years, disoriented and shocked. One source said it meant that only three out of eight Scottish dioceses now have full-time, permanent bishops in charge.
In a detailed statement, O'Brien said: "I have valued the opportunity of serving the people of Scotland and overseas in various ways since becoming a priest. Looking back over my years of ministry: For any good I have been able to do, I thank God. For any failures, I apologise to all whom I have offended.
"I also ask God's blessing on my brother cardinals who will soon gather in Rome to elect his successor. I will not join them for this conclave in person. I do not wish media attention in Rome to be focused on me – but rather on Pope Benedict XVI and on his successor."
That statement did not repeat his earlier denials at the weekend rebutting the allegations. After he failed to appear on Sunday to take a mass at St Mary's cathedral celebrating Pope Benedict's eight years as pontiff, his deputy hinted that O'Brien was considering his future.
In another sign the Vatican is anxious to appoint Benedict's successor quickly and smoothly, the Vatican announced on Monday that the pope had changed the rules governing the conclave so that it could begin its deliberations immediately after he formally stands down on Thursday.
The move means cardinals no longer have to wait 15 days before beginning the conclave after the papacy becomes vacant on Thursday. That means a new pope could be elected before the end of Lent.
The four complainants went public with their allegations against O'Brien at the weekend in protest at his involvement in selecting the next pope. The four men had urged him to resign immediately, arguing that they wanted the conclave electing the new pope to be "clean".
In early February, the four submitted their detailed allegations against the cardinal, which date back to the 1980s, in a letter given by an intermediary to the pope's ambassador to the UK, Antonio Mennini.
On 11 February, Pope Benedict surprised the world by announcing he was stepping down, citing his own ailing health. On 18 February, O'Brien disclosed in his resignation statement, the pope accepted his retirement request but said it was "nunc pro tunc", in order words, "now, but to take effect later".
In a pre-recorded interview broadcast by BBC Scotland last Friday, in which he also surprised many in his church and outside by calling for priests to be allowed to marry, O'Brien confirmed that he expected to retire on St Patrick's day, his birthday.
The following evening, the Observer published the allegations against him. Those included claims by one man, then an 18-year-old seminarian, that O'Brien had made an inappropriate approach one night; allegations of "inappropriate contact" with a second man, a priest; and of "unwanted behaviour" after a late night drinks session by another priest. The third priest also alleged "inappropriate contact" after night prayers.
In his statement on Monday, O'Brien implied he had been told to resign immediately, stating: "The Holy Father has now decided that my resignation will take effect today, 25 February 2013, and that he will appoint an apostolic administrator to govern the archdiocese in my place until my successor as archbishop is appointed."
Many observers assumed O'Brien would press ahead with his plans to attend the conclave: the allegations were about 30 years old, unproven and he had denied them. Experts said he was obliged, as one of only 117 cardinals eligible to vote, to take part.
Professor Tom Devine, a prominent Catholic, said O'Brien's resignation was "the gravest single public crisis to hit the Catholic church in Scotland since the Reformation and its effects in the short term are incalculable".
O'Brien had been "a courageous leader of his flock, well liked and respected," he said. Devine added, however, that some perspective was needed: the church had survived crises for centuries and was larger than a single man.
He said O'Brien's accusers should make themselves known "in the cause of transparency and indeed fairness to all. [If] Catholicism in Scotland is to move on from this tragic affair, a number of serious questions urgently require frank and honest answers from all concerned".
"theguardian.com"
Pope "Emeritus" Benedict XVI
AKA Joseph Alois Ratzinger
Born: 16-Apr-1927
Birthplace: Marktl am Inn, Bavaria, Germany
Gender: Male
Religion: Roman Catholic
Race or Ethnicity: White
Occupation: Religion
Nationality: Germany
Executive summary: Pope Emeritus
VATICAN CITY — The Vatican settled the question of what you call a retired pontiff by announcing Tuesday that after he steps down from office later this week, Pope Benedict XVI will bear the title "pope emeritus" or "Roman pontiff emeritus."The outgoing pope will also continue to be addressed as "His Holiness" and will keep the name Benedict XVI rather than return to being called Joseph Ratzinger.
He will still be robed in white, a simple cassock with no adornments. But Benedict, an inveterate shoe lover, will swap his red shoes for brown ones that he spotted and liked in Mexico.
The free on line encyclopedia "Wikipedia" records many articles regarding the history of the Roman Catholic Church and it's leaders throughout the Churches history. We will be recalling some of these events later in this article along with a summarization of Benedict XVI's eight years as Pope along with his previous position, "Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith" at the Vatican which earned his the title of "Rome's Rottweiler". We begin with Benedict's accomplishments in the Papacy:
Pope Benedict has also revived a number of traditions including elevating the Tridentine Mass to a more prominent position. He has renewed the relationship between the Catholic Church and art, viewing the use of beauty as a path to the sacred, promoted the use of Latin, and reintroduced traditional papal garments, for which reason he has been called "the pope of aesthetics". Several of Pope Benedict's students from his academic career are also prominent churchmen today and confidantes of him, notably Christoph Schönborn.
On 25 November 1981, Pope John Paul II named Ratzinger as the Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, formerly known as the "Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office", the historical Roman Inquisition. Consequently, he resigned his post at Munich in early 1982. He was promoted within the College of Cardinals to become Cardinal Bishop of Velletri-Segni in 1993 and was made the college's vice-dean in 1998 and dean in 2002. Just a year after its foundation in 1990 Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger joined the European Academy of Sciences and Arts in Salzburg/Austria in 1991.
Ratzinger defended and reaffirmed Catholic doctrine, including teaching on topics such as birth control, homosexuality, and inter-religious dialogue. The theologian Leonardo Boff, for example, was suspended, while others were censured. Other issues also prompted condemnations or revocations of rights to teach: for instance, some posthumous writings of Jesuit priest Anthony de Mello were the subject of a notification.
Ratzinger and the congregation viewed many of them, particularly the later works, as having an element of religious indifferentism (i.e., Christ was "one master alongside others"). In particular, Dominus Iesus, published by the congregation in the jubilee year 2000, reaffirmed many recently "unpopular" ideas, including the Catholic Church's position that "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." The document angered many Protestant churches by claiming that they are not actually churches, but "ecclesial communities".
"wikipedia.com"
I wonder what this could be illustrating?
"USA Today" summarized Pope Benedict's career in this article published Tuesday February 26, 2013:
Pope Benedict Leaves Amid a Holy Mess At The Vatican
 |
| AP Photo |
VATICAN CITY — When Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger took the name Benedict XVI upon becoming pope, it was a nod to sixth-century St. Benedict of Nursia, who had lived for several years in a cave in Italy.
As Pope Benedict prepares to end his papacy this week, his critics say the challenges he'll leave to his successor are the result of him living in a cave of his own.
Benedict's intellect and successful role as a spiritual leader for the world's 1.1 billion Catholics is not in doubt, say Vatican experts and observers. But recent blunders and the poor handling of festering scandals indicate Benedict may have been far too immersed in scholarship and theology over his nearly eight-year tenure when what the church needed was a CEO.
"There was a time when the pope was a kind of king, and then, more recently, a spiritual leader," said Alistair Sear, a church historian in Rome. "Perhaps now we will see an age of the pope first and foremost as an administrator."
Just two weeks ago, Benedict, soon to turn 86, announced that he would be the first pope in 600 years to resign. In doing so, he departs a multibillion-dollar institution with hundreds of thousands of employees and a vast global network. Yet the Vatican has struggled through public relations crises over financial ineptitude, criminal allegations, bureaucratic fumbling and age-old interdepartmental conflicts.
Benedict's intellect and successful role as a spiritual leader for the world's 1.1 billion Catholics is not in doubt, say Vatican experts and observers. But recent blunders and the poor handling of festering scandals indicate Benedict may have been far too immersed in scholarship and theology over his nearly eight-year tenure when what the church needed was a CEO.
"There was a time when the pope was a kind of king, and then, more recently, a spiritual leader," said Alistair Sear, a church historian in Rome. "Perhaps now we will see an age of the pope first and foremost as an administrator."
Just two weeks ago, Benedict, soon to turn 86, announced that he would be the first pope in 600 years to resign. In doing so, he departs a multibillion-dollar institution with hundreds of thousands of employees and a vast global network. Yet the Vatican has struggled through public relations crises over financial ineptitude, criminal allegations, bureaucratic fumbling and age-old interdepartmental conflicts.
"USA Today"
Now on to other pressing questions for those of us who are Christians and trace our religious faith back to the first century Church. Is Pope Benedict creating another office in the Church which has no scriptural authorization? As I mentioned earlier in this article, The Roman Catholic Church is rife with controversial issues which are documented on "Wikipedia" have spawned "Reform Movements" throughout history beginning with Martin Luther in the year 1517. Since that time many other Christian believers have too broken with the teachings and traditions of the Roman Catholic Church concerning other issues as the reformation movement spread across Europe, America and the world.
Many of these "hot button issues" have centered around the Vatican's activities in so many areas such as Church leadership, the Inquisition, the Crusades, ethical questions concerning Church revenues and income. Even the authors of the US Constitution wanted to make a clear distinction between the role of Church and State based on the powerful domination which the Roman Catholic Church exercised over European countries and their Royal Monarchies.
There is also one other example of a plurality or division in the Papacy which is recorded in history between the years of 1378 - 1417 which historians refer to as the "Western Schism". During this time there was a Pope elected in Rome and also a Pope elected in France. The newly installed title of "Pope Emeritus" is some how reminiscent of the "Schism".
Alright; I confess - this one is my creation! I call it
"Poope Alfred E. Benedictous XV 3/4". F.B. Noodleman
I always enjoy seeing "Mad Magazine's" commentary!
"Poope Alfred E. Benedictous XV 3/4". F.B. Noodleman
I always enjoy seeing "Mad Magazine's" commentary!
Tonight in Vatican City the Popes apartment will
be vacant as it is being prepared for the 266th. Pope. It is our hope these events in the Vatican
will be the conclusion for what has been a very dark chapter in the Roman
Catholic Church. Catholics have embraced
their Church as they are reminded of what the scripture has taught us: “All have sinned and fallen shout of the glory
of God”. These Roman Catholic parishioners
work to bring their lives and Church closer to God. I’m Felicity for the Noodleman Group with a
keener insight on Christian living! Next week we will be examining the "Sequester"!
Breath-taking view of Vatican City at Dusk. Seen
here is an aerial view of
St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican during in
2011. (AFP/Getty Images)
* “The
Noodleman Group” is pleased to announce that we are now carrying a link
to the “USA Today” news site.We installed the “widget/gadget” August
20, and it will be carried as a regular feature on our site.Now you can
read“Noodleman” and then check in to “USA Today” for all the up to date
News, Weather, Sports and more!Just scroll all the way down to the
bottom of our site and hit the “USA Today” hyperlinks.Enjoy!
The Noodleman Group is on Google "Blogger"!
No comments:
Post a Comment