I was surprised to learn that Pope Benedict XVI had resigned the Papacy. While I have been aware of the possibilities in Church law that the Holy Father had the option to do so, I never really considered it would happen. However, in his announcement on Monday, Pope Benedict said, “In today’s world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the barque of St. Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me.”
The barque of St. Peter refers to the boat/ship as seen in the passage of Luke’s Gospel, “Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.’” (Lk 5:3-4) The Holy Father’s mention of the barque of St. Peter is in reference to the Church, which, like a ship, must be governed or navigated as it is hit by waves from all sides, and it is also from this vessel that Jesus taught the crowds, and it is precisely the role of the Pope, the successor of St. Peter, to continue to teach the Gospel as Christ did.
As I have had a chance to reflect on the Holy Father’s humble and courageous decision to lay down the burden of his office, this seems to me to be the wise and prudent decision of a good and holy pastor. In his final act, Pope Benedict is determined, as throughout the eight years of his papacy, to wholeheartedly serve Christ and his Church.
Many secular commentators on this week’s events speak of the Pope as the head of the Catholic Church, but this is not an accurate understanding of his person and office. Pope Benedict in his statements this week has been very careful to stress that it is always Christ who is the head of the Church and that the Petrine office, of which Pope Benedict is the present occupant, is always and in everything, at the service of Christ. This servant–leadership is at the heart of the most ancient papal title: ‘servant of the servants of God.”
In the gospel of St. Matthew Jesus said to Peter and to his successors as the Bishops of Rome:
And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. (Matt.16:18)
Peter, the head and leader of the apostles, was the chief witness to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. His witness to Christ, up to and including the shedding of his blood, is the rock upon which Jesus built his Church. And as the successor of Peter, public witness to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and calling all men and women into relationship with him has been the heart of his ministry to the Church and to the world.
As I reflect too on this resignation, I am touched by the great humility and faith of the Holy Father. It seems to me that his actions are an acknowledgement that no single person is indispensible for the Church’s mission to move forward, even her chief pastor. His actions express confidence that God will provide a successor who will be well equipped to lead and guide the Church in the coming years. This decision of his is an opportunity to “put out into the deep” and trust the Lord.
The central concern of his papacy has been the New Evangelization, the effort to re-propose the Gospel and the Catholic faith in the western world, which in a few short decades has been rapidly secularized. Building on the teaching and initiatives of his predecessor, he has sought to make the New Evangelization the center and focus of Catholic pastoral teaching and life.
A prolific writer, Pope Benedict wrote three encyclical letters as well as an extended personal essay on Jesus of Nazareth in three volumes. These works reflect his many years of engagement with sacred scripture and theology.
He has advanced, not without controversy, the Church’s ongoing dialogue with other Christians, with the Jewish people, with Muslims and other faiths and with agnostics and non-believers.
He has also guided and shaped the continuing renewal of the Church, and her liturgy, which was the core of the Second Vatican Council.
As we prepare for the upcoming conclave to elect a new Pope, I trust that the Holy Spirit will guide the selection of Pope Benedict’s successor. In communion with him, I am confident that as the Body of Christ, the Church will continue to grow in faith, in our love of God and in the service of our neighbor.
• Burns is the Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Juneau and Southeast Alaska.
Comments (5)
Add commentMy theory...
He's been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and has chosen to resign rather than lead in a diminishing mental state. If true, that is indeed a courageous decision.
Ducks and Cardinals flock together
Every nominal Catholic should be expressing outrage that this lame-duck pope is allowing a rebuked Cardinal (Roger Mahony) to have a chance at the top job in The Firm. This is the Cardinal who was recently relieved of all public duties as a result of his immoral behavior, namely protecting pedophiles.
A child's point of view: My bottom is sore, my innocence has been stolen, and the person who essentially protected my rapist is now being rewarded with a chance at a promotion to the top job in his industry.
I don't understand why nominal Catholics continue to support this religio-Industrial-complex. They need to be part of the solution and simply walk away. I ask, if you are a Catholic and think your god will punish you for walking away on account of all the child rape that was covered up, is that god really worth your worship? Or think of it this way, what would the Vatican have to protect in order for you to leave? Boiling and eating babies? Would that do it? I appeal to you, nominal Catholics, because the devout will never leave. It wouldn't surprise me if the devout would try justify baby eating by saying, "well tribes in New Guinea have been known to do that to."
On a good note, at least Benedict will now be able to have legal indictments filed against him (and recorded for history) since he will no longer be a head of state (as if). Of course, he would never leave Vatican property unless he wanted to be arrested.
So, nominal Catholics, please search your conscience and consider why you implicitly support the following rationale by your continued membership:
1. Celebrate Mass with a woman: instant excommunication
2. Cardinals who speak to reporters while in Conclave: instant excommunication
_______________
∴ Protect pedophile priests: receive asylum in the Vatican and be open for promotion
Pure evil. Please, walk away. And by the way, if you are a member of the clergy who wants to escape but don't know how to, The Clergy Project can help you transition to a different job and provide grants to help your loss of income in the interim.
Mike
The big picture
The Catholic Church has over a billion members, around the world, with various cultural traditions, and conditions. It is a huge organization, under a leadership centered in Rome, in the small enclave of the Vatican.
It should not be surprising that with such a large organization there are problems, disputes, politics, and other matters that any large organization has.
What most Catholics encounter in their lives are their local priests, nuns, bishops and social agencies. But the Vatican is somewhat like Wall Street, Washington, D.C, or the national governments around the world staffed by life time bureaucrats. It is a very complex organization in a world that is changing dramatically.
Fifty years ago, a new pope, Angelo Guiseppi Roncalli became Pope John XXIII. He was not only a great scholar, a student of Church history, had been the representative to Germany in WWII and had helped many Jews escape persecution in that nation under Hitler, he was a very humble, down to earth person. He understood the real modern world as well as the teachings of Jesus.
There are many stories about Pope John XXIII. For example, his middle name in Italian, can be translated to "Joseph". When a Jewish delegation came to thank him for all that he had done for Jews in Germany, he supposedly said simply "Don't you recognize me? I am your brother Joseph" He was nicknamed "Johnny Walker" because at times he would quietly leave the Vatican and walk down the streets of Rome, stopping to visit everyday families in their homes. He reportedly called the Vatican Council saying it was time to "Throw open the windows of the Church, and let a new breeze blow through." He died before the Council was finished.
I lived through the time he was Pope, as a Catholic, with great hopes that indeed the windows of the Church would be open and a new breeze would blow through in a time there were major changes around the world. Many of us had this great dream that it would be a time when the basic message of Jesus would transform the Church apart from cultural traditions that had evolved over centuries.
Soon after John XXIII died, those "windows" were quickly shuttered, and his successors have all been generally much more conservative.
I personally don't know whom the cardinals or the Holy Spirit may decide to elect as their leader, what will happen within the Vatican bureaucracy. What I do know is that many Catholics would again like to see someone as leader who is willing to "open the windows and let a new breeze blow through", a new Johnny Walker and "Your brother Joseph."
Wally Olson, Auke Bay
God
is Holy one, not the Pope. He is just a man, Mr. Burns.
A question for bishop Burns
Can you briefly explain exactly what is the "Gospel" the "Good News" that Jesus taught?
I have searched a life time for that, and found that many times, perhaps most of the time, his teachings have been confused with traditional cultures and traditions. What he supposedly taught and encouraged people to follow him must have been some simple, basic teachings.
I can't find anywhere in the records we have that he ever said anything about family planning, birth control or contraception. Nor can I find him saying that men are superior to women and must be in charge. It appears that a woman, Mary of Magdela was one of his great followers and confidants. Some scholars today say that she should be considered an "Apostle."
Nor can I find that Jesus ever said anything about this is how one should dress, what foods you should eat, that the world is going to end soon, that those who were to be his spokesman were to be married or not, or many other things that "Christian leaders" claim to be his teachings. What I find is that these are particular cultural traditions that have nothing to do with his message.
Taking things that were recorded some time after the death of Jesus, as literal, text messages, like an e-mail from God, is a distortion of those records. They are metaphors written by his followers. Jesus was not a "vine" with branches, a "good shepherd," his follower Peter was not a "rock" he was a fisherman. These are reflections people made on his teachings.
There are recorded "Sacred texts" from around the world, like the Baghavad Gita, the Kojiki, the Qur'an, and others that all claim to be messages from the creator of the universe, if there is one.
So what is it? What are the key, basic, simple teachings of Jesus that made his message so attractive to so many for so many centuries? If someone could explain clearly, simply and directly what his message was, I might some day again be a follower.
great wisdom
is being shown by the pope as he abdicates his position.