KING JESUS IS COMING FOR US ANY TIME NOW. THE RAPTURE. BE PREPARED TO GO.
Agence France-Presse
VATICAN CITY – Cardinals electing the new pope will be looking
for a charismatic but tenacious man capable of re-uniting a fractious
Church, stamping down on scandals and re-igniting faith among the young.
“First of all, we need a pope who knows how to speak to the world — beyond the Catholic world,” said Andrea Tornielli, Vatican expert for La Stampa daily’s Vatican Insider insert.
“He needs to be open and understanding, not too inward-looking,” he said.
Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation on Thursday throws open a race for the Vatican’s top job which will see as many as 115 elector cardinals from around the world meet in a secret conclave to pick his successor.
It will not be an easy decision, said John Allen from the National Catholic Reporter in Rome.
“There are conservatives versus moderates, there is third world versus first world… and insiders versus outsiders,” he said.
Good communication skills are a key requisite for many Vatican watchers: favourites are Timothy Dolan, the 63-year old Archbishop of New York who is renowned for his humour and dynamism, and Brazil’s Odilo Scherer, 63, who is praised for his open mind and is a keen Tweeter.
After the academic language of Benedict’s sermons, many are also looking for a warmer pope — which could be Vienna’s Christoph Schoenborn, 68, admired for his pastoral touch and compared by some to the much-loved John Paul II.
The next pope “has to be able to speak the language of God in the language of men,” said French cardinal Paul Poupard.
Young faithful in particular have repeatedly said that the 85-year old pope’s decision to step down because of his age is a sign the Church now needs a more youthful and flexible leader.
At 55, Luis Antonio Tagle from the Philippines is the Church’s second youngest cardinal: he is tipped for his dynamism and charisma, and is hugely popular in Asia. Brazil’s Joao Braz de Aviz, a 65-year old known for his attempts to reach out to breakaway liberals, is also well-liked.
“We need a pope who can govern. Certain problems were not tackled,” said Marco Politi, a Vatican expert who wrote a biography of the pope and said there was “a climate of conformism which lasted eight years” under Benedict’s reign.
The German pope’s reign was overshadowed by a vast sex abuse scandal which reared its head time and again despite Benedict’s efforts, and many will be looking for a new pope capable of slamming down on paedophile priests.
Their man may be Sean O’Malley from Boston — where the scandal first exploded a decade ago — who has worked hard to crack down on abusers and sold the archdiocese’s palatial headquarters to raise money for victim settlements.
He is also described as a humble, low-key personality who prizes simplicity — qualities sought by many looking to reconnect with the roots of the Church.
Others will hope the new pope will tackle internal divisions, bickering and jostling for power within the unruly Curia — the central government of the Catholic Church.
“This complex institution needs to be simplified,” said Tornielli, who added that Benedict’s failure to reform it “is one of the limits of his papacy.”
Argentina’s Leonardo Sandri, a 69-year old born in Buenos Aires to Italian parents, is considered a possible contender to bridge divides, while supporters of Canada’s Marc Ouellet, 67, say he would crack down on the wilful Curia.
Many observers are hoping for a more progressive pope who could tackle sensitive topics such as homosexuality, the use of condoms and clerical marriage, but cardinals willing to open up on all fronts are few and far between.
Ghana’s Peter Turkson, 64, is noted for easing the rules on contraception, advocating condom use among married couples if one partner is infected.
But his recent comments in an interview suggesting homosexuality may be part of the reason for the sex abuse scandals damaged his chances says some observers: so too did his decision to show a synod a video sensationalising Muslim immigration to Europe.
Those hoping the future pontiff will carry on Benedict’s efforts to improve interreligious relations and increase dialogue with the secular world by reaching out to atheists may be backing one of two Italian contenders for pope.
Angelo Scola, the 72-year old Archbishop of Milan is a keen promoter of dialogue between Muslims and Christians, while Vatican culture minister Gianfranco Ravasi, 70, has set up a series of exchanges with non-believers.
“We cannot read the cardinals’ minds,” Politi said, but of all the possible candidates he expected “a centrist” to win — another tick in the box for Scola.
- See more at: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/366435/winds-of-change-at-vatican-pave-way-for-new-pope#sthash.HU3di7KC.dpuf
Agence France-Presse
VATICAN CITY – Cardinals electing the new pope will be looking
for a charismatic but tenacious man capable of re-uniting a fractious
Church, stamping down on scandals and re-igniting faith among the young.
“First of all, we need a pope who knows how to speak to the world — beyond the Catholic world,” said Andrea Tornielli, Vatican expert for La Stampa daily’s Vatican Insider insert.
“He needs to be open and understanding, not too inward-looking,” he said.
Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation on Thursday throws open a race for the Vatican’s top job which will see as many as 115 elector cardinals from around the world meet in a secret conclave to pick his successor.
It will not be an easy decision, said John Allen from the National Catholic Reporter in Rome.
“There are conservatives versus moderates, there is third world versus first world… and insiders versus outsiders,” he said.
Good communication skills are a key requisite for many Vatican watchers: favourites are Timothy Dolan, the 63-year old Archbishop of New York who is renowned for his humour and dynamism, and Brazil’s Odilo Scherer, 63, who is praised for his open mind and is a keen Tweeter.
After the academic language of Benedict’s sermons, many are also looking for a warmer pope — which could be Vienna’s Christoph Schoenborn, 68, admired for his pastoral touch and compared by some to the much-loved John Paul II.
The next pope “has to be able to speak the language of God in the language of men,” said French cardinal Paul Poupard.
Young faithful in particular have repeatedly said that the 85-year old pope’s decision to step down because of his age is a sign the Church now needs a more youthful and flexible leader.
At 55, Luis Antonio Tagle from the Philippines is the Church’s second youngest cardinal: he is tipped for his dynamism and charisma, and is hugely popular in Asia. Brazil’s Joao Braz de Aviz, a 65-year old known for his attempts to reach out to breakaway liberals, is also well-liked.
“We need a pope who can govern. Certain problems were not tackled,” said Marco Politi, a Vatican expert who wrote a biography of the pope and said there was “a climate of conformism which lasted eight years” under Benedict’s reign.
The German pope’s reign was overshadowed by a vast sex abuse scandal which reared its head time and again despite Benedict’s efforts, and many will be looking for a new pope capable of slamming down on paedophile priests.
Their man may be Sean O’Malley from Boston — where the scandal first exploded a decade ago — who has worked hard to crack down on abusers and sold the archdiocese’s palatial headquarters to raise money for victim settlements.
He is also described as a humble, low-key personality who prizes simplicity — qualities sought by many looking to reconnect with the roots of the Church.
Others will hope the new pope will tackle internal divisions, bickering and jostling for power within the unruly Curia — the central government of the Catholic Church.
“This complex institution needs to be simplified,” said Tornielli, who added that Benedict’s failure to reform it “is one of the limits of his papacy.”
Argentina’s Leonardo Sandri, a 69-year old born in Buenos Aires to Italian parents, is considered a possible contender to bridge divides, while supporters of Canada’s Marc Ouellet, 67, say he would crack down on the wilful Curia.
Many observers are hoping for a more progressive pope who could tackle sensitive topics such as homosexuality, the use of condoms and clerical marriage, but cardinals willing to open up on all fronts are few and far between.
Ghana’s Peter Turkson, 64, is noted for easing the rules on contraception, advocating condom use among married couples if one partner is infected.
But his recent comments in an interview suggesting homosexuality may be part of the reason for the sex abuse scandals damaged his chances says some observers: so too did his decision to show a synod a video sensationalising Muslim immigration to Europe.
Those hoping the future pontiff will carry on Benedict’s efforts to improve interreligious relations and increase dialogue with the secular world by reaching out to atheists may be backing one of two Italian contenders for pope.
Angelo Scola, the 72-year old Archbishop of Milan is a keen promoter of dialogue between Muslims and Christians, while Vatican culture minister Gianfranco Ravasi, 70, has set up a series of exchanges with non-believers.
“We cannot read the cardinals’ minds,” Politi said, but of all the possible candidates he expected “a centrist” to win — another tick in the box for Scola.
- See more at: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/366435/winds-of-change-at-vatican-pave-way-for-new-pope#sthash.HU3di7KC.dpuf
Agence France-Presse
VATICAN CITY – Cardinals electing the new pope will be looking
for a charismatic but tenacious man capable of re-uniting a fractious
Church, stamping down on scandals and re-igniting faith among the young.
“First of all, we need a pope who knows how to speak to the world — beyond the Catholic world,” said Andrea Tornielli, Vatican expert for La Stampa daily’s Vatican Insider insert.
“He needs to be open and understanding, not too inward-looking,” he said.
Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation on Thursday throws open a race for the Vatican’s top job which will see as many as 115 elector cardinals from around the world meet in a secret conclave to pick his successor.
It will not be an easy decision, said John Allen from the National Catholic Reporter in Rome.
“There are conservatives versus moderates, there is third world versus first world… and insiders versus outsiders,” he said.
Good communication skills are a key requisite for many Vatican watchers: favourites are Timothy Dolan, the 63-year old Archbishop of New York who is renowned for his humour and dynamism, and Brazil’s Odilo Scherer, 63, who is praised for his open mind and is a keen Tweeter.
After the academic language of Benedict’s sermons, many are also looking for a warmer pope — which could be Vienna’s Christoph Schoenborn, 68, admired for his pastoral touch and compared by some to the much-loved John Paul II.
The next pope “has to be able to speak the language of God in the language of men,” said French cardinal Paul Poupard.
Young faithful in particular have repeatedly said that the 85-year old pope’s decision to step down because of his age is a sign the Church now needs a more youthful and flexible leader.
At 55, Luis Antonio Tagle from the Philippines is the Church’s second youngest cardinal: he is tipped for his dynamism and charisma, and is hugely popular in Asia. Brazil’s Joao Braz de Aviz, a 65-year old known for his attempts to reach out to breakaway liberals, is also well-liked.
“We need a pope who can govern. Certain problems were not tackled,” said Marco Politi, a Vatican expert who wrote a biography of the pope and said there was “a climate of conformism which lasted eight years” under Benedict’s reign.
The German pope’s reign was overshadowed by a vast sex abuse scandal which reared its head time and again despite Benedict’s efforts, and many will be looking for a new pope capable of slamming down on paedophile priests.
Their man may be Sean O’Malley from Boston — where the scandal first exploded a decade ago — who has worked hard to crack down on abusers and sold the archdiocese’s palatial headquarters to raise money for victim settlements.
He is also described as a humble, low-key personality who prizes simplicity — qualities sought by many looking to reconnect with the roots of the Church.
Others will hope the new pope will tackle internal divisions, bickering and jostling for power within the unruly Curia — the central government of the Catholic Church.
“This complex institution needs to be simplified,” said Tornielli, who added that Benedict’s failure to reform it “is one of the limits of his papacy.”
Argentina’s Leonardo Sandri, a 69-year old born in Buenos Aires to Italian parents, is considered a possible contender to bridge divides, while supporters of Canada’s Marc Ouellet, 67, say he would crack down on the wilful Curia.
Many observers are hoping for a more progressive pope who could tackle sensitive topics such as homosexuality, the use of condoms and clerical marriage, but cardinals willing to open up on all fronts are few and far between.
Ghana’s Peter Turkson, 64, is noted for easing the rules on contraception, advocating condom use among married couples if one partner is infected.
But his recent comments in an interview suggesting homosexuality may be part of the reason for the sex abuse scandals damaged his chances says some observers: so too did his decision to show a synod a video sensationalising Muslim immigration to Europe.
Those hoping the future pontiff will carry on Benedict’s efforts to improve interreligious relations and increase dialogue with the secular world by reaching out to atheists may be backing one of two Italian contenders for pope.
Angelo Scola, the 72-year old Archbishop of Milan is a keen promoter of dialogue between Muslims and Christians, while Vatican culture minister Gianfranco Ravasi, 70, has set up a series of exchanges with non-believers.
“We cannot read the cardinals’ minds,” Politi said, but of all the possible candidates he expected “a centrist” to win — another tick in the box for Scola.
- See more at: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/366435/winds-of-change-at-vatican-pave-way-for-new-pope#sthash.HU3di7KC.dpuf
Agence France-Presse
VATICAN CITY – Cardinals electing the new pope will be looking
for a charismatic but tenacious man capable of re-uniting a fractious
Church, stamping down on scandals and re-igniting faith among the young.
“First of all, we need a pope who knows how to speak to the world — beyond the Catholic world,” said Andrea Tornielli, Vatican expert for La Stampa daily’s Vatican Insider insert.
“He needs to be open and understanding, not too inward-looking,” he said.
Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation on Thursday throws open a race for the Vatican’s top job which will see as many as 115 elector cardinals from around the world meet in a secret conclave to pick his successor.
It will not be an easy decision, said John Allen from the National Catholic Reporter in Rome.
“There are conservatives versus moderates, there is third world versus first world… and insiders versus outsiders,” he said.
Good communication skills are a key requisite for many Vatican watchers: favourites are Timothy Dolan, the 63-year old Archbishop of New York who is renowned for his humour and dynamism, and Brazil’s Odilo Scherer, 63, who is praised for his open mind and is a keen Tweeter.
After the academic language of Benedict’s sermons, many are also looking for a warmer pope — which could be Vienna’s Christoph Schoenborn, 68, admired for his pastoral touch and compared by some to the much-loved John Paul II.
The next pope “has to be able to speak the language of God in the language of men,” said French cardinal Paul Poupard.
Young faithful in particular have repeatedly said that the 85-year old pope’s decision to step down because of his age is a sign the Church now needs a more youthful and flexible leader.
At 55, Luis Antonio Tagle from the Philippines is the Church’s second youngest cardinal: he is tipped for his dynamism and charisma, and is hugely popular in Asia. Brazil’s Joao Braz de Aviz, a 65-year old known for his attempts to reach out to breakaway liberals, is also well-liked.
“We need a pope who can govern. Certain problems were not tackled,” said Marco Politi, a Vatican expert who wrote a biography of the pope and said there was “a climate of conformism which lasted eight years” under Benedict’s reign.
The German pope’s reign was overshadowed by a vast sex abuse scandal which reared its head time and again despite Benedict’s efforts, and many will be looking for a new pope capable of slamming down on paedophile priests.
Their man may be Sean O’Malley from Boston — where the scandal first exploded a decade ago — who has worked hard to crack down on abusers and sold the archdiocese’s palatial headquarters to raise money for victim settlements.
He is also described as a humble, low-key personality who prizes simplicity — qualities sought by many looking to reconnect with the roots of the Church.
Others will hope the new pope will tackle internal divisions, bickering and jostling for power within the unruly Curia — the central government of the Catholic Church.
“This complex institution needs to be simplified,” said Tornielli, who added that Benedict’s failure to reform it “is one of the limits of his papacy.”
Argentina’s Leonardo Sandri, a 69-year old born in Buenos Aires to Italian parents, is considered a possible contender to bridge divides, while supporters of Canada’s Marc Ouellet, 67, say he would crack down on the wilful Curia.
Many observers are hoping for a more progressive pope who could tackle sensitive topics such as homosexuality, the use of condoms and clerical marriage, but cardinals willing to open up on all fronts are few and far between.
Ghana’s Peter Turkson, 64, is noted for easing the rules on contraception, advocating condom use among married couples if one partner is infected.
But his recent comments in an interview suggesting homosexuality may be part of the reason for the sex abuse scandals damaged his chances says some observers: so too did his decision to show a synod a video sensationalising Muslim immigration to Europe.
Those hoping the future pontiff will carry on Benedict’s efforts to improve interreligious relations and increase dialogue with the secular world by reaching out to atheists may be backing one of two Italian contenders for pope.
Angelo Scola, the 72-year old Archbishop of Milan is a keen promoter of dialogue between Muslims and Christians, while Vatican culture minister Gianfranco Ravasi, 70, has set up a series of exchanges with non-believers.
“We cannot read the cardinals’ minds,” Politi said, but of all the possible candidates he expected “a centrist” to win — another tick in the box for Scola.
- See more at: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/366435/winds-of-change-at-vatican-pave-way-for-new-pope#sthash.HU3di7KC.dpuf
WINDS OF CHANGE AS CARDINALS GET READY TO VOTE FOR NEW POPE
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/366435/winds-of-change-at-vatican-pave-way-for-new-pope
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/index.htm
POPE BRACKET-VOTE FOR NEW POPE ONLINE
http://www.popebracket.com/
AT 11AM EST-5PM VATICAN TIME FEB 28,2013-POPE BENEDICT CAME OUT OF THE VATICAN AND VATICAN BISHOPS AND CARDINALS KISSED THE POPES RING AS A RESPECT TO THE POPES HARD WORK AND REMEMBERENCE OF HIS REIGN.THE POPE THEN LEFT THE VATICAN BY CAR WITH HIS STATE FLAGS ON IT FOR A BRIEF 5 MINUTE RIDE TO THE HELICOPTER PAD.AT 11:09AM-5:09PM VATICAN TIME THE POPE BOARDED THE HELICOPTER ON HIS WAY TO THE PAPAL RETREAT SOUTH OF ROME.THE HELICOPTER RIDE FOR THE 24KM RIDE TO THE RETREAT WAS ABOUT 15 MINUTES.THE POPE LANDED AT 11:25AM EST AT THE RETREAT.THE BELLS RANG TO SAY THE POPE HAS ARRIVED AT THE RETREAT.NO CITIZENS GREETED THE POPE AT THE RETREAT.AGAIN CARDINALS AND BISHOPS KISSED THE POPES RING IN RESPECT TO HIS REIGN AS POPE.AT 11:29AM THE POPE ENTERED HIS VEHICLE FROM THE HELICOPTER PAD AND WAS ON HIS WAY TO HIS NEW HOME AT THE RETREAT.THE 7 HILLS OF ROME ARE SO BEAUTIFUL AS WE SEEN THE POPES JOURNEY TO HIS NEW HOUSE.THE BEAUTIFUL TREES ALL PRUNED ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ROADS THE POPE DROVE ON HIS WAY TO HIS CASTA CON DOLFO HIS NEW HOME RETREAT.AT 11:33AM THE POPE ARRIVED AT HIS NEW HOME AND HE WENT INTO THE BUILDING WERE HE WILL BE LIVING.GOD BLESS YOU POPE BENEDICT 16TH.THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WERE AT THE VATICAN WATCHING THE POPES JOURNEY ON A LARGE SCREEN.AT 11:39AM EST-5:39PM VATICAN TIME THE POPE MADE A BRIEF SPEECH TO PEOPLE OUTSIDE HIS HOUSE IN A SQUARE WERE HE LIVES.HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WERE CHEERING HIM ON FOR HIS LAST BLESSING REMARKS. THE REMARKS LASTED FOR 3 MINUTES TILL 11:42AN-5:42PM VATICAN TIME.AND THEN FROM 11:43AM-5:43PM VATICAN TIME TILL 7:45PM VATICAN TIME-1:45PM EST TIME THE POPE WILL REST AND HAVE A MEAL.WE LOVE YOU POPE BENEDICT 16TH-JOSEPH RATZINGER.PEACE TO YOU AND PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM.
THE POPE WILL NOT HAVE TO RETURN TO THE VATICAN AT 2PM EST-8PM VATICAN TIME FOR THE OFFICIAL RESIGNATION AND DESTRUCTION OF HIS RING SAYING THAT THE POPES REIGN HAS OFFICIALLY ENDED.THE OFFICIAL POPE GUARDS WILL LEAVE THE VATICAN.THE CARDINALS TITLES WILL BE FOLDED UNTIL THE NEW POPE IS ELECTED.AND POPE BENEDICT 16TH WILL BE FREE TO RESUME NORMAL PERSON ACTIVITIES.A RELEIF TO THE POPE AS HE WANTED TO RESIGN A LONG TIME AGO ALREADY.GOD BLESS YOU POPE JOSEPH RATZINGER THE 16TH.MAY YOU HAVE PEACE AND LOVE IN OUR GOD AND SAVIOR KING JESUS THE GOD OF ISRAEL AND THE WHOLE WORLD.THANKS POPE RATZINGER FOR STANDING UP FOR JESUS AND NOT LETTING THE VATICAN BE POLUTED BY THE LUKEWARM WORLD WHO HATES CHRISTIANITY JESUS AND ISRAEL.
THE OFFICIAL POPE 16TH LAST DAY HAPPENINGS.
LAST DAY HAPPENINGS AT THE VATICAN-POPES LIFE BEFORE RETIREMENT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55ixAZy6bl0&list=UUxshhzR907v2w6DjICyAgLQ&index=2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_pIgRQxis8&list=UUxshhzR907v2w6DjICyAgLQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cZnCG762Z4&list=UUxshhzR907v2w6DjICyAgLQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgqVGMESO-U&list=UUxshhzR907v2w6DjICyAgLQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eqjt5ZMRjgc&list=UUxshhzR907v2w6DjICyAgLQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0JXW1VhhOw&list=UUxshhzR907v2w6DjICyAgLQ
Whomever wins should react with both surprise and humility: Public campaigning for the post has been strictly forbidden since the Fifth Century. Italian cardinals and those who serve in the curia have "home field advantage," Reese says. They can host private dinners in their apartments, out of the public eye.On the eve of the conclave, the electors will move into a special Vatican residence, the Domus Sanctae Marthae, with 105 two-room suites and 26 single rooms built in 1996.They can't move in now because room assignments will be made by drawing lots, Vatican spokesman Frederico Lombardi says. And besides, the rooms aren't ready. They're being aired out, cleaned and swept for communications bugs — a routine procedure, he said.
Once inside the Sistine Chapel, there will be no outside communications. In the age of Twitter, the world will still have to wait for white smoke and the sounding of the biggest bell at St. Peter's Basilica, to find out who is the new pope.His Holiness Benedict XVI Roman Pontiff Emeritus will rest at Castel Gandolfo, the papal retreat, when someone new assumes the title of His Holiness the Pope and 10 more — Bishop of Rome; Vicar of Jesus Christ; successor of St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles, Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, Patriarch of the West, Primate of Italy, Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Roman Province, Sovereign of the State of Vatican City, and Servant of the Servants of God.
For now, the busiest people in Rome may be the tailors at Gammarelli ecclesiastical tailoring shop. They're stitching up the vestments for the new pope in small, medium and large sizes so that whoever is chosen will fit right in.
Pope Benedict XVI
will become the first pontiff in 600 years to abdicate when he’s
airlifted out of the Vatican today, as cardinals set to elect his
successor assess the impact of a secret dossier on church intrigue.
The pope, 85, will cease being leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics at 8 p.m. Rome time after being flown by helicopter to the papal summer residence south of the Italian capital in Castel Gandolfo. Swiss guards who’ve protected him since his election in 2004 will abandon their station at the doors of the 17th-century villa, leaving the task to Vatican gendarmes.
“After that hour, there will be no pope,” said Robert Moynihan, editor of Inside the Vatican magazine, in an e-mailed comment to subscribers. “The see of Peter will be vacant.”Benedict’s
abdication, the first since Pope Gregory XII in 1415, comes as the
Roman Catholic church grapples with a wave of controversy including
clerical sex abuse and the leaking of papal documents. It also ends the
career of Joseph Ratzinger, who rose to become Catholicism’s doctrinal
watchdog and then Roman pontiff after growing up in Nazi Germany.The
pope will today greet cardinals who’ve come to Rome to mark his
historic retirement and elect his successor. He’ll be seen off just
before 5 p.m. by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican’s
second-in-command, before boarding the helicopter for a 15-minute flight
to Castel Gandolfo, according to spokesman Federico Lombardi. At the
summer palace, he’ll briefly salute pilgrims from a window in his last
public act as pope.
To contact the reporter on this story: Jeffrey Donovan in Prague at jdonovan26@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Balazs Penz at bpenz@bloomberg.net
Starting on Monday, cardinals from around the world will hold a series of meetings known as "general congregations".The roundtables are ostensibly aimed at identifying the priorities for the Roman Catholic Church of the future but they are also a good way of vetting "papabili" - possible candidates for next pope.
Cardinals over 80 cannot vote in the conclave but are allowed to take part in these meetings, which also include meditations.The cardinals will decide on a date for the conclave, which Benedict has decreed may begin earlier than the traditional timetable of 15 to 20 days after the start of the Sede Vacante, given that no mourning period is needed.
The conclave
Cardinals will meet in a secret conclave to choose the next pope from among their peers under a system adopted in the 13th century. Conclave literally means "with a key", reflecting the cardinals' seclusion without permission to leave until a new pope is found.All conclaves have been held in the Sistine Chapel - a Renaissance jewel adorned with Michelangelo's frescoes on its ceiling and walls - since the late 19th century.
The cardinals are sworn to absolute secrecy, under pain of ex-communication, during the voting. Two ballots are held in the morning, and two in the afternoon, until one candidate wins two-thirds of the votes.
At the end of each session, the ballots are burned in a stove by the chapel, releasing smoke above the Apostolic Palace. The smoke is black after each unsuccessful ballot, white once the vote succeeds. The bells of St Peter's will peal to accompany the white smoke.The new pope will be led into a tiny sacristy by the Sistine Chapel known as the "sala delle lacrime" or room of tears where he can ponder the immense duty before him.The dean of the College of Cardinals, currently Cardinal Angelo Sodano, will ask the newly chosen pontiff if he accepts his election, and if the answer is yes, he immediately becomes the bishop of Rome and pope. He also chooses the name he wishes to use, a centuries-old tradition.The new pope is helped into his vestments (three sets are prepared of different sizes), and one by one the cardinals pay homage to him.Shortly afterwards he appears on the loggia of St Peter's Basilica. The senior cardinal deacon, currently Jean-Louis Tauran, will then pronounce the famous phrase in Latin: "Habemus Papam!" (We have a pope!).Source: AFP
Benedict XVI also looked back at his eight years as Pope, a time which has seen “moments joy and light, but also difficult moments.” Ratzinger evoked the image of the Church as St. Peter’s boat, one he had already used to condemn the failings of the Church ahead of the Conclave which elected him Pope. “The Lord has given us many days of sunshine and gentle breeze days in which the catch has been abundant; [then] there have been times when the seas were rough and the wind against us and the Lord seemed to sleep,” Benedict XVI said. In response to the numerous conspiracy theories and behind-the-scenes events of recent weeks, the Pope said “I have not ever felt myself alone in bearing either the joys or the weight of the Petrine ministry.”But even now that he is faced with so many personal and collective difficulties, the Pope wished to place an emphasis on faith in his last public speech: “Today my heart is filled with gratitude to God, for never did He leave me or the Church without His consolation, His light, His love.” “I see the Church is alive,” the Pope added in an off-the-cuff comment at the beginning of his speech, as he looked across St. Peter’s Square at the thousands of people who had broken into applause. Finally, Benedict XVI expressed his gratitude to all: firstly to the cardinals, starting with the Secretary of State, Tarcisio Bertone who “has stood faithfully by his side throughout [his] papacy,” the various members of the Church, accredited diplomats and all those who work in the communications sector as he recognised that relations with the media have not always been easy during his pontificate.
Winds of change at Vatican pave way for new pope
By Ella IdeAgence France-Presse
People
gather at St. Peter’s square during Pope Benedict XVI’s last Angelus
before stepping down on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, at St Peter’s Square in
Vatican city. The Vatican said Monday that a secret report on a leaks
scandal in 2012 had revealed human “imperfections” in the running of the
Church and would be shown exclusively to the future pope, not to voting
cardinals. AFP PHOTO/TIZIANA FABI
“First of all, we need a pope who knows how to speak to the world — beyond the Catholic world,” said Andrea Tornielli, Vatican expert for La Stampa daily’s Vatican Insider insert.
“He needs to be open and understanding, not too inward-looking,” he said.
Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation on Thursday throws open a race for the Vatican’s top job which will see as many as 115 elector cardinals from around the world meet in a secret conclave to pick his successor.
It will not be an easy decision, said John Allen from the National Catholic Reporter in Rome.
“There are conservatives versus moderates, there is third world versus first world… and insiders versus outsiders,” he said.
Good communication skills are a key requisite for many Vatican watchers: favourites are Timothy Dolan, the 63-year old Archbishop of New York who is renowned for his humour and dynamism, and Brazil’s Odilo Scherer, 63, who is praised for his open mind and is a keen Tweeter.
After the academic language of Benedict’s sermons, many are also looking for a warmer pope — which could be Vienna’s Christoph Schoenborn, 68, admired for his pastoral touch and compared by some to the much-loved John Paul II.
The next pope “has to be able to speak the language of God in the language of men,” said French cardinal Paul Poupard.
Young faithful in particular have repeatedly said that the 85-year old pope’s decision to step down because of his age is a sign the Church now needs a more youthful and flexible leader.
At 55, Luis Antonio Tagle from the Philippines is the Church’s second youngest cardinal: he is tipped for his dynamism and charisma, and is hugely popular in Asia. Brazil’s Joao Braz de Aviz, a 65-year old known for his attempts to reach out to breakaway liberals, is also well-liked.
“We need a pope who can govern. Certain problems were not tackled,” said Marco Politi, a Vatican expert who wrote a biography of the pope and said there was “a climate of conformism which lasted eight years” under Benedict’s reign.
The German pope’s reign was overshadowed by a vast sex abuse scandal which reared its head time and again despite Benedict’s efforts, and many will be looking for a new pope capable of slamming down on paedophile priests.
Their man may be Sean O’Malley from Boston — where the scandal first exploded a decade ago — who has worked hard to crack down on abusers and sold the archdiocese’s palatial headquarters to raise money for victim settlements.
He is also described as a humble, low-key personality who prizes simplicity — qualities sought by many looking to reconnect with the roots of the Church.
Others will hope the new pope will tackle internal divisions, bickering and jostling for power within the unruly Curia — the central government of the Catholic Church.
“This complex institution needs to be simplified,” said Tornielli, who added that Benedict’s failure to reform it “is one of the limits of his papacy.”
Argentina’s Leonardo Sandri, a 69-year old born in Buenos Aires to Italian parents, is considered a possible contender to bridge divides, while supporters of Canada’s Marc Ouellet, 67, say he would crack down on the wilful Curia.
Many observers are hoping for a more progressive pope who could tackle sensitive topics such as homosexuality, the use of condoms and clerical marriage, but cardinals willing to open up on all fronts are few and far between.
Ghana’s Peter Turkson, 64, is noted for easing the rules on contraception, advocating condom use among married couples if one partner is infected.
But his recent comments in an interview suggesting homosexuality may be part of the reason for the sex abuse scandals damaged his chances says some observers: so too did his decision to show a synod a video sensationalising Muslim immigration to Europe.
Those hoping the future pontiff will carry on Benedict’s efforts to improve interreligious relations and increase dialogue with the secular world by reaching out to atheists may be backing one of two Italian contenders for pope.
Angelo Scola, the 72-year old Archbishop of Milan is a keen promoter of dialogue between Muslims and Christians, while Vatican culture minister Gianfranco Ravasi, 70, has set up a series of exchanges with non-believers.
“We cannot read the cardinals’ minds,” Politi said, but of all the possible candidates he expected “a centrist” to win — another tick in the box for Scola.
- See more at: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/366435/winds-of-change-at-vatican-pave-way-for-new-pope#sthash.HU3di7KC.dpuf
Winds of change at Vatican pave way for new pope
By Ella IdeAgence France-Presse
People
gather at St. Peter’s square during Pope Benedict XVI’s last Angelus
before stepping down on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, at St Peter’s Square in
Vatican city. The Vatican said Monday that a secret report on a leaks
scandal in 2012 had revealed human “imperfections” in the running of the
Church and would be shown exclusively to the future pope, not to voting
cardinals. AFP PHOTO/TIZIANA FABI
“First of all, we need a pope who knows how to speak to the world — beyond the Catholic world,” said Andrea Tornielli, Vatican expert for La Stampa daily’s Vatican Insider insert.
“He needs to be open and understanding, not too inward-looking,” he said.
Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation on Thursday throws open a race for the Vatican’s top job which will see as many as 115 elector cardinals from around the world meet in a secret conclave to pick his successor.
It will not be an easy decision, said John Allen from the National Catholic Reporter in Rome.
“There are conservatives versus moderates, there is third world versus first world… and insiders versus outsiders,” he said.
Good communication skills are a key requisite for many Vatican watchers: favourites are Timothy Dolan, the 63-year old Archbishop of New York who is renowned for his humour and dynamism, and Brazil’s Odilo Scherer, 63, who is praised for his open mind and is a keen Tweeter.
After the academic language of Benedict’s sermons, many are also looking for a warmer pope — which could be Vienna’s Christoph Schoenborn, 68, admired for his pastoral touch and compared by some to the much-loved John Paul II.
The next pope “has to be able to speak the language of God in the language of men,” said French cardinal Paul Poupard.
Young faithful in particular have repeatedly said that the 85-year old pope’s decision to step down because of his age is a sign the Church now needs a more youthful and flexible leader.
At 55, Luis Antonio Tagle from the Philippines is the Church’s second youngest cardinal: he is tipped for his dynamism and charisma, and is hugely popular in Asia. Brazil’s Joao Braz de Aviz, a 65-year old known for his attempts to reach out to breakaway liberals, is also well-liked.
“We need a pope who can govern. Certain problems were not tackled,” said Marco Politi, a Vatican expert who wrote a biography of the pope and said there was “a climate of conformism which lasted eight years” under Benedict’s reign.
The German pope’s reign was overshadowed by a vast sex abuse scandal which reared its head time and again despite Benedict’s efforts, and many will be looking for a new pope capable of slamming down on paedophile priests.
Their man may be Sean O’Malley from Boston — where the scandal first exploded a decade ago — who has worked hard to crack down on abusers and sold the archdiocese’s palatial headquarters to raise money for victim settlements.
He is also described as a humble, low-key personality who prizes simplicity — qualities sought by many looking to reconnect with the roots of the Church.
Others will hope the new pope will tackle internal divisions, bickering and jostling for power within the unruly Curia — the central government of the Catholic Church.
“This complex institution needs to be simplified,” said Tornielli, who added that Benedict’s failure to reform it “is one of the limits of his papacy.”
Argentina’s Leonardo Sandri, a 69-year old born in Buenos Aires to Italian parents, is considered a possible contender to bridge divides, while supporters of Canada’s Marc Ouellet, 67, say he would crack down on the wilful Curia.
Many observers are hoping for a more progressive pope who could tackle sensitive topics such as homosexuality, the use of condoms and clerical marriage, but cardinals willing to open up on all fronts are few and far between.
Ghana’s Peter Turkson, 64, is noted for easing the rules on contraception, advocating condom use among married couples if one partner is infected.
But his recent comments in an interview suggesting homosexuality may be part of the reason for the sex abuse scandals damaged his chances says some observers: so too did his decision to show a synod a video sensationalising Muslim immigration to Europe.
Those hoping the future pontiff will carry on Benedict’s efforts to improve interreligious relations and increase dialogue with the secular world by reaching out to atheists may be backing one of two Italian contenders for pope.
Angelo Scola, the 72-year old Archbishop of Milan is a keen promoter of dialogue between Muslims and Christians, while Vatican culture minister Gianfranco Ravasi, 70, has set up a series of exchanges with non-believers.
“We cannot read the cardinals’ minds,” Politi said, but of all the possible candidates he expected “a centrist” to win — another tick in the box for Scola.
- See more at: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/366435/winds-of-change-at-vatican-pave-way-for-new-pope#sthash.HU3di7KC.dpuf
Winds of change at Vatican pave way for new pope
By Ella IdeAgence France-Presse
People
gather at St. Peter’s square during Pope Benedict XVI’s last Angelus
before stepping down on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, at St Peter’s Square in
Vatican city. The Vatican said Monday that a secret report on a leaks
scandal in 2012 had revealed human “imperfections” in the running of the
Church and would be shown exclusively to the future pope, not to voting
cardinals. AFP PHOTO/TIZIANA FABI
“First of all, we need a pope who knows how to speak to the world — beyond the Catholic world,” said Andrea Tornielli, Vatican expert for La Stampa daily’s Vatican Insider insert.
“He needs to be open and understanding, not too inward-looking,” he said.
Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation on Thursday throws open a race for the Vatican’s top job which will see as many as 115 elector cardinals from around the world meet in a secret conclave to pick his successor.
It will not be an easy decision, said John Allen from the National Catholic Reporter in Rome.
“There are conservatives versus moderates, there is third world versus first world… and insiders versus outsiders,” he said.
Good communication skills are a key requisite for many Vatican watchers: favourites are Timothy Dolan, the 63-year old Archbishop of New York who is renowned for his humour and dynamism, and Brazil’s Odilo Scherer, 63, who is praised for his open mind and is a keen Tweeter.
After the academic language of Benedict’s sermons, many are also looking for a warmer pope — which could be Vienna’s Christoph Schoenborn, 68, admired for his pastoral touch and compared by some to the much-loved John Paul II.
The next pope “has to be able to speak the language of God in the language of men,” said French cardinal Paul Poupard.
Young faithful in particular have repeatedly said that the 85-year old pope’s decision to step down because of his age is a sign the Church now needs a more youthful and flexible leader.
At 55, Luis Antonio Tagle from the Philippines is the Church’s second youngest cardinal: he is tipped for his dynamism and charisma, and is hugely popular in Asia. Brazil’s Joao Braz de Aviz, a 65-year old known for his attempts to reach out to breakaway liberals, is also well-liked.
“We need a pope who can govern. Certain problems were not tackled,” said Marco Politi, a Vatican expert who wrote a biography of the pope and said there was “a climate of conformism which lasted eight years” under Benedict’s reign.
The German pope’s reign was overshadowed by a vast sex abuse scandal which reared its head time and again despite Benedict’s efforts, and many will be looking for a new pope capable of slamming down on paedophile priests.
Their man may be Sean O’Malley from Boston — where the scandal first exploded a decade ago — who has worked hard to crack down on abusers and sold the archdiocese’s palatial headquarters to raise money for victim settlements.
He is also described as a humble, low-key personality who prizes simplicity — qualities sought by many looking to reconnect with the roots of the Church.
Others will hope the new pope will tackle internal divisions, bickering and jostling for power within the unruly Curia — the central government of the Catholic Church.
“This complex institution needs to be simplified,” said Tornielli, who added that Benedict’s failure to reform it “is one of the limits of his papacy.”
Argentina’s Leonardo Sandri, a 69-year old born in Buenos Aires to Italian parents, is considered a possible contender to bridge divides, while supporters of Canada’s Marc Ouellet, 67, say he would crack down on the wilful Curia.
Many observers are hoping for a more progressive pope who could tackle sensitive topics such as homosexuality, the use of condoms and clerical marriage, but cardinals willing to open up on all fronts are few and far between.
Ghana’s Peter Turkson, 64, is noted for easing the rules on contraception, advocating condom use among married couples if one partner is infected.
But his recent comments in an interview suggesting homosexuality may be part of the reason for the sex abuse scandals damaged his chances says some observers: so too did his decision to show a synod a video sensationalising Muslim immigration to Europe.
Those hoping the future pontiff will carry on Benedict’s efforts to improve interreligious relations and increase dialogue with the secular world by reaching out to atheists may be backing one of two Italian contenders for pope.
Angelo Scola, the 72-year old Archbishop of Milan is a keen promoter of dialogue between Muslims and Christians, while Vatican culture minister Gianfranco Ravasi, 70, has set up a series of exchanges with non-believers.
“We cannot read the cardinals’ minds,” Politi said, but of all the possible candidates he expected “a centrist” to win — another tick in the box for Scola.
- See more at: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/366435/winds-of-change-at-vatican-pave-way-for-new-pope#sthash.HU3di7KC.dpuf
Winds of change at Vatican pave way for new pope
By Ella IdeAgence France-Presse
People
gather at St. Peter’s square during Pope Benedict XVI’s last Angelus
before stepping down on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, at St Peter’s Square in
Vatican city. The Vatican said Monday that a secret report on a leaks
scandal in 2012 had revealed human “imperfections” in the running of the
Church and would be shown exclusively to the future pope, not to voting
cardinals. AFP PHOTO/TIZIANA FABI
“First of all, we need a pope who knows how to speak to the world — beyond the Catholic world,” said Andrea Tornielli, Vatican expert for La Stampa daily’s Vatican Insider insert.
“He needs to be open and understanding, not too inward-looking,” he said.
Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation on Thursday throws open a race for the Vatican’s top job which will see as many as 115 elector cardinals from around the world meet in a secret conclave to pick his successor.
It will not be an easy decision, said John Allen from the National Catholic Reporter in Rome.
“There are conservatives versus moderates, there is third world versus first world… and insiders versus outsiders,” he said.
Good communication skills are a key requisite for many Vatican watchers: favourites are Timothy Dolan, the 63-year old Archbishop of New York who is renowned for his humour and dynamism, and Brazil’s Odilo Scherer, 63, who is praised for his open mind and is a keen Tweeter.
After the academic language of Benedict’s sermons, many are also looking for a warmer pope — which could be Vienna’s Christoph Schoenborn, 68, admired for his pastoral touch and compared by some to the much-loved John Paul II.
The next pope “has to be able to speak the language of God in the language of men,” said French cardinal Paul Poupard.
Young faithful in particular have repeatedly said that the 85-year old pope’s decision to step down because of his age is a sign the Church now needs a more youthful and flexible leader.
At 55, Luis Antonio Tagle from the Philippines is the Church’s second youngest cardinal: he is tipped for his dynamism and charisma, and is hugely popular in Asia. Brazil’s Joao Braz de Aviz, a 65-year old known for his attempts to reach out to breakaway liberals, is also well-liked.
“We need a pope who can govern. Certain problems were not tackled,” said Marco Politi, a Vatican expert who wrote a biography of the pope and said there was “a climate of conformism which lasted eight years” under Benedict’s reign.
The German pope’s reign was overshadowed by a vast sex abuse scandal which reared its head time and again despite Benedict’s efforts, and many will be looking for a new pope capable of slamming down on paedophile priests.
Their man may be Sean O’Malley from Boston — where the scandal first exploded a decade ago — who has worked hard to crack down on abusers and sold the archdiocese’s palatial headquarters to raise money for victim settlements.
He is also described as a humble, low-key personality who prizes simplicity — qualities sought by many looking to reconnect with the roots of the Church.
Others will hope the new pope will tackle internal divisions, bickering and jostling for power within the unruly Curia — the central government of the Catholic Church.
“This complex institution needs to be simplified,” said Tornielli, who added that Benedict’s failure to reform it “is one of the limits of his papacy.”
Argentina’s Leonardo Sandri, a 69-year old born in Buenos Aires to Italian parents, is considered a possible contender to bridge divides, while supporters of Canada’s Marc Ouellet, 67, say he would crack down on the wilful Curia.
Many observers are hoping for a more progressive pope who could tackle sensitive topics such as homosexuality, the use of condoms and clerical marriage, but cardinals willing to open up on all fronts are few and far between.
Ghana’s Peter Turkson, 64, is noted for easing the rules on contraception, advocating condom use among married couples if one partner is infected.
But his recent comments in an interview suggesting homosexuality may be part of the reason for the sex abuse scandals damaged his chances says some observers: so too did his decision to show a synod a video sensationalising Muslim immigration to Europe.
Those hoping the future pontiff will carry on Benedict’s efforts to improve interreligious relations and increase dialogue with the secular world by reaching out to atheists may be backing one of two Italian contenders for pope.
Angelo Scola, the 72-year old Archbishop of Milan is a keen promoter of dialogue between Muslims and Christians, while Vatican culture minister Gianfranco Ravasi, 70, has set up a series of exchanges with non-believers.
“We cannot read the cardinals’ minds,” Politi said, but of all the possible candidates he expected “a centrist” to win — another tick in the box for Scola.
- See more at: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/366435/winds-of-change-at-vatican-pave-way-for-new-pope#sthash.HU3di7KC.dpuf
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/366435/winds-of-change-at-vatican-pave-way-for-new-pope
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/index.htm
POPE BRACKET-VOTE FOR NEW POPE ONLINE
http://www.popebracket.com/
AT 11AM EST-5PM VATICAN TIME FEB 28,2013-POPE BENEDICT CAME OUT OF THE VATICAN AND VATICAN BISHOPS AND CARDINALS KISSED THE POPES RING AS A RESPECT TO THE POPES HARD WORK AND REMEMBERENCE OF HIS REIGN.THE POPE THEN LEFT THE VATICAN BY CAR WITH HIS STATE FLAGS ON IT FOR A BRIEF 5 MINUTE RIDE TO THE HELICOPTER PAD.AT 11:09AM-5:09PM VATICAN TIME THE POPE BOARDED THE HELICOPTER ON HIS WAY TO THE PAPAL RETREAT SOUTH OF ROME.THE HELICOPTER RIDE FOR THE 24KM RIDE TO THE RETREAT WAS ABOUT 15 MINUTES.THE POPE LANDED AT 11:25AM EST AT THE RETREAT.THE BELLS RANG TO SAY THE POPE HAS ARRIVED AT THE RETREAT.NO CITIZENS GREETED THE POPE AT THE RETREAT.AGAIN CARDINALS AND BISHOPS KISSED THE POPES RING IN RESPECT TO HIS REIGN AS POPE.AT 11:29AM THE POPE ENTERED HIS VEHICLE FROM THE HELICOPTER PAD AND WAS ON HIS WAY TO HIS NEW HOME AT THE RETREAT.THE 7 HILLS OF ROME ARE SO BEAUTIFUL AS WE SEEN THE POPES JOURNEY TO HIS NEW HOUSE.THE BEAUTIFUL TREES ALL PRUNED ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ROADS THE POPE DROVE ON HIS WAY TO HIS CASTA CON DOLFO HIS NEW HOME RETREAT.AT 11:33AM THE POPE ARRIVED AT HIS NEW HOME AND HE WENT INTO THE BUILDING WERE HE WILL BE LIVING.GOD BLESS YOU POPE BENEDICT 16TH.THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WERE AT THE VATICAN WATCHING THE POPES JOURNEY ON A LARGE SCREEN.AT 11:39AM EST-5:39PM VATICAN TIME THE POPE MADE A BRIEF SPEECH TO PEOPLE OUTSIDE HIS HOUSE IN A SQUARE WERE HE LIVES.HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WERE CHEERING HIM ON FOR HIS LAST BLESSING REMARKS. THE REMARKS LASTED FOR 3 MINUTES TILL 11:42AN-5:42PM VATICAN TIME.AND THEN FROM 11:43AM-5:43PM VATICAN TIME TILL 7:45PM VATICAN TIME-1:45PM EST TIME THE POPE WILL REST AND HAVE A MEAL.WE LOVE YOU POPE BENEDICT 16TH-JOSEPH RATZINGER.PEACE TO YOU AND PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM.
THE POPE WILL NOT HAVE TO RETURN TO THE VATICAN AT 2PM EST-8PM VATICAN TIME FOR THE OFFICIAL RESIGNATION AND DESTRUCTION OF HIS RING SAYING THAT THE POPES REIGN HAS OFFICIALLY ENDED.THE OFFICIAL POPE GUARDS WILL LEAVE THE VATICAN.THE CARDINALS TITLES WILL BE FOLDED UNTIL THE NEW POPE IS ELECTED.AND POPE BENEDICT 16TH WILL BE FREE TO RESUME NORMAL PERSON ACTIVITIES.A RELEIF TO THE POPE AS HE WANTED TO RESIGN A LONG TIME AGO ALREADY.GOD BLESS YOU POPE JOSEPH RATZINGER THE 16TH.MAY YOU HAVE PEACE AND LOVE IN OUR GOD AND SAVIOR KING JESUS THE GOD OF ISRAEL AND THE WHOLE WORLD.THANKS POPE RATZINGER FOR STANDING UP FOR JESUS AND NOT LETTING THE VATICAN BE POLUTED BY THE LUKEWARM WORLD WHO HATES CHRISTIANITY JESUS AND ISRAEL.
THE OFFICIAL POPE 16TH LAST DAY HAPPENINGS.
LAST DAY HAPPENINGS AT THE VATICAN-POPES LIFE BEFORE RETIREMENT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55ixAZy6bl0&list=UUxshhzR907v2w6DjICyAgLQ&index=2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_pIgRQxis8&list=UUxshhzR907v2w6DjICyAgLQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cZnCG762Z4&list=UUxshhzR907v2w6DjICyAgLQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgqVGMESO-U&list=UUxshhzR907v2w6DjICyAgLQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eqjt5ZMRjgc&list=UUxshhzR907v2w6DjICyAgLQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0JXW1VhhOw&list=UUxshhzR907v2w6DjICyAgLQ
LAST DAY AS POPE
By | Associated Press – 4 hrs ago FEB 28,13
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI is making history today, becoming the first pontiff to retire in nearly 600 years.Only a handful of popes have ever done so.The last was Pope Gregory XII, who stepped down in 1415 in a deal to end the Great Western Schism,
a dispute among competing papal claimants. The most famous resignation
was Pope Celestine V in 1294; Dante placed him in hell for it.Benedict is saying farewell this
morning to his closest advisers in Clementine Hall at the Apostolic
Palace. Then shortly before 5 p.m., he will leave the palace for the
last time as pope and fly by helicopter to the papal retreat at Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome.Exactly at 8 p.m. — when his resignation takes effect — the doors at
Castel Gandolfo will close and the papacy that began on April 19, 2005,
will come to an end.___Nicole Winfield —http://twitter.com/nwinfield
___"Pope Live" follows the events of the final day of Pope Benedict XVI's papacy as seen by journalists from The Associated Press around the world. It will be updated throughout the day with breaking news and other items of interest. Follow AP reporters on Twitter where available.
ORIGINS:
The corps, which some historians consider the oldest standing army in the world, was founded in 1506 by Pope Giulio II. Tradition has it that he was so impressed by the bravery of Swiss mercenaries that he asked them to defend the Vatican. Ever since, for more than 500 years, Switzerland has been supplying soldiers to the Vatican. The Swiss Guards swear an oath to give up their lives to protect the pope — and in centuries past, they have. In 1527, 147 of them died protecting Pope Clement VII as he fled to safety when the troops of Emperor Charles V sacked Rome.
___
THE GUARDS AND BENEDICT:
The Swiss Guards will be center stage when Benedict, following a carefully choreographed plan, becomes the first pope in 600 years to resign. Benedict meets Thursday morning with cardinals, then flies by helicopter to the papal residence at Castel Gandolfo south of Rome. There, at 8 p.m. sharp, the doors of the palazzo close and the Swiss Guards walk off duty, their job protecting the leader of the Catholic Church over — at least until the election of a new pope. Benedict's protection will immediately become the responsibility of Vatican police.
___
RECRUITMENT:
Recruits must be Catholic males between 19 and 30 who have completed their mandatory Swiss military service; they sign up for a minimum of two years. The force at the moment numbers 110 men. Recruits join the ranks in an elaborate swearing-in ceremony in the Vatican's apostolic palace. Each new guard grasps the corps' flag, raising three fingers in a symbol of the Holy Trinity and swears to uphold the Swiss Guard oath to protect the pope and his successors. The ceremony is held each May 6 to commemorate the Sack of Rome.
___
DUTIES:
The force provides ceremonial duty, assists at Vatican functions — and has a real function of actually protecting the pope. The guards, armed with halberds, are ubiquitous around the Vatican and are among the favorite targets of photo-snapping tourists. They have not been called to military duty in recent centuries. But several Swiss Guards in plainclothes are aboard the pope's plane during his worldwide travels to provide security. After the 1981 assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II, the Vatican beefed up bodyguard training for the guards — including instruction in unarmed combat and small arms.
___
COLORFUL COSTUME
The current Renaissance-style uniform of blue, red, orange and yellow stripes was designed in the early 1900s by Commandant Jules Repond, who drew inspiration for the colors from Raphael's frescoes. Headgear for ordinary duties is a black beret, while the crimson-plumed helmets are reserved for special occasions like official visits, swearing-in ceremonies — and, of course, papal retirement.
___
SCANDAL:
The legend of the corps was stained in 1998 by the slayings in a Vatican City apartment of the guard commander and his wife. The Vatican blamed the killings on a disgruntled guardsman who, the Vatican says, then shot himself dead. They were the first killings in the Vatican in 150 years.
___"Pope Live" follows the events of the final day of Pope Benedict XVI's papacy as seen by journalists from The Associated Press around the world. It will be updated throughout the day with breaking news and other items of interest. Follow AP reporters on Twitter where available.
Swiss Guards in central role in papal retirement
By | Associated Press – 4 hrs ago FEB 28,13
VATICAN CITY (AP) — In their plumed helmets and striped uniforms, the Swiss Guards are one of the most beloved traditions of the Vatican
— and on Thursday take a central role in the pope's historic
resignation. The bodyguards will stand at attention as the pope arrives
by helicopter at his summer retreat in his last hours as pontiff. When
they walk off duty, it will be one of the few visible signs that
Benedict XVI is no longer pope. A look at the Swiss guards and their
colorful history.
___ORIGINS:
The corps, which some historians consider the oldest standing army in the world, was founded in 1506 by Pope Giulio II. Tradition has it that he was so impressed by the bravery of Swiss mercenaries that he asked them to defend the Vatican. Ever since, for more than 500 years, Switzerland has been supplying soldiers to the Vatican. The Swiss Guards swear an oath to give up their lives to protect the pope — and in centuries past, they have. In 1527, 147 of them died protecting Pope Clement VII as he fled to safety when the troops of Emperor Charles V sacked Rome.
___
THE GUARDS AND BENEDICT:
The Swiss Guards will be center stage when Benedict, following a carefully choreographed plan, becomes the first pope in 600 years to resign. Benedict meets Thursday morning with cardinals, then flies by helicopter to the papal residence at Castel Gandolfo south of Rome. There, at 8 p.m. sharp, the doors of the palazzo close and the Swiss Guards walk off duty, their job protecting the leader of the Catholic Church over — at least until the election of a new pope. Benedict's protection will immediately become the responsibility of Vatican police.
___
RECRUITMENT:
Recruits must be Catholic males between 19 and 30 who have completed their mandatory Swiss military service; they sign up for a minimum of two years. The force at the moment numbers 110 men. Recruits join the ranks in an elaborate swearing-in ceremony in the Vatican's apostolic palace. Each new guard grasps the corps' flag, raising three fingers in a symbol of the Holy Trinity and swears to uphold the Swiss Guard oath to protect the pope and his successors. The ceremony is held each May 6 to commemorate the Sack of Rome.
___
DUTIES:
The force provides ceremonial duty, assists at Vatican functions — and has a real function of actually protecting the pope. The guards, armed with halberds, are ubiquitous around the Vatican and are among the favorite targets of photo-snapping tourists. They have not been called to military duty in recent centuries. But several Swiss Guards in plainclothes are aboard the pope's plane during his worldwide travels to provide security. After the 1981 assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II, the Vatican beefed up bodyguard training for the guards — including instruction in unarmed combat and small arms.
___
COLORFUL COSTUME
The current Renaissance-style uniform of blue, red, orange and yellow stripes was designed in the early 1900s by Commandant Jules Repond, who drew inspiration for the colors from Raphael's frescoes. Headgear for ordinary duties is a black beret, while the crimson-plumed helmets are reserved for special occasions like official visits, swearing-in ceremonies — and, of course, papal retirement.
___
SCANDAL:
The legend of the corps was stained in 1998 by the slayings in a Vatican City apartment of the guard commander and his wife. The Vatican blamed the killings on a disgruntled guardsman who, the Vatican says, then shot himself dead. They were the first killings in the Vatican in 150 years.
Pope Benedict pledges obedience to successor
Reuters – 2 hrs 4 mins ago FEB 28,13- View PhotoReuters/Reuters - Pope Benedict XVI addresses during the last meeting with the Cardinals at the Vatican, February 28, 2013. REUTERS/Osservatore Romano
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict, addressing cardinals on his final day in office, called on Thursday for the Roman Catholic Church to unite behind his successor and pledged his own "unconditional" obedience to the next pontiff."I will continue to be close to you in prayer,
especially in the next few days...as you elect the new pope to whom I
today declare my unconditional reverence and obedience," he said.
"In these past eight years we have lived with faith
beautiful moments of radiant light in the path of the Church as well as
moments when some clouds darkened the sky," he told cardinals gathered
to bid him farewell, including most of those who will enter a conclave
to choose his successor."We tried to serve Christ and his Church," he said.Benedict's papacy was dogged by sex abuse scandals,
leaks of his private papers and reports of infighting among his closest
aides, crises that are thought to have contributed to his decision to be
the first pontiff in six centuries to resign.The pope spoke to the cardinals about nine hours before
he officially steps down, leaving the papacy vacant until the new head
of the Roman Catholic Church is chosen by the cardinals, a decision expected by the middle of March.(Reporting By Philip Pullella; editing by Barry Moody) Vatican goes into slo-mo until a new pope is picked
The Catholic Church has complex rules for what can -- and mostly what cannot -- be done when there's no pope.
Thursday night in Rome, when the Catholic Church of more than 1 billion souls is abruptly without a pope, who's minding the store? Vatican operations essentially go as still as the characters in Sleeping Beauty — frozen in time as of 8 p.m. there (2 p.m. E.T) until the new pope is installed, likely before Easter.Friday, the call goes out to the world's 208 cardinals — those who have not already arrived in Rome — to head for the Holy See. As early as Monday, they may begin meeting in advisory groups. Their first task: set the date for the conclave when the new pope will be chosen.In the interim, the church's canon law spells out what must and what may not be done while the papacy is vacant. Since a pope hasn't resigned in 600 years, that means following the rules for after a pope has died, says John Thavis, author of Vatican Diaries, a book about 30 years reporting on the Holy See.All the arrangements are set by the camerlengo (chamberlain of the Church) chosen by the pope. Benedict chose Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican secretary of State,for that role but there's little for him to do with no funeral to arrange.All the cardinals and archbishops in the curia, the bureaucracy of the Church, lose their jobs on Feb. 28. It's a bit like all the U.S. president's cabinet resigning after a presidential election so the new head of state can name his team. But in the Holy See, many cardinals expect they'll be asked to stay on in the next papacy, Thavis said. In the curia, which dates back to the Middle Ages, "continuity is an extremely high value."Meanwhile, Vatican offices will be run by secretaries who handle ordinary, minor duties. All serious or controversial matters await the next pontiff. But decisions that are made are provisional, waiting the new pope's confirmation, says Rev. Thomas Reese, author of Inside the Vatican: The Politics & Organization of the Catholic Church, and an analyst for The National Catholic Reporter.Only three major officials keep their posts in the period between Benedict's resignation and a successor elected: The vicar of the diocese of Rome who cares for the city's pastoral needs; the major penitentiary who deals with the Holy See's confessional needs so there is always access to forgiveness; and the camerlengo, Bertone, who will deal with property and financial decisions for the Vatican for the time being.During the period between popes, Bertone will report to the College of Cardinals. But the electors — the cardinals under the age of 80 — are limited in what they can do until they choose a new pope.As of Thursday, there were 117 cardinals eligible to vote but only 115 are expected in Rome. An Indonesian cardinal is too ill to travel and Scottish Cardinal Keith O'Brien, embroiled in allegations of misconduct with men in the 1980s, said Monday he will not come to vote.Between now and the secret conclave, Rome is slowly filling with cardinals shmoozing with each other about what the church needs most in a new vicar of Christ and who is the ultimate papabile — Italian for someone with the qualities of a pope.Whomever wins should react with both surprise and humility: Public campaigning for the post has been strictly forbidden since the Fifth Century. Italian cardinals and those who serve in the curia have "home field advantage," Reese says. They can host private dinners in their apartments, out of the public eye.On the eve of the conclave, the electors will move into a special Vatican residence, the Domus Sanctae Marthae, with 105 two-room suites and 26 single rooms built in 1996.They can't move in now because room assignments will be made by drawing lots, Vatican spokesman Frederico Lombardi says. And besides, the rooms aren't ready. They're being aired out, cleaned and swept for communications bugs — a routine procedure, he said.
Once inside the Sistine Chapel, there will be no outside communications. In the age of Twitter, the world will still have to wait for white smoke and the sounding of the biggest bell at St. Peter's Basilica, to find out who is the new pope.His Holiness Benedict XVI Roman Pontiff Emeritus will rest at Castel Gandolfo, the papal retreat, when someone new assumes the title of His Holiness the Pope and 10 more — Bishop of Rome; Vicar of Jesus Christ; successor of St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles, Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, Patriarch of the West, Primate of Italy, Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Roman Province, Sovereign of the State of Vatican City, and Servant of the Servants of God.
For now, the busiest people in Rome may be the tailors at Gammarelli ecclesiastical tailoring shop. They're stitching up the vestments for the new pope in small, medium and large sizes so that whoever is chosen will fit right in.
Pope Set for Vatican Airlift as Cardinals Size Up Dossier
By Jeffrey Donovan -
Feb 27, 2013 6:01 PM ET
The pope, 85, will cease being leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics at 8 p.m. Rome time after being flown by helicopter to the papal summer residence south of the Italian capital in Castel Gandolfo. Swiss guards who’ve protected him since his election in 2004 will abandon their station at the doors of the 17th-century villa, leaving the task to Vatican gendarmes.
The gardens of the Pontifical
residence of Castel Gandolfo, 10 miles south of Rome. It's the summer
residence of Popes and will host Pope Benedict XVI during the next
conclave. Photographer: Franco Origlia/Getty Images
Preparing Conclave
Prior to the conclave to elect a new pontiff, cardinals will hold preliminary talks to discuss its timing and other issues, probably starting on March 4, according to Lombardi. The talks will involve about 100 cardinals who exceed the voting-age limit of 80 as well as the 115 who are set to join the secret gathering in the Sistine Chapel later next month.Benedict’s papacy, which began after he spent a quarter- century as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican’s doctrinal office, was marked by upheaval. At the outset of his almost eight-year reign, the church was accused of doing too little to punish pedophile priests and covering up evidence of abuse from the U.S. and Ireland to his native Germany.A theologian by training, the former professor initially lagged in his response. After a period of silence, he oversaw the publishing of the first Vatican guidelines for dealing with clerics accused of abusing children. He also began to speak out publicly against what he called the “cloud of filth” that had soiled the church.‘Evil, Corruption’
Still, the 85-year-old struggled to tame intrigue during his final year in power. His butler stole his personal papers and handed them to an Italian reporter, who published a book portraying Benedict as being undermined by Bertone in a swirl of palace intrigue.Gabriele indicated he’d leaked the documents to protect the pope and expose “evil and corruption” inside the Vatican. Benedict pardoned him last month after he’d been sentenced to 18 months in a Vatican jail for theft.The pontiff ordered a probe into “Vatileaks,” as the case is called. This week, he met with the three cardinals who spearheaded the investigation: Julian Herranz, Jozef Tomko and Salvatore De Giorgi. They handed their 300-page dossier on the case to the pope in December.While the pope said he lacked the strength to lead the church when he announced his intention to resign on Feb. 11, Italian magazine Panorama and La Repubblica newspaper reported last week that he had decided to step down after receiving the secret file. It detailed a Vatican network of sex and graft that made some prelates vulnerable to blackmail, the press reports said, citing unidentified people close to the investigation.Vatican Rebuke
In a rare public rebuke, the Vatican lashed out at the media last weekend, accusing journalists of “widespread distribution of often unverified, unverifiable or completely false news stories” that amounted to an attempt “to exert pressure” on the cardinals who will gather for the conclave.Still, after the pope met with the dossier’s authors on Feb. 25, the Vatican said in a statement their probe was able to identify “those who work with uprightness and generosity in the Holy See.” While the document will remain secret before being handed to the future pope, its authors may discuss it with other cardinals during pre-conclave talks, Lombardi said.“The people responsible for it, including the three cardinals who were members of the investigation team, will know to what extent they may and must give useful information to those who ask for it in order to evaluate the situation and choose a new pope,” the spokesman told reporters at a Vatican briefing on Feb. 25.Christ’s Life
A bookish scholar, Benedict spent years penning by hand his philosophical take on life of Jesus Christ in a three-volume book. He opposed “moral relativism,” the idea that truth is malleable and can be adjusted to lifestyles, and considered it his mission to resist changes sweeping modern society.Speculation that the pope has struggled to tame intrigue has been fueled by his own words. He used a Feb. 13 sermon to speak out about the church’s “sometimes disfigured face” and a Feb. 23 message to the Curia to lament the “evil, suffering and corruption” that has defaced the centuries-old institution.He’ll return to a Vatican convent in two months to live out his days in prayer with the title “pope emeritus,” according to Lombardi. “He’s going to imitate Christ” and teach “the whole church, and the world as well, by his decision to resign and devote himself to prayer,” Moynihan said in an e-mailed comment on Feb. 24.Yesterday, in his last address in front of 150,000 people in St. Peter’s Square, Benedict reminisced, saying he had seen moments of “joy and light” during his papacy as well as times when “it seemed like the Lord was sleeping.” The faithful must be joyous in living a life that’s “coherent” with their beliefs, the pope said.To contact the reporter on this story: Jeffrey Donovan in Prague at jdonovan26@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Balazs Penz at bpenz@bloomberg.net
Pope Benedict's last day: what happens now?
Pope Benedict XVI's historic departure on Thursday sets in motion a timetable of centuries-old traditions after he steps down in a resignation that is unprecedented in modern Catholic history. Here is what to expect in the coming weeks.
Pope Benedict waves from the altar as he arrives on St Peter's square for his last weekly audience Photo: GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images
"Sede Vacante"
The Catholic Church enters a period known as "Sede Vacante" (Vacant
See) starting at 1900 GMT on Thursday during which a senior cardinal takes
over interim powers until a new pope is elected.
The cardinal, referred to as the "camerlengo" ("chamberlain"),
in this case will be Italy's Tarcisio Bertone - a powerful prelate whose
handling of Church affairs in recent years has been hugely divisive within
the Vatican hierarchy.The camerlengo has traditionally had the role of officially certifying the
death of a pope - he once did so by tapping the pontiff's forehead three
times with a special silver hammer and calling out his birth name.He is also charged with destroying the "Fisherman's Ring" - a gold
signet ring specially cast for each new pope - originally to prevent forgery
during the Sede Vacante. Today its destruction in the presence of the
cardinals at their first gathering of the Sede Vacante simply symbolises the
end of a papacy.
General congregations
Starting on Monday, cardinals from around the world will hold a series of meetings known as "general congregations".The roundtables are ostensibly aimed at identifying the priorities for the Roman Catholic Church of the future but they are also a good way of vetting "papabili" - possible candidates for next pope.
Cardinals over 80 cannot vote in the conclave but are allowed to take part in these meetings, which also include meditations.The cardinals will decide on a date for the conclave, which Benedict has decreed may begin earlier than the traditional timetable of 15 to 20 days after the start of the Sede Vacante, given that no mourning period is needed.
The conclave
Cardinals will meet in a secret conclave to choose the next pope from among their peers under a system adopted in the 13th century. Conclave literally means "with a key", reflecting the cardinals' seclusion without permission to leave until a new pope is found.All conclaves have been held in the Sistine Chapel - a Renaissance jewel adorned with Michelangelo's frescoes on its ceiling and walls - since the late 19th century.
The cardinals are sworn to absolute secrecy, under pain of ex-communication, during the voting. Two ballots are held in the morning, and two in the afternoon, until one candidate wins two-thirds of the votes.
At the end of each session, the ballots are burned in a stove by the chapel, releasing smoke above the Apostolic Palace. The smoke is black after each unsuccessful ballot, white once the vote succeeds. The bells of St Peter's will peal to accompany the white smoke.The new pope will be led into a tiny sacristy by the Sistine Chapel known as the "sala delle lacrime" or room of tears where he can ponder the immense duty before him.The dean of the College of Cardinals, currently Cardinal Angelo Sodano, will ask the newly chosen pontiff if he accepts his election, and if the answer is yes, he immediately becomes the bishop of Rome and pope. He also chooses the name he wishes to use, a centuries-old tradition.The new pope is helped into his vestments (three sets are prepared of different sizes), and one by one the cardinals pay homage to him.Shortly afterwards he appears on the loggia of St Peter's Basilica. The senior cardinal deacon, currently Jean-Louis Tauran, will then pronounce the famous phrase in Latin: "Habemus Papam!" (We have a pope!).Source: AFP
02/27/2013 VATICAN INSIDER
Benedict XVI: “I do not abandon the cross”
Benedict XVI's last General Audience
Benedict XVI’s last General Audience. The reasons for the Pope’s resignation and faith in the Catholic Church
Alessandro Speciale vatican city “I do not abandon the cross”: In his last public appearance as Pope at today’s General Audience, in a St. Peter’s Square full to the brim with cardinals and simple faithful, Pope Benedict XVI made one last attempt to explain the innermost reasons for his unprecedented resignation. Addressing his 150,000-strong audience, the Pope said he was aware of the “gravity” and “novelty” of his decision but that he had taken this step “with a deep peace of mind” and “great trust” in the Church.This is the first time Benedict XVI spoke so extensively about the reasons that led him to become the first Pope to resign in 600 years. His catechesis was an indirect response to the doubts expressed by many within the Church in recent weeks.Twice the Pope cast his audience’s mind back to the day of his election – 19 April 2005 – reiterating that the commitment he took on that day was “forever”. “He who assumes the Petrine ministry no longer has any privacy. He belongs always and totally to everyone, to the whole Church. His life is, so to speak, totally deprived of the private sphere,” what with all the “pastoral visits”, “public encounters”, “Audiences” and “travelling” he must undertake.Ratzinger explained to Catholics from al lover the world that his resignation in no way means “he is abandon[ing] the cross, but remain in a new way near to the Crucified Lord.” Although Benedict XVI will no longer be governing the Church, “in the service of prayer I remain, so to speak, within St. Peter’s bounds,” he said. This message sheds more light on the reason for his decision to adopt the title “Emeritus Pope” when he resigns and to continue to dress in the papal colour white. He announced this decision yesterday.His decision to resign was an easy one, the Pope admitted, but “loving the Church also means having the courage to make difficult, trying choices, having ever before oneself the good of the Church and not one’s own. “Benedict XVI also looked back at his eight years as Pope, a time which has seen “moments joy and light, but also difficult moments.” Ratzinger evoked the image of the Church as St. Peter’s boat, one he had already used to condemn the failings of the Church ahead of the Conclave which elected him Pope. “The Lord has given us many days of sunshine and gentle breeze days in which the catch has been abundant; [then] there have been times when the seas were rough and the wind against us and the Lord seemed to sleep,” Benedict XVI said. In response to the numerous conspiracy theories and behind-the-scenes events of recent weeks, the Pope said “I have not ever felt myself alone in bearing either the joys or the weight of the Petrine ministry.”But even now that he is faced with so many personal and collective difficulties, the Pope wished to place an emphasis on faith in his last public speech: “Today my heart is filled with gratitude to God, for never did He leave me or the Church without His consolation, His light, His love.” “I see the Church is alive,” the Pope added in an off-the-cuff comment at the beginning of his speech, as he looked across St. Peter’s Square at the thousands of people who had broken into applause. Finally, Benedict XVI expressed his gratitude to all: firstly to the cardinals, starting with the Secretary of State, Tarcisio Bertone who “has stood faithfully by his side throughout [his] papacy,” the various members of the Church, accredited diplomats and all those who work in the communications sector as he recognised that relations with the media have not always been easy during his pontificate.
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BENEDICT XVI's FINAL GENERAL AUDIENCE OFFICIAL TEXT IN ENGLISH
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POPE BENEDICT XVI’s LAST GENERAL AUDIENCE - 27/02/2
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Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate and in the Priesthood.Distinguished Authorities!Dear brothers and sisters!
Thank you for coming in such large numbers to the last General Audience of my pontificate.Like the Apostle Paul in the biblical text that we have heard, I feel in my heart the paramount duty to thank God, who guides the Church and makes her grow: who sows His Word and thus nourishes the faith in His people. At this moment my spirit reaches out to embrace the whole Church throughout the world, and I thank God for the “news”that in these years of Petrine ministry I have been able to receive regarding the faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and the charity that circulates in the body of the Church – charity that makes the Church to live in love – and of the hope that opens for us the way towards the fullness of life, and directs u
s towards the heavenly homeland.I feel I [ought to] carry everyone in prayer, in a present that is God’s, where I recall every meeting, every voyage, every pastoral visit. I gather everyone and every thing in prayerful recollection, in order to entrust them to the Lord: in order that we might have full knowledge of His will, with every wisdom and spiritual understanding, and in order that we might comport ourselves in a manner that is worthy of Him, of His, bearing fruit in every good work (c
f. Col 1:9-10).At this time, I have within myself a great trust [in God], because I know – all of us know – that the Gospel’s word of truth is the strength of the Church: it is her life. The Gospel purifies and renews: it bears fruit wherever the community of believers hears and welcomes the grace of God in truth and lives in charity. This is my faith, this
is my joy.When, almost eight years ago, on April 19th, [2005], I agreed to take on the Petrine ministry, I held steadfast in thiscertainty, which has always accompanied me. In that moment, as I have already stated several times, the words that
resounded in my heart were: “Lord, what do you ask of me? It a great weight that You place on my shoulders, but, if You ask me, at your word I will throw out the nets,sure that you will guide me” – and the Lord really has guided me.He has been close to me: daily could I feel His presence. [These years] have been a stretch of the Church’s pilgrim way,which has seen moments joy and light, but also difficult moments. I have felt like St. Peter with the Apostles in the boat on the Sea of Galilee: the Lord has given us many days of sunshine and gentle breeze, days in which the catch has been abundant; [then] there have been times when the seas were rough and the wind against us, as in the whole history of the Church it has ever been - and the Lord seemed to sleep. Nevertheless, I always knew that the Lord is in the barque, 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 besure, he does so also through men of His choosing,for He desired that it be so. This was and is a certainty that nothing can tarnish. It is for this reason, that today my heart is filled with gratitude to God, for never did He leave me or the Church without His consolation, His light, His love
.
We are in the Year of Faith, which I desired in order to strengthen our own faith in God in a context that seems to push faith more and more toward the margins of life. I would like to invite everyone to renew firm trust in the Lord. I would like that we all, entrust ourselves as children to the arms of God, and rest assured that those arms support us and us to walk every day, even in times of struggle. I would like everyone to feel loved by the God who gave His Son for us and showed us His boundless love. I want everyone to feel the joy of being Christian. In a beautiful prayer to be recited daily in the morning says, “I adore you, my God, I love you with all my heart. I thank You for having created me, for having made me a Christian.” Yes, we are happy for the gift of faith: it is the most precious good, that no one can take from us! Let us thank God for this every day, with prayer and with a coherent Christian life. God loves us, but He also expects that we love Him!
At this time, however, it is not only God, whom I desire to thank. A Pope is not alone in guiding St.Peter’s barque,even if it is his first responsibility – and I have not ever felt myself alone in bearing either the joys or the weight of the Petrine ministry. The Lord has placed next to me many people, who, with generosity and love for God and the Church,have helped me and been close to me. First of all you, dear Brother Cardinals: your wisdom, your counsels, your friendship, were all precious to me. My collaborators, starting with my Secretary of State, who accompanied me faithfully over the years, the Secretariat of State and the whole Roman Curia, as well as all those who, in various areas,give their service to the Holy See: the many faces which never emerge, but remain in the background, in silence, in their daily commitment, with a spirit of faith and humility. They have been for me a sure and reliable support. A special thought [goes] to the Church of Rome, my diocese! I can not forget the Brothers in the Episcopate and in the Priesthood, the consecrated persons and the entire People of God: in pastoral visits, in public encounters, at Audiences,in traveling, I have always received great care and
deep affection; I also loved each and every one, without exception,with that pastoral charity which is the heart of every shepherd, especially the Bishop of Rome, the Successor of the Apostle Peter. Every day I carried each of you in m
y prayers, with the father's heart.I wish my greetings and my thanks to reach everyone: the heart of a Pope expands to [embrace] the whole world. I would like to express my gratitude to the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See, which makes present the great family of nations. Here I also think of all those who work for good communication, whom I thank for their important service.At this point I would like to offer heartfelt thanks to all the many people throughout the whole world, who, in recent weeks have sent me moving tokens of concern, friendship and prayer. Yes, the Pope is never alone: now I experience this [truth] again in a way so great as to touch my very heart. The Pope belongs to everyone, and so m
any people feel very close to him. It’s true that I receive letters from the world's greatest figures - from the Heads
of State, religious leaders, representatives of the world of culture and so on. I also receive many letters from ordinary
people who write to me simply from their heart and let me feel their affection, which is born of our being together in Chr
ist Jesus, in the Church. These people do not write me as one might write, for example, to a prince or a great figure on
e does not know.They write as brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, with the sense of very affectionate family tie
s. Here, one can touch what the Church is – not an organization, not an association for religious or humanitarian purpo
ses, but a living body, a community of brothers and sisters in the Body of Jesus Christ, who unites us all. To experienc
e 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.In recent months, I felt that my strength had decreased, and I asked God with insistence in prayer to enlighten me with His light to make me take the right decision – not for my sake, but for the good of the Church. I have taken this step in full awareness of its severity and also its novelty, but with a deep peace of mind. Loving the Church also means having the courage to make difficult, trying choices, having ever before oneself the good of the Church and not one’s own.Here allow me to return once again to April 19, 2005. The gravity of the decision was precisely in the fact that from that moment on I was committed always and forever by the Lord. Always – he, who assumes the Petrine ministry no longer has any privacy. He belongs always and totally to everyone, to the whole Church. His life is, so to speak, totally deprived of the private sphere. I have felt, and I feel even in this very moment, that one receives one’s life precisely when he offers it as a gift. 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 soon. I do not abandon the cross, but remain in a new way near to the Crucified Lord. I no longer wield
the power of the office for the government of the Church, but in the service of prayer I remain, so to speak, within St
. Peter’s bounds. St.Benedict, whose name I bear as Pope, shall be a great example in this for me. He showed us the way to
a life which,active or passive, belongs wholly to the work of God.I thank each and every one of you for the respect and understanding with which you have welcomed this important decision. I continue to accompany the Church on her
way through prayer and reflection, with the dedication to the Lord and to His Bride, which I have hitherto tried to li
ve daily and that I would live forever. I ask you to remember me before God, and above all to pray for the Cardinals, who a
re called to so important a task, and for the new Successor of Peter,that the Lord might accompany him with the light an
d the power of His Spirit.Let us invoke the maternal intercession of Mary, Mother of God and of the Church, that she might accompany each of us and the whole ecclesial community: to her we entrust ourselves, with deep trust.Dear friends! God guides His Church, maintains her always, and especially in difficult times. Let us never lose this vision of faith, which is the only true vision of the way of the Church and the world. In our heart, in the heart of each of you, let there be always the joyous certainty that the Lord is near, that He does not abandon us, that He is near to us and that He surrounds us with His love. Thank you.
