The end of an era: Pope Benedict's XVI's eight year papacy

Rachel Alcock-Hodgson looks back on the eight year tenure of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI.In an almost unprecedented move, Pope Benedict XVI is to resign from office at the end of the month after an announcement on Monday.

Having been elected at the age of 78 in 2005, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (Benedict XVI) was one of the oldest new popes in history. He is now the first Pope to resign in 600 years. At the age of 85, he says old age has made it impossible to carry out the job as it needs to be done.

Pope Benedict XVI attends a meeting with young believers in Genoa in 2008. All photo credits to Vincenzo Pinto/AFP/Getty Images 

The Pope’s announcement left his cardinals reeling. One of those called to hear the announcement, the Mexican prelate Monsignor Dr Oscar Sánchez, said none of the cardinals had expected it. “The Pope took a sheet of paper and read from it. He just said that he was resigning and that he would be finishing on February 28… The cardinals were just looking at one another. Then the Pope got to his feet, gave his benediction and left. It was so simple; the simplest thing imaginable. Extraordinary. Nobody expected it. Then we all left in silence. There was absolute silence … and sadness.”Even the official spokesperson for the Vatican admitted he had been taken by surprise. But the brother of the German-born Pope said the pontiff had been advised by his doctor not to take any more transatlantic trips and had been considering stepping down for months. The BBC’s David Willey in Rome, said that although the news was a shock, the signs had been there to read. The 2013 Easter vigil mass, perhaps the most important liturgy of the year, usually celebrated at midnight, had been scheduled for early evening this year to allow the Pope to retire well before midnight.

In his statement the pontiff said that “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 steer the ship of Saint 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 recognise my incapacity to adequately fulfil the ministry entrusted to me.”

His resignation shows an acknowledgement of the rigours of the job and moreover the “strength of mind and body” required to steer the church through the modern age.

Overshadowed by sexual abuse scandals, Pope Benedict’s papacy has received mixed reactions. He has said that he never wanted to be Pope and as a piano-playing academic, was a direct contrast to the charismatic John Paul II. However, he was not the out-and-out reactionary that he was predicted to be. He oversaw a number of modernisations especially in engagement with the media as the Holy See began to communicate to the world via the Internet and Twitter (the latter sometimes in his beloved Latin – the language he used for his resignation statement).

Pope Benedict XVI has remained theologically conservative during his papacy. All photo credits to Alessandra Benedetti/Corbis

He did remain theologically conservative throughout his tenure. To a rapidly changing modern Western world, his pronouncements on gay marriage seemed harsh and out of kilter with the changing times. But this was a man who was suspicious of making accommodations to a fickle and individualistic world hell bent on the pursuit of pleasure.

Regarding the question of contraception, he argued that condoms should be used by prostitutes but that they were not an answer to “the evil of HIV infection” and that the “sheer fixation on the condom implies a banalisation of sexuality” where sexuality is no longer an expression of love, “but only a sort of drug that people administer to themselves.”

In contrast to John Paul II, he met time and again with victims of sex abuse and took action against some of those who the institutional Church had sheltered for decades. But he lacked the energy and focus for substantial reform of the various Vatican ministries that would have made the actions of bishops and priests transparent and truly accountable – a huge task for any man, let alone an ageing academic.

One of the organisations representing victims of Catholic clergy in Ireland’s notorious orphanages and industrial schools, said the outgoing pontiff had broken his promise to offer justice for the crimes of priests and other members of religious orders. John Kelly, co-founder of Irish Survivors of Child Abuse, said: “In our view we were let down in terms of promises of inquiries, reform and most importantly of all the Vatican continuing not to acknowledge that any priest or religious found guilty of child abuse would face the civil authorities and be tried for their crimes in the courts.”

While a resignation in full freedom and properly published is fully within the rights of a Pope, it is extremely rare and has created a furore in the European media. Ezio Mauro, chief editor of Italy’s La Repubblica daily calls the Pope’s shock resignation on health grounds an “eruption of modernity”. The editor of German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, Bernd Riegert, calls the Pope’s move “a courageous step, a revolutionary step”. “He has helped himself to freedom, he is setting boundaries. No longer will successors be able to cling onto their office.”

It is unclear who the successor will be, but Benedict’s resignation seems to be a mark of the increasing awareness of the Catholic Church’s need for modernisation.

Papal resignation and abdication: what's the problem?

Arthur der Weduwen explores the age-old controversy created by abdication and resignation.

Saying goodbye. Picture credits: Catholic Church (England and Wales)

The announcement of the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI has shocked the political and religious community of the world. The BBC covered the announcement with a special section of quotes from reactions of different world leaders, such as David Cameron, Mario Monti, Angela Merkel, and the Vatican itself. Other notable commentators included Christine Boutin, of France’s Christian Democratic Party, who stated that “…this is shocking, very shocking, unheard of for the Catholics and certainly for the entire world.”

The unprecedented nature of Benedict’s resignation is the most prominent item in the majority of reactions. Everywhere comments are made regarding the fact that it has been around 600 years since the last pope resigned. It was in fact 1415 when Pope Gregory XII resigned due to papal strife. Before him, four pontiffs had also resigned from the post, due to a variety of reasons: John XVIII in 1009 due to ill health, Benedict IX in 1045 for financial advantage, his successor Gregory VI a year later as it was claimed he bought the office from Benedict, and Celestine V in 1294, who officially decreed that it was legal to resign as pope, and subsequently lived as a hermit.

Similar shock erupted internationally when Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands announced several weeks ago that she would abdicate in April. The BBC claimed that there “was probably not going to be a constitutional crisis”. This claim seems absurd to Dutch ears. Of course a ‘constitutional crisis’ wasn’t going to occur. Beatrix will be the third Dutch monarch to abdicate due to old age, a common and rather expected decision in the Netherlands. There are many other instances throughout history of abdications, all for a variety of reasons once again. In Medieval Japan, it was highly appropriate for an Emperor to resign and live the rest of his life in pampered retirement. More recent examples include that of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Jean, and the King of Belgium, Leopold III.

The reason for the international and Anglican shock has origins in the stigma attached to the resignation of a monarch. Edward VIII resigned in 1936 voluntarily, in an event now known as the “abdication crisis”. The mere phrasing of the event portrays the gravity of the emotions associated with a resignation of an important leader. However, this does not seem to be well-founded anymore. There are few monarchies remaining in the 21^st century, and those that still stand do not exercise any autocratic control: the majority of monarchies are purely symbolic. While the Pope’s role is much more than simply symbolic, his position is not much different. He is an elected leader, and elected leaders have the right to resign whenever they wish, even if the justification is unreasonable. Benedict’s reason is highly justifiable, as he states that his old age will prevent him from further continuing his duties. I therefore do not see why one should be shocked.

The announcement of the resignation of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands was met with similar shock several weeks ago. Picture credits: CamerOB

In conclusion, it is a wise move for Benedict to resign. A presiding leader, monarch or Pope should be able to tell when he or she is no longer able to take on all the responsibilities of such a role. While Benedict’s decision is relatively new and revolutionary, it should not be viewed as either unprecedented or strange. In a world where monarchs no longer hold absolute power, they should also be free to resign or abdicate whenever they see just, without fear of scandal or embarrassment. One may hope that Benedict will be followed as example in the future by other ageing leaders.

Pope Benedict XVI resigns unexpectedly: “I recognise my incapacity”

Hernán Romero reports on the Pope’s announcement of resignation and analyses its possible effects on the Catholic church.

It was in 2004 when I first walked down the marble halls of Saint Peter’s Basilica. Being Spanish, I was brought up in a Catholic society and was lucky to approach a confessional box at one of most sacred places of the Roman Catholic Church. As I confessed my sins I looked around, overwhelmed by the solid pillars, statues and carvings made of marble and gold. The immense and complex dome, illuminated by diffused sunrays, seemed unshakable.

Pope Benedict XVI blesses at the end of his Wednesday general audience. Picture credits: El Mundo, Economía y Negocios

On Monday 11^th February, Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation announcement caught everyone by surprise. Even most members of the Vatican clergy, who were present at the statement, were unsuspecting of the act. “For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter.” In such a way, Pope Benedict XVI pronounced his retirement from the Papacy, and will be known once again as Cardinal Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger “as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours.” This is possible according to Canon 332 of the Code of Canon Law of the Catholic Church, which states that: “if it should happen that the Roman Pontiff resigns his office, it is required for validity that he make the resignation freely and that it be duly manifested, but not that it be accepted by anyone.” In fact, it would be the first time in six centuries for a pontiff to take such a step.

The reason of this stepping down was apparently owed to his deteriorating health: “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 recognise my incapacity to adequately fulfil the ministry entrusted to me.” This has brought disbelief towards the validity of the justification.

Outside of the Catholic community, it is reasonable to say that the Pope was under a ‘turbulent journey,’ as Laurie Goodstein, from the New York Times puts it. The Pope’s handling of external affairs have proved a relentless task, accentuated by the clerical sexual abuse scandal, which in 2010 spread across world; the denial of significant facts of the Holocaust, manifested by bishop Richard Williamson, later suspended from his functions; and the arrest of the Pope’s personal butler after leaking confidential documents.

In addition to this, there has been a declining political influence of the Pope throughout history. When Pope Gregory XII resigned in 1415, he died two years later in a world where the Roman Catholic Church had civil power and acted as arbitrator of European Monarchs. Nowadays, the Vatican is merely recognised as a permanent observer state by the UN, with the sole power of participation in the debates and the co-sponsorship of draft resolutions. The attempts to resolve the struggles of influence, relevance and dispersion of the Catholic faith were recently displayed through modern era communication methods, such as with Pope Benedict XVI’s Twitter account, which was created not long before the year 2012 ended.

The Pope on Twitter. Picture credits: LeStudio1.com

Nevertheless, even from a Catholic perspective, I would find the Pope’s unprecedented resignation as questionable, given by the consistent portrayal of the pontiff’s devotion to the papacy for life, especially after seeing Pope John Paul II, who, despite his severe osteoarthritis, hearing problems and Parkinson’s disease, kept travelling and communicating around the world until his death.

It is true that anyone who has decaying health problems due to old age can justify incapacitation in any job. Yet, the Vatican should not see the Papacy as an actual job, but rather as a virtuous leadership role, who for a reason or another, was given to Joseph Ratzinger by the Papal conclave in the name of God. Pope Benedict XVI was not elected so that he would then resign due to age-related health problems. One must take such issues into account when they take on the role as pope. Resignation would definitely give the papacy a job-like image and further deteriorate its significance in today’s society.

Next time I visit Saint Peter’s Basilica, I will view it through different eyes due to the apparent precariousness of the Church, which has been recently highlighted by the papal resignation. I will see under the consolidated architectural scenario a rather unstable and unpredictable foundation.