Dear Brothers, I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonizations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the Church. After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry. I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering. However, in today’s world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the bark 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 recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfil...l the ministry entrusted to me. 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, entrusted to me by the Cardinals on 19 April 2005, in such a way, that as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant and a Conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have to be convoked by those whose competence it is.
Dear Brothers, I thank you most sincerely for all the love and work with which you have supported me in my ministry and I ask pardon for all my defects. And now, let us entrust the Holy Church to the care of Our Supreme Pastor, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and implore his holy Mother Mary, so that she may assist the Cardinal Fathers with her maternal solicitude, in electing a new Supreme Pontiff. With regard to myself, I wish to also devotedly serve the Holy Church of God in the future through a life dedicated to prayer. From the Vatican, 10 February 2013 BENEDICTUS PP XVI
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I will never forget that day when he was elected. I stood with a few dozen other Catholics and when the announcement was made, "Emitissime, Josephus Cardinalis Ratzinger" my fist and that of one other went into the air -- "yes!" while the others remained with their mouths gaping wide as to what they had just witnessed.
"Pray for me that I do not flea for fear of the wolves." Which of us can forget his request to us to pray for him. He did not seek the elevation to Bishop of Rome, indeed, after the election, his brother went to bed and wept. How many times did he try to retire as Cardinal Prefect to write and perhaps to teach and he was talked out of it by Pope John Paul II of blessed memory. Yet, he humbled himself to the desires of that holy pope and more importantly to the will of God, through the Holy Spirit.
How do we react to this news?
First, let us pray to God the Holy Spirit for a truly holy man as our next Pope.
Second, let us also understand that Canon Law provides for the abdication of a Pope. Canon 332 §2 states: "Should it happen that the Roman Pontiff resigns from his office, it is required for validity that the resignation be freely made and properly manifested, but it is not necessary that it be accepted by anyone." Nor of course, does he have to explain anymore than he already has in his letter. It is important to note that Pope John Paul II is known to have provided a letter should it become necessary to issue and Pope Pius XII signed a document that had he been kidnapped by the Nazis, a conclave should be held and that it should be considered as an abdication.
Let us also remember that the man, Joseph Ratzinger is nearly 86. He is a wise, wise man of deep spirituality and prayer. He is old, he is tired and he knows more than the rest of us. It is reported that he has been cautioned by his doctors about long flights. We can see from the Christmas Masses that he has, almost suddenly, become more frail. He knows more than anyone the crisis in which the Church finds itself and the work that must be done for the sake of souls. He knows as well, his own limitations. Truly, he saw from the inside the challenges of a Church headed by a Pope incapable of governing and the deceit and anarchy that was happening in the Church. Before that happens again, he is turning the Barque of Peter back to God and into the hand of its Founder and the Holy Spirit to provide for It, a new shepherd.
Thank you God for Papa Ratzinger.
Thank you Pope Benedict for your love, your vocation, your humility, your commitment, your intellect, your liturgical sensibility, your prayers, your kindness, your devotion, your faithfulness and for Summorum Pontificum.
May God bless you and keep you and may you know how much you are loved.
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3 comments:
I will miss him as Pope; he was awesome! I'm keeping him in my prayers and hoping that the next Pope elected can continue in his steps of the Reform of the Reform.
Vox: How should we react?
We Stay calm and Catholic on. The Holy Spirit hasn't failed the Church yet. I daresay He will NOT fail her now.
VATICAN NOT SINCERE IN SEEKING A DOCTRINAL SOLUTION WITH THE SSPX
The recent statement by Archbishop Gerhard Muller on their patience being limited indicates that the Vatican does not want a doctrinal solution to the SSPX issue which will say that the Council is traditional and in accord with the dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus and the Syllabus of Errors.
Instead the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Archbishop Muller wants the Society of St.Pius X (SSPX) to accept a false Vatican Council II in which salvation in Heaven is considered visible to us all on earth.This premise makes the Council modernist.
The SSPX and all good, non political Catholics are correct in rejecting this version of the Council.A reconciliation with the SSPX is possible if the CDF and the SSPX could acknowledge these three steps:
1. There is no explicit to us salvation, in the present times (2013) mentioned in Vatican Council II.
2. Since there is no explicit to us, physically visible salvation LG 16 etc does not contradict Ad Gentes 7 which says all need faith and baptism for salvation.
3. So LG 16 etc does not contradict extra ecclesiam nulla salus or the traditional teaching on other religions, both sides could agree upon this.
Archbishop Augustine Di Noia Vice President of Ecclesia Dei said elements of sanctification (LG 8) are exceptions to the dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus.So this is a break with the past.He mentioned this in the interview with Edward Pentin of the National Catholic Register. Those saved with 'elements of sanctification' in other religions are physically visible to the American Archbishop of Ecclesia Dei.So every one does not have to be a visible member of the Church for him. For him this irrationality(the dead who are saved are physically visible) is a contradiction to the dogma on salvation and to Vatican Council II (AG 7).
Bishop Gerhard Muller himself endorsed this leftist, irrational version of Vatican Council II in another interview with Edward Pentin.He said those saved in invincible ignorance are exceptions to the dogma. So for him the dogma is no more relevant for the present times.Invisible cases are exceptions.
Obviously a matured, rational German Archbishop is saying that he can physically see the dead saved in invincible ignorance. Otherwise how could invisible cases be an exception to the dogma ?
This version of the Council is a break with the past. The Archbishop himself recently said that those who interpret the Council as a break with the past, traditionalists and progressivists, are heretical.Archbishop Muller interpreted the Council to Edward Pentin as a break with the past.This was when he suggested that LG 16 (invincible ignorance) is an exception to the dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus.
Since the SSPX affirmed the dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus in their General Chapter Statement (July 19,2012) the SSPX should have called a Press Conference to point out the CDF Prefect's doctrinal error. How can invincible ignorance be an exception to extra ecclesiam nulla salus and Ad Gentes 7 when these cases are invisible for us ?How can Archbishop Muller interpret the Council as a break with the past when he suggested that LG 16 (invincible ignorance) is an exception to the dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus ?
If the CDF penalizes the SSPX it will be for not accepting the dead man walking version of Vatican Council II. The CDF Prefect will have lost his patience because the SSPX will not say 'Yes' to a Vatican Council II which says we can see the dead who are exceptions to the Syllabus of Errors and extra ecclesiam nulla salus.
Lionel Andrades
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