The announcement came as a great surprise to almost everyone. For the first time in 600 years a reigning Pope would step down. Pope Benedict XVI will no longer be the Pope effective February 28, 2013.
His stated reason is that he no longer has the strength needed to carry on as Pope. Benedict XVI said that he is leaving "for the good of the church." This Pope has proven to be every bit as conservative as many thought he would be. He seemed to believe that the reduction in the numbers of practicing Roman Catholics is not necessarily a bad thing; that a smaller group of more devout followers is preferable to a larger one who do not follow the Church dogma.
Consider me one of the large group of Catholics who do not follow all the Church dogma.
Pope Benedict XVI
(photo from the Associated Press)
I rarely endorse television documentaries, but there is a recent HBO documentary that goes deep inside the Catholic Church and the handling of the priest abuse scandals. If you have HBO and a DVR, I would definitely recommend that you look at "Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God." (You can see a review here) The documentary deals with the sex abuse scandals, especially with the evil priest Father Lawrence Murphy of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. He sexually abused some of the most vulnerable...children attending a school for the deaf. Over two hundred separate cases.
In 2001, then Cardinal Ratzinger (who became Pope Benedict XVI) directed that every sex abuse case be brought to him. Therefore he knew more than anyone else about sexual abuse of minors by priests.
We will likely never know what went on behind Vatican's closed doors. But we do know that justice was not done. That abusing priests were shielded. And that is such a shame for men who profess to be God's chosen.
So what will happen now? The College of Cardinals will elect a new Pope and life in the Catholic Church will proceed. As for Pope Benedict XVI? I, for one will be glad to bid farewell.
11 comments:
I am not Roman Catholic, but I share your opinions. Although the sex-abuse scandal is especially egregious, the Roman Catholic Church isn't the only church that has taken its eye off the ball. And they're not the only one to see their numbers fall, as more and more people find their churches becoming increasingly irrelevant. There are fairly clear instructions in the Gospels, but sometimes I wonder if the clergy has read them.
Ditto on Wayfarin' Stranger's comment. To me, the Pope and Vatican have little to nothing to do with anyone's relationship to their God. I'm a big fan of St. Francis, who shunned all the glitz and excesses of the church. His teachings resonant with me and he was a man I can and do admire.
Father, forgive...and yes, ditto on Wayfarin' Stranger's comment!
Thank you for this thoughtful post and the reference to the documentary, my friend.
i will be sure to check out the documentary! i was raised a Lutheran, went to church every sunday, prayed in school, had church attendance every monday, forced to go to church every sunday....i really hated it. when i turned 16 my father said i could chose to go to church or not. i really never went back.....
send me a message, i have a house question for you: kkruse747@gmail.com
xoxo
I had a feeling there was something going on with him; his reason being so vague.
It is such a shame that the Catholic faith has been tainted by so many. I will look for the documentary.
Suz
Hmmm. My spouse spent sad years as a child in a Catholic boarding school and a Catholic girls high school. She knows much of the sins of the churches clergy and also the good deeds that have been done. She can speak intelligently of the all of these and remains faithful to her beliefs, ever in the hope & expectation that changes will come and better days will be ahead.....
Interesting times for Roman Catholics and, indeed, for those of almost any organized religion.
I am not Catholic but will admit to being really fascinated by the process of electing a new Pope. And I feel as you do about the abuse and feel that the church should have and could have done much, much more to acknowledge the abuse and punish the abusers.
Thanks for your comments, everyone.
kks - I emailed you.
troutbirder - I always thought Mrs. TB was one smart cookie. She is absolutely right.
Am not Catholic. I find the abuse of children and how it was handled in the Church more than shocking. It is sad, in the fullest extent of the definition of the word. Trust is gone.
I also can't believe the birth control issues from the Vatican.
Funny, as I was starting to read this post, I thought, "I'll need to recommend in my comments that people watch Mea Maxima Culpa on HBO. I too, watched, and was stunned as the story unfolded. And, was even more stunned that Ratzinger was THE ONE who knew EVERYTHING. And, that HE became Pope. Wow. As you said, it's time for him to go, and for the church to embrace an entirely new outlook about truth and transparency.
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