In 2013, on this day 11 February, Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, Benedict XVI announced that he would abdicate.
There are still a lot of unanswered questions about his resignation. There were several strange events that preceded his announcement. Time has exacerbated the controversies.
The evening after the Pope’s announcement, lightning struck the dome of St Peter’s Basilica. Coincidence? Could be. Portentous? At least.
Perhaps not as portentous as when Benedict left his pallium on the tomb of Celestine V.
We are still, frankly, reeling from that announcement and the subsequent conclave, as the recent controversy surrounded the excellent new book by Card. Sarah and Benedict XVI.
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The Dark One had its fix in …
I will NEVER forget that day, the eve of my Baptism into the Church. As I was watching the surreal helicopter ride I called my RCIA Instructor who was equally stunned. I was, and am, deeply grieved.
The two institutions that I have always treasured have been my church and my country. One established by God, the other established by far seeing men. They have given me a sense of security that is beyond words. At the present time they are both under assault by pernicious utopians. Any entity run by men is prone to errors, but in the past these errors never included the dismantling of the very essence of the institution. Our Blessed Mother has warned us of the dangers we are now encountering in our church. As for our country, I can only blame our material success that has made us too complacent.
In my comments I am referring to Pope Francis, and the Democratic nominees.
As others have pointed out, Pope Benedict knows more about the spiritual and temporal state of the Church than anyone on our planet. If he leaves us without speaking up, the loss cannot be recovered. On the other, controversy about The Book (where he did speak up) just may erupt the dormant volcano. I was raised up into this Church thanks to his gentle brilliance, and his words were so much ignored when he reigned. There is so much behind the truth of his resignation. We need him. Please pray for him.
The biggest unanswered question is the use of the term in the purported resignation “(active) ministry” versus “office”.
I still find his abdication difficult to understand, being literally ignorant about his circumstances and what he could see from the top of the mountain, while I’m halfway down one side. Having just turned 60, people have begun asking me when I’m going to retire. I reply that I do not know, but that one morning I’ll awake and say, “I’m finished.” (with my day job) Perhaps that happened to him. A tipping point that was inchoate for a time, but suddenly became clear.
Whatever the full truth about his resignation was, I doubt we will ever have the complete story. But we can be grateful for his great legacy, now under attack, and for his willingness to speak up to defend it with Cardinal Sarah. I believe that book caused the forces of rupture and Modernism to wake up to the fact that there is only so much the people of God will tolerate. The battle will continue to rage, but we have gotten a breather in the fight.
God bless and protect the Pontifex Emeritus.