RAW: Pope Benedict XVI announces resignation in statement < br />

2013-02-11 18:17:28 GMT+7 (ICT)

VATICAN CITY (BNO NEWS) -- Pope Benedict XVI will step down as head of the Catholic Church at the end of this month, he announced in a statement released by the Vatican on Monday afternoon, saying his strengths are no longer sufficient to adequately exercise his duties due to his age.

Below is the pope's full statement:

"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 fulfill 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.

BENEDICTUS PP XVI"

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2013-02-11

Wow. That was a quick one! I really preferred how the last Pope handled decline and death much better. That was really inspirational whether you're religious or not.

Is it common for Popes to resign? I had thought it was a lifetime job.

Not that I'll miss him. It was obvious from the start that his role was transitional.

Edited February 11, 201313 yr by Jingthing

The Pope before John Paul II lasted only 33 days in 1978.

don't care

The last tweet few days back..

https://twitter.com/Pontifex/status/300562757705678848

We must trust in the mighty power of God’s mercy. We are all sinners, but His grace transforms us and makes us new.

Heading for Pattaya on a retirement visa?

The last time a Pope resigned was 600 years ago. They usually die in the job.

I wonder if this was a preemptive move to head off a developing scandal; no purple smoke without fire and all that.

I wonder if this was a preemptive move to head off a developing scandal; no purple smoke without fire and all that.

Stop reading into what is not written, maybe he is retiring to spend more time with the kids

I take my hat off to the bloke. Good for him, the changing world of his believers need a strong guy at the fore.

Ban all religions. They just cause trouble.

I saw a press suggestion that this action was a kind of rebuke/criticism of the last Pope who served for many years so weak in health. It is possible he means to set a modern precedent for future Popes to feel free to resign when the time is right.

Pulling out early, not a first for a person of the cloth.

Was that ever established in a court of law ?

Was a coin or 2 spent over the years to avoid a court room as far as Iam aware, so no not established in a court of law.

I please everybody to keep respect for a religion and for its major exponent

Some inappropriate posts have been removed

Good riddance. Now get in someone who wasn't a member of the Hitler Youth, and who doesn't protect paedophiles.

It needs someone new and strong who can forced every country to hand over its abusers to the authorities, and make reparations to the thousands of victims still out there.

Until it does, the Catholic church will always be considered an evil cult as far as I'm concerned.

Good riddance. Now get in someone who wasn't a member of the Hitler Youth, and who doesn't protect paedophiles.

It needs someone new and strong who can forced every country to hand over its abusers to the authorities, and make reparations to the thousands of victims still out there.

Until it does, the Catholic church will always be considered an evil cult as far as I'm concerned.

Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson

Country: Ghana

Position: President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace

Age: 63

Likelihood: Highest odds according to Paddy Power: 2/1, which seems way high to us even though he is a very strong candidate.

What His Election Would Mean: That the Cardinals recognize the future isn't in Benedict's Europe but in the explosive growth of the Church in the "global South"

Reasons He'll Get Elected: He is a superstar in the College of Cardinals, a great communicator, and symbol of the global reach of the Church.

Reasons He Might Not Get Elected: The Catholic Church in Africa can be very disconnected from the Church that the majority of the European Cardinals live in. In Africa the top issues aren't sexual politics and theological disputes, they are exorcism, animism, the growth of Islam, and condemnation of Western economic policy.

I saw a press suggestion that this action was a kind of rebuke/criticism of the last Pope who served for many years so weak in health. It is possible he means to set a modern precedent for future Popes to feel free to resign when the time is right.

It would be great If everybody abided by the "Peter Principal" which essentialy says ...." When you have reached your level of incompetence accept it and move onto whatever ... which may be = "Stay where you are wherin you are performing at top notch and will be remembered as a Top Person and then at that point don't try to go higher on the ladder / or if even that is becoming too much to handle then leave / quit if even it's a hard blow to the ego.... Just know when to quit and pass it onto someone else who can and will do better .= RETIRE !! and do something else that will be more beneficial to all including your self ////

Stop reading into what is not written, maybe he is retiring to spend more time with the kids

LOL..... not another Pedophile case in the making ?

I saw a press suggestion that this action was a kind of rebuke/criticism of the last Pope who served for many years so weak in health. It is possible he means to set a modern precedent for future Popes to feel free to resign when the time is right.

It would be great If everybody abided by the "Peter Principal" which essentialy says ...." When you have reached your level of incompetence accept it and move onto whatever ... which may be = "Stay where you are wherin you are performing at top notch and will be remembered as a Top Person and then at that point don't try to go higher on the ladder / or if even that is becoming too much to handle then leave / quit if even it's a hard blow to the ego.... Just know when to quit and pass it onto someone else who can and will do better .= RETIRE !! and do something else that will be more beneficial to all including your self ////

I didn't realise there was a name for it - the Peter Principal - but that's what I did and why I'm here.

Unfortunately, this will change absolutely nothing.

I please everybody to keep respect for a religion and for its major exponent

The moment the Catholic Church declares pedophilia a bigger crime than homosexuality (and hands over the accused priests to justice instead of hiding them)...

The moment, the Catholic Church decides that the lives of women and children are worth more than a useless discussion about condoms...

The moment, the Catholic Church actively promotes womens rights...

The moment, the Catholic Church is willing to enter (at least) the 20th century...

...they will have my full respect!

Until that day....NO &lt;deleted&gt; WAY!

So what do you call an ex-Pope who is living?

(Will he now become “former Pope” or “ex-Pope” or “Pope emeritus”?) (Or “Joseph Ratzinger”?)

Apparently, he didn't want to be Pope in the first place.

This guy is getting more interesting now that he is going away.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/achenblog/wp/2013/02/11/pope-benedict-xvi-calls-it-quits

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