Papal Resignation

I was watching MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program at 6:00 this morning when Reuters moved the announcement that Pope Benedict XVI will resign at the end of the month.  We are told that Benedict lacks energy due to advancing age.  It's a fascinating moment in the history of Christendom, and I'm sure that lots of Catholics around the world are scratching their heads today.

Gregory XII

The last papal resignation came in 1415 when Gregory XII resigned his office in order to end the Western Schism (1378-1417).  Two Antipopes challenged Gregory's status in a fight which was far more political than spiritual.  The Council of Constance, meeting in Germany and attended by some 600 bishops, sought a resolution.  Gregory's resignation ended the unseemly impasse.  As for Gregory himself, he spent the rest of his life in "peaceful obscurity," as the Wikipedia article puts it.  I expect Benedict will do likewise.

This first resignation in over half a millennium will certainly change the Roman Catholic Church, but how the Church will change will not become clear for many years.  Benedict XVI and his predecessor have taken the Church down a very conservative, in some respects even reactionary, path.  They have also created a host of cardinals who share their theological and political viewpoints, and who are likely to elect someone sympathetic.  At this point, then, it seems a vain hope that the new pope will throw open the Vatican windows, as did the sharecroppers' son, Good Pope John XXIII (1958-63), during his all-too-brief pontificate.

Here at Presque Isle this morning we are experiencing warm temperatures and rain.  Our recent snow, compacted into ice on the roads, has a coating of water and is as slick as a skating rink.  It's a good day to stay home, make bread, and write my sermon for Ash Wednesday! •••