Author Topic: Christian Pope Resigns because he's too weary to remain in office.  (Read 10437 times)

Big Uncle

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This is interesting about this pope. What do you think about the Pope resigning?

Vatican: Benedict XVI Too Weary To Remain Pope
By MARIA CHENG 02/11/13 03:47 PM ET EST   


LONDON — When he became pope at age 78, Benedict XVI was already the oldest pontiff elected in nearly 300 years. He's now 85, and in recent years he has slowed down significantly, cutting back his foreign travel and limiting his audiences.

The pope travels to the altar in St. Peter's Basilica on a moving platform to spare him the 100-yard (-meter) walk down the aisle. Occasionally he uses a cane. Late last year, people who were spending time with the pontiff emerged saying they found him weak and too tired to engage with what they were saying.

The Vatican stressed on Monday that no specific medical condition prompted Benedict's decision to become the first pontiff to resign in 600 years. Still, Benedict said his advanced age means he no longer has the necessary physical strength to lead the world's more than one billion Roman Catholics.

That Benedict is tired would be a perfectly normal diagnosis for an 85-year-old pope, even someone with no known serious health problems and a still-agile mind.

He has acknowledged having suffered a hemorrhagic stroke in 1991 that temporarily affected his vision, but he later made a full recovery. In 2009, the pope fell and suffered minor injuries when he broke one of his wrists while vacationing in the Alps.

A doctor familiar with the pope's medical team told The Associated Press on Monday that the pontiff has no grave or life-threatening illnesses. But, the doctor said, the pope – like many men his age – has suffered some prostate problems. Beyond that, the pope is simply old and tired, the doctor said on condition of anonymity.

According to the pope's brother Georg Ratzinger, the pontiff was told by his doctor not to take any more trans-Atlantic trips. In fact, the pontiff's only foreign trip this year was scheduled to be a July visit to Brazil for the church's World Youth Day.

Experts weren't surprised the pope's health problems were slowing him down.

"In someone who's 85 and has arthritis, the activities of being a pope will be a struggle," said Dr. Alan Silman, the medical director of Arthritis Research U.K. He said Pope Benedict most likely has osteoarthritis, which causes people to lose the cartilage at the end of their joints, making it difficult to move around without pain.


"It would be painful for him to kneel while he's praying and could be excruciating when he tries to get up again," Silman said, adding that for people with arthritis, even standing for long periods of time can be challenging.

Silman said some drugs could help ease the pain, but most would come with side effects such as drowsiness or stomach problems, which would likely be more serious in the elderly.

The doctor said it isn't clear whether the pope's arthritis would worsen with age. "It could be it's as bad as it's going to get," he said. "But it already sounds like he has it pretty bad and continuing with all the activities of being the pope won't help."

Joe Korner, a spokesman for Britain's Stroke Association, said having a mild stroke also could be a warning of a possible major stroke in the future. "I would imagine the pope has been warned this could happen and that he should make some changes to his lifestyle," Korner said, including reducing stress levels.

When he became pope, Benedict replaced John Paul, who died in 2005 at the age of 84. He was the Vatican's most-traveled pontiff, visiting 129 countries during his nearly 27-year papacy and had captured the world's affection like no other pope.

In the last year of his life, John Paul was forced to curtail his travels because of old age and illness, including trembling hands and slurred speech, an inability to walk or hold his head up, and other symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

jessicajameson

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Re: Christian Pope Resigns because he's too weary to remain in office.
« Reply #1 on: February 13, 2013, 06:05:40 PM »
The oldest person to ascend as the Pope, and the only Pope to ever resign. Pope Benedict XVI has gotten 2 spots in the Guinness Book of World Records :P

I think that it's a very noble move for the Pope to resign, and to let someone else who may be more fitting to lead the Church. It shows that he has a responsible head over his shoulders to know when his time is over. Some may want to hold on to the power that comes with being Pope, and hold on tight till their last breath!

This "resigning because I'm too weak" would never happen in the Buddhist monastic world though. You wouldn't hear of a sangha member who is too tired or weak to serve others. Look at His Holiness the Dalai Lama, 77 years old and still going strong!

http://www.dalailama.com/teachings/schedule

I'm now tuned in to see who the next Pope will be!

Q

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Re: Christian Pope Resigns because he's too weary to remain in office.
« Reply #2 on: February 13, 2013, 06:17:26 PM »
I think that it is actually wise for the pope to resign, due to his medical conditions. As it was stated in the article, the pope has accepted less and less audience due to his medical condition and even lessen his trips overseas. I think the very reason why he is resigning is for the benefit of the church as he could not do more.

Basically, to me, I think he has done a very selfless deed by putting his importance aside and stepping down so that a new pope can be elected.  Very kind indeed.

Of course, some people may argue that the pope just wants to retire and just treated this as any regular job. However, I do not think that is right because I am sure that he has great qualities in him for being able to touch so many people's lives while he was the pope for 7 years.

kris

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Re: Christian Pope Resigns because he's too weary to remain in office.
« Reply #3 on: February 15, 2013, 05:38:05 PM »
This is the first time in the history that a Pope actually resigns from the position. To me, it shows he is not a person who is attached to his position and power.

As a head of a spiritual and religious organization, Pope needs to interact with many on a daily basis, and a healthy body is necessary to carry out all the tasks.

I have one question though.. isn't there any practice he can do to improve his health condition??

Big Uncle

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Re: Christian Pope Resigns because he's too weary to remain in office.
« Reply #4 on: February 16, 2013, 09:44:08 AM »
If I am not mistaken that the Pope was overwhelmed by the child molestation scandals that is currently plaguing the Catholic Church especially in the West like America and so forth. So, the pope may have been too disheartened with the situation within the Church environment to continue. Maybe like Mother Teresa, he has a crisis in his belief in God. Mother Teresa just went on but he obviously couldn't take it and had to resign. It's not necessarily a bad thing but it just means that they are just ordinary. 

Jessie Fong

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Re: Christian Pope Resigns because he's too weary to remain in office.
« Reply #5 on: February 16, 2013, 12:46:19 PM »
It is nothing shocking to hear about the Pope's wish to resign.  With his age hitting 85, health-wise he would not be as strong as before to head the Church.

It is wise for him to vacate and allow someone else just as "qualified" to take over the role.  By resigning does not mean that he does not care for his flock anymore, rather the reverse - it is because he wants to ensure that his flock would be better taken care of by someone who would be better positioned to take on the tasks.


Jessie Fong

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Re: Christian Pope Resigns because he's too weary to remain in office.
« Reply #6 on: February 16, 2013, 01:02:20 PM »
Amidst the news of the Pope's announcement of his resignation, came this article .... do you think it will come true?



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/14/st-malachy-last-pope-prophecy-theologians-prediction-_n_2679662.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

After Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation, those familiar with a 12th-century prophecy claiming the next pope will be the last questioned if Judgment Day is quickly approaching. Scholars, theologians and churchmen, however, all treat this "prediction" as fiction passed off as reality.

The "Prophecy of the Popes" is attributed to St. Malachy, an Irish archbishop who was canonized a saint in 1190, according to Discovery News. In his predication, dated 1139, Malachy prophesied that there would be 112 more popes before Judgment Day. Benedict is supposedly the 111th pope.



St. Malachy's 12th-century prophecy predicts that the next pope will be the last. Here, a statue of St. Malachy stands in Sterling Heights, Mich. (Wikimedia/Patricia Drury)

The foretelling offers brief descriptions about each pope, and some of them appear to align with reality in some way. For example, Benedict is apparently denoted as the "glory of the olive," and the Olivetans are affiliated with Benedictine Order, NBC News notes.

Curiously, the "Prophecy of Popes" stops at the 112th pope and ends with a cryptic warning of doomsday.

Rihanna

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Re: Christian Pope Resigns because he's too weary to remain in office.
« Reply #7 on: February 17, 2013, 01:50:58 AM »
A lightning bolt struck The Vatican on Monday night just hours after Pope Benedict XVI announced he was to renouncing his role as head of the Catholic Church. Watch the video of the link below. Was it a sign that the gods were unhappy? Or was it just a mere coincidence??


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/telegraphtv/9865538/Lightning-strikes-Vatican-hours-after-Pope-resigns.html

brian

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Re: Christian Pope Resigns because he's too weary to remain in office.
« Reply #8 on: February 17, 2013, 10:21:00 AM »
Well I think Pope is being kind to his followers and his religion in making this "bold" decision to be the first ever pope to resign having made a name for himself as the oldest Pope to be elected. If he feels he is too slow to be holding onto the position that in power can be benefitting so many, and someone else who is more capable compared to his current situation, he is being unselfish. He is making way so that more people can be benefitted and faster perhaps. Let's put in another scenario, if he can't take good care of himself now, how would he be able to take good care to the rest of the people. By allowing another person to replace his position, he can still benefit people in his personal capacity even if he no longer holds the position. My two cents worth.

hope rainbow

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Re: Christian Pope Resigns because he's too weary to remain in office.
« Reply #9 on: February 17, 2013, 03:09:58 PM »
It is apparently not a surprise that Pope Benedict XVI resigned as he announced it in some of his writings. Though was he really going to resign or was it just a thought? Well now we know that it is a reality.
So it is a shock, but not a surprise and some people did extrapolate about the Pope's resignation in the last months.

I understand that on a human level, the pope's resignation comes as a mean for efficiency; as his health is declining the Pope wishes for a more fit person to take the "job".
Some may interject and say that the Pope's "job" is a "sacerdotium" a sense of priesthood as applied by John Paul II which led him to remain in function through illness and old age, leading by example and offering his suffering to his cause.

Benedict XVI took a more pragmatic approach, maybe German in some ways, seeing that the sacerdotium that he witnessed first hand by the side of his predecessor did affect the efficiency of the Pope at "work".
But wasn't this sacrifice the work of the Pope in itself?

There is room for debate I say. Though in the world of the catholic church the Pope is infallible, and I do not think there will be much debate about it in that spiritual sphere, or at least not in public.
After all, the Pope is like the Guru of all catholics and his resignation is an action that they will reflect upon judging it from their own actions or non-actions.

Benny

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Re: Christian Pope Resigns because he's too weary to remain in office.
« Reply #10 on: February 17, 2013, 07:19:11 PM »
Personally , i dont find this surprising at all for the Pope to wish to resign, he is after all just a mere mortal. In fact i find his decision a very wise one indeed and one that goes to show he is good spiritual leader , for him to place the church and devotees as priority and to admit his inability to proceed to lead them due to his mortality is a sign of a spiritual man. He is definitely not a worldly leader that clings on to power and fame at all cost.

In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition , high Lamas in position of abbots and the like ,are commonly known to tell their students that they are too old to hold those positions and wanting to leave and go into death meditations. Requests for them to stay on living to benefit more sentient beings are common , even more so when there are certain practices and rituals that can be performed to "retain" them. In fact to a non buddhist or even to buddhist of other traditions , this may sound foreign and even seem draconian to so call "make" or implore the old Lamas to continue turning the Dharma wheel.

I wonder if the Catholics would like this concept , maybe they should implore the aging Pope to stay , to continue his work in the office or would they find it cruel ? Since , this is a first without any precedence , it would be really interesting to know if the Pope can or cannot be made to stay in office.

DS Star

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Re: Christian Pope Resigns because he's too weary to remain in office.
« Reply #11 on: February 17, 2013, 09:40:56 PM »
If I am not mistaken that the Pope was overwhelmed by the child molestation scandals that is currently plaguing the Catholic Church especially in the West like America and so forth. So, the pope may have been too disheartened with the situation within the Church environment to continue. Maybe like Mother Teresa, he has a crisis in his belief in God. Mother Teresa just went on but he obviously couldn't take it and had to resign. It's not necessarily a bad thing but it just means that they are just ordinary.

Whatever the real reason is, Pope Benedict's legacy is marred by sex abuse scandal of Catholics Churches worldwide.

"When Pope Benedict XVI resigns at the end of this month, he leaves behind a Church grappling with a global fallout from sex abuse and a personal legacy marred by allegations that he was instrumental in covering up that abuse...

For 25 years, Benedict, then known as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, headed the Vatican office responsible for investigating claims of sex abuse, but he did not act until he received an explicit order from Pope John Paul II.

In 1980, as Archbishop of Munich, Ratzinger approved plans for a priest to move to a different German parish and return to pastoral work only days after the priest began therapy for pedophilia. The priest was later convicted of sexually abusing boys. "


It is very sad that the authorities of an institution of mainstream religion resolved to cover up harms done by its leaders rather than to own up and help the victims  :(  :-[  >:(

apprenticehealer

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Re: Christian Pope Resigns because he's too weary to remain in office.
« Reply #12 on: February 21, 2013, 07:06:32 AM »
The Pope, though the spiritual leader of the many millions of Catholics around the world, is still a human being, trapped in a human physical body, that is bound to suffer all the ailments that are age related.
He, too has to go through all the sufferings that any other person suffers from - sickness, aging and death.
Even if his mind is clear and alert, he is limited in his movements, which had caused him to cut down on a lot of his travels and official duties.
In my opinion, i think he is wise and unselfish to step down , to allow a younger person take on the duties of the next Pontiff. A younger person will be more able to interact with the flock , and benefit more people.

hope rainbow

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Re: Christian Pope Resigns because he's too weary to remain in office.
« Reply #13 on: February 23, 2013, 12:16:34 PM »
I found this article linking the resignation of the Pope with the possibility of a next challenge for the Church and the Vatican concerning a gay lobby over which the Pope received reports in the last months.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/02/22/popes-resignation-linked-to-blackmailed-gay-lobby-within-the-vatican-italian-newspaper-alleges/

As the article says, of course there will be many rumors spread and other conspiracy theories going on, after all the Pope is  a mega celebrity, and for sure, it will sell magazines and newspaper to entertain whatever comes along, so what best than a homosexual lobby within the Vatican itself!

Following Pope Benedict’s surprise resignation earlier this month, it didn’t take long for conspiracy theories to come out of the woodwork.

To a certain extent, this is expected — a Pope hasn’t resigned in centuries, and certain aspects of Benedict’s time at the top of the Vatican have been controversial — not least the damaging “VatiLeaks” scandal.

Today, Italy’s La Repubblica newspaper added fuel to the fire, alleging that Benedict’s resignation was prompted by a report prepared by three Cardinals on conflict and corruption in the Vatican — including what it says is the “inappropriate influence” of a gay lobby within the Holy See.

The newspaper — which has the largest circulation within Italy — says that Benedict asked three Cardinals, Julian Herranz, Josef Tomko and Salvatore De Giorgi, to conduct an internal report after the VatiLeaks scandal. When the 300 page report was delivered to Benedict in December, it reportedly cemented a decision that he had already been considering — it was time to resign.

What was so damning in the report? While La Repubblica doesn’t quote directly from the report, it contains details reportedly passed on by a senior Vatican source, which points to financial and sexual lobbies that have split the church.

The report allegedly stated that various lobbies in the Vatican were exerting influence on day-to-day-life in the Vatican, and routinely breaking two of the ten commandments — “thou shalt not steal” and “thou shalt not commit adultery.” The former refers to the controversies about the Vatican Bank, one of the key aspects of the VatiLeaks Scandal.

The latter commandment is apparently a reference to a “gay lobby” that reportedly exerts influence within the Vatican, La Repubblica alleges. The report infers that this group was the subject of blackmail attempts, detailing an “external influence” from those with a “worldly nature.”

Reports of financial corruption and homosexuality in the Holy See are far from uncommon, of course — the Vatican became embroiled in a gay prostitution scandal in 2010, for example, which La Repubblica highlights. However, this report is the first sign that these controversies could have played a role in Benedict’s resignation.

Curiously, the Guardian‘s John Hooper has a statement from the Vatican’s press spokesperson, Father Federico Lombardi, who doesn’t confirm or deny the report exists. However, Lombardi suggests the interpretations of the report are making a “a tension that is the opposite of what the pope and the church want.”



Barzin

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Re: Christian Pope Resigns because he's too weary to remain in office.
« Reply #14 on: February 24, 2013, 08:27:01 AM »
Did the Pope mention any suitable candidate to continue his legacy?  Looking at the world today, it is sad to see the church has encountered so many criticism and disharmony over the past years.  Very little knowledge is passed down nor practice.  It is no surprise that the pope has done whatever he done.  Despite of his medical condition and health slowing down, it is just normal that his work is slowing down and hence the resignation.  He has done what he could, so i just hope the new pope whoever that is, is able to benefit the people.