Chronicling the Last Days of a Pontificate

Donate Shop Our eBooks Shop Amazon Chronicling the Last Days of a Pontificate Dear Donald, With less than ten days remaining in the pontificate of Benedict XVI, the best explanation of the Pope's resignation is still the one he gave himself. But could he have relied more on his staff? See Phil Lawler's analysis: The real story behind the Pope's resignation. Benedict's own explanation of declining strength was corroborated yesterday by the noted German journalist, Peter Seewald, who knows the Pope well. But the obvious is often rejected in favor of bizarre theories and misconceptions. Phil continues to separate the wheat from the chaff: Popular misconceptions, II Perceptive Commentary: Warren, Douthat, Henneberger, Horowitz, Oko We also continue to collect Benedict's words of wisdom. Among the addresses added to our library in the last few days: Weekly catechesis: Human Intelligence Can Find Key to Understanding the World in Sacred Scripture Ash Wednesday audience: Do Not Give In to Temptation to Instrumentalize God At a seminary in Rome: Lectio Divina of the Holy Father Benedict XVI Meanwhile, while there was no rest for journalists on the Vatican beat yesterday, it was a national political holiday in the United States. This prompted me to reflect onPresidents' Day: Fame and the Law of the Gift. Special feasts are relatively sparse during Lent, but we have two which tie in with our papal theme this week: The great medieval reformer, Peter Damian, who insisted on obedience to the successor of Peter, is celebrated on Thursday. And the feast of theChair of Peter comes on Friday. In closing, I sent a message around today explaining CatholicCulture.org's regular, systematic, inevitable, monthly need for user support. I ask you to take that email seriously as we spread ourselves thin to cover the resignation and the conclave. Thanks! Jeff Mirus President Trinity Communications To unsubscribe from this list or all lists, click Adjust Email Newsletter Settings. www.CatholicCulture.org - Email: contact@catholicculture.org To learn more or make a tax-deductible contribution, visithttp://www.catholicculture.org/about/donor_information_center/ today. Trinity Communications - P.O. Box 582, Manassas, VA 20108, USA [Sent to nunrawdonald@yahoo.com]

Among the scores of editorial commentaries that have appeared since Pope Benedict announced his plans to resign, a handful have been particular insightful. Among the best:

• ”Benedict XVI’s decision for the Church's mission and the truth of the world.” Father Bernardo Cervellera of the AsiaNews service sees the Pope’s bold decision as a product of great faith. Having prayed intensely over the decision, the Holy Father has concluded that this is God’s will, and nothing else matters. The Pope’s resignation, then, illustrated in one dramatic action the attitude that he would recommend to the faithful at his public audience on Ash Wednesday. Father Cervellera writes:

  In taking this step, he has become a master for all Christians, priests, bishops, cardinals, who consider their active role in certain tasks, duties and organizations "essential". With his choice of life Pope Benedict XVI is telling us that the effectiveness of our existence lies in our placing ourseleves completely in Christ's hands, the true guarantee of all fruitfulness.

• ”Benedict’s reformation.” John O’Sullivan (who was my boss many years ago) writes in The Spectator that the Pope’s decision to resign shows that he has placed the evangelical demands of the Church ahead of the political pressures of the papacy. O’Sullivan suggests that “his resignation is the latest (perhaps the final) stage in the papacy’s two-century shedding of temporal power and its trappings of spiritual monarchy.”
• ”Confounding critics to the end.” Michael Kelly of the Irish Catholic believes that Pope Benedict has become exhausted after years of fighting a largely successful battle against heavy odds, and with precious little help from his staff. Reflecting on the clumsiness and inertia displayed by the Roman Curia during this pontificate, Kelly concludes: “Benedict has been spectacularly badly served by those who should have been aiding him in the governance of the Church.”