Pope Benedict to resign

In my view, this fellow has a good, if useless, idea:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-best-choice-for-pope-a-nun/2013/02/15/83c8be2e-76c6-11e2-95e4-6148e45d7adb_story.html?hpid=z2

Ummm, yeah, this isn't about other religions. Just saying...
We can spar on that topic another day. k.
I personally think many religious leaders are horrible human beings.

To answer your questions.

I have no idea.

I highly doubt it.


Hinge...
It's the day and age of twitter and facebook... and the paparazzi et al... that's the scrutiny I was talking about.
A pope can't be hidden away, or have spokesmen speak for him for years. The pope is a leader and must be seen and heard. Eventually, regardless of security, human foibles or loose tongues will always prevail. JP2 had been the pope for a very long time. People were prepared to forgive his weaknesses, but Benedict did not have the same cred. If he is suffering from some form of dementia, he could live for decades. Do you really think the masses would wait that long for a successor? Would they comply with an empowered group of cardinals? Because obviously it would be them leading the church...
In this day and age would that be palatable to millions of practitioners? In divergent communities with opposing views???
If he is as ill as one imagines, I believe his resignation is the only course of action. He can't be hidden.
Look at Fidel Castro.. how many dictators stand down? Ever?
But now, if you're sick. The whole house of cards could come crashing down. Ask Chavez..

As for Oulette, the Canuck.. he has this going for him. Not saying I like it, but... He's a conservative who is comfortable in the vatican and he's a safe way outta the european stranglehold. Just as Benedict was safe passage out of Italy.
I have no idea if he'll be the successor or not, but if he is, it wouldn't surprise me.

is his head big enough to fit the pope hat?

Um, Ceili, you are replying to me, but the quotes you include are not mine.

So not sure if the rest of your thoughts are directed at me or someone else.

Confused.

Ah shite. First part's for Finn.
Second part is you.
No worries.

Dunno.
Don't even know what he looks like?

You seem to be contradicting your own point raising JP2 - if the church can run itself with a dementia'd pope I can't see how how much cred you have for past service makes any difference.

Don't think analogies with dictators works either - papal succession is a well entrenched process - whereas dictatorships are usually centred around one person and clearly fall when that person does. But dictators do step aside (not often willingly I'll grant), but it's the ones that get hung on meathooks we remember. I could argue Castro has stepped aside for his brother, and that Chavez is actually elected, but that's a distraction to the central discussion of the papacy.

I can't help thinking at least part of Ratzinger's thought process was that if he resigns he makes it acceptable for future popes - and that is probably a good thing for the church - he can't have enjoyed watching his friend JP2's last years. Like I said previously it's a radical move (relatively) and doubly so because he is an conservative catholic (relatively). And a rather large nail in the coffin of the old 'God's representative on Earth' blather the church itself used to promote.

good point about it being the most revolutionary thing he's done.

good to see another Guardian reader too, usually a good signifier of a modicum of common sense

I only read it to give the appearance of having a modicum of common sense

Some on topic light relief

You're obviously not a catholic. To Catholics, the pope is infallible, or at least is supposed to be. A big group of cardinals is not. For the vast amount of history, if a pope wasn't seen or heard from the great unwashed would most likely not be aware of his situation. If decrees were sent out to the masses, it was law, as long as it was signed, sealed and delivered. All kinds of stuff went on... as we now know, that would have shocked the believers. Other than the rumour mill in Italy, very few people, priests or practitioners would have been the wiser.
My point is that just because they did it and got away with it, doesn't mean that kind of stuff will fly now or into the future.
Just recently a bishop in Boston gave a sermon to a congregation. The subject, a priest had called 911 to free himself from self imposed bondage. He then gave several radio interviews. Imagine that..
In the past, something like this would have been hushed up. Not anymore, they can't.
I'll bet almost everyone sitting in church that morning already knew the story. And not just from the media either, from twitter, facebook and so on.
So, yeah this is radical. But a pope with dementia can't rightly be seen as much of a leader.
So, what do you call a retired pope??
As for dictators.. it wasn't the best analogy, I'll grant you that, but most of them, like the Jong trilogy, or Saddam, perpetrate the myth they are gods, or at least god's chosen ones with god like powers.
I meant Bashir, not Chavez.. I have the flu, I wasn't thinking clearly and they had a bit on Chavez on the news last night. Confused... lol

So, what do you call a retired pope??

de-pope.

Popex

Papagon.

Il Pappo defuncto.

Il papa abandonato
Il papa lasciato
Il papa renunciato
(no idea if those are correct)

Light relief, hinge?

That cartoonist just completely nailed what's wrong with the world, not just with the Catholic Church.

Thanks for that. It's going through my printer and up on the wall.

From the op-ed:



Maybe the "other" Catholic Church should start appointing its own popes in Avignon. They might well start with a nun.

Now now Kolyo, the Catechism doesn't allow that. And you know us Catholics, we go only by the book.

Yeah, I have to admit I don't know Catholics all that well.

I was baptized Catholic, but I never made it as far as the Catechism.

(I am a Notre Dame fan, but that has more to do with a Muslim receiver and Jewish quarterback who played for them back in the 90s. Irish football is as close as I come to the Church these days.)