Catholic Roundup: The Pope Emeritus, One Year Later
The Pope Emeritus, One Year Later
On February 11, 2013, Pope Benedict XVI shocked the world by announcing his resignation. The Holy Father cited his health as one reason for resigning the office of the papacy, and many observers assumed that he only had months to live. That assumption was bolstered by the first meeting between the Pope Emeritus and his successor, Pope Francis, as which Benedict looked considerably more frail than he had when he left office.
Yet, a year later, the Pope Emeritus remains in retirement in the Vatican, engaged in prayer for the Church and the current Holy Father. And while Francis, unlike Benedict, has received accolades from the popular press (including being named TIME's Person of the Year 2013), the Pope Emeritus has no regrets over his pontificate or his decision to resign, according to his longtime secretary Archbishop Georg Ganswein, who offered a rare interview to Reuters.
Next:What will happen to the Christians of Syria?
Syria's Christians: The Forgotten Victims
While civil war rages in Syria and Western nations debate the future of the latest Middle Eastern country to experience an "Arab Spring," one important Syrian minority has been overlooked: Christians, both Catholic and Orthodox. Archbishop Francis Chullikatt, the Vatican's Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations and a former papal nuncio in Iraq and Jordan, made an almost unprecedented appearance before a subcommittee of the U.S.
House of Representatives on February 11, 2014.
While Archbishop Chullikatt offered testimony concerning the "flagrant and widespread persecution" of Christians in the Middle East, he focused especially on the situation in Syria, where FOX News reports "there have been reports of kidnappings, Christian communities intentionally displaced by militants, as well as shootings and beheadings of Christians who refused to convert to Islam."
As certain members of Congress, especially Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona), demand U.S. military action in Syria, the Vatican has cautioned that there is no military solution to the crisis. Senator McCain reportedly "stormed out of a closed-door meeting" with Syrian Christian leaders in late January, when they tried to draw attention to the plight of Christians, who make up ten percent of Syria's population.
McCain's action stands in marked contrast to Pope Francis's efforts to bring peace to Syria, which included his declaration of September 7, 2013, as a worldwide day of fasting and prayer for an end to the violence in Syria, and his appeal to Vladimir Putin, at the start of the G20 summit in September, to find a peaceful solution to the unrest.
Next:What if the Pope rode a Harley?
There was a lot of excitement in the early days of Pope Francis's pontificate when, starting with his inaugural Mass, he eschewed the use of the Popemobile (increasingly armored since the time of the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II) for an open-air Jeep.
Then, six months later, the Vatican announced that the Holy Father had been given a 1984 Renault, which he would use to drive himself around Vatican City.
Of course, Pope Francis is known also for ditching the car and walking, when the mood strikes.
But back in June, famed motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson donated a special edition 2013 Dyna Super Glide to the Holy Father—something it's hard to imagine the company having done for previous popes. Complete with a matching leather jacket, the motorcycle was a "sweet ride." Pope Francis, however, wasn't ready for a midnight run (unless it was to feed the homeless of Rome).
And so he put the Harley and the jacket up for auction at Bonhams, with the proceeds to benefit "the renovation of the Caritas Roma's Don Luigi di Liegro hostel and soup kitchen based at Rome's Termini railway station." Not surprisingly, the Holy Father's hog and jacket commanded record prices.
Next: Did Pope Francis really want to be Pope John XXIV?
At the papal conclave in 2005, if cardinals who broke their oath of secrecy are to be believed, Jorge Mario Cardinal Bergoglio was the runner-up to Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. Indeed (the story goes) Pope Benedict XVI was elected only after Cardinal Bergoglio asked those supporting him to change their votes.
Now, in the wake of the first anniversary of Pope Benedict's resignation, the U.K. Daily Mail claims that, if Cardinal Bergoglio had been elected in 2005, he would have chosen the name John XXIV—in honor of Pope John XXIII, who convened the Second Vatican Council.
"John, I would have called myself John, like the Good Pope; I would have been completely inspired by him," the current Pope Francis is reported to have said. Fr. Dwight Longenecker has his doubts, though, about the truth of the report.
Certain Catholics who were already looking for reasons to dislike the Holy Father have found vindication in report that Father Longenecker suggests taking with "a pinch of salt." In the wake of Vatican II, Pope John XXIII has been painted as a liturgical liberal and a moral modernist, and Father Longenecker thinks that this report is largely an attempt to paint Francis with the same brush.
Next: Is Miranda Barbour the worst female serial killer ever?
On February 11, 2013, Pope Benedict XVI shocked the world by announcing his resignation. The Holy Father cited his health as one reason for resigning the office of the papacy, and many observers assumed that he only had months to live. That assumption was bolstered by the first meeting between the Pope Emeritus and his successor, Pope Francis, as which Benedict looked considerably more frail than he had when he left office.
Yet, a year later, the Pope Emeritus remains in retirement in the Vatican, engaged in prayer for the Church and the current Holy Father. And while Francis, unlike Benedict, has received accolades from the popular press (including being named TIME's Person of the Year 2013), the Pope Emeritus has no regrets over his pontificate or his decision to resign, according to his longtime secretary Archbishop Georg Ganswein, who offered a rare interview to Reuters.
- Read Pope Francis's tweet on the anniversary of Pope Benedict's announcement.
- Monsignor John Kennedy of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith recalls the reaction he and his colleagues had when they heard the announcement.
Next:What will happen to the Christians of Syria?
Syria's Christians: The Forgotten Victims
While civil war rages in Syria and Western nations debate the future of the latest Middle Eastern country to experience an "Arab Spring," one important Syrian minority has been overlooked: Christians, both Catholic and Orthodox. Archbishop Francis Chullikatt, the Vatican's Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations and a former papal nuncio in Iraq and Jordan, made an almost unprecedented appearance before a subcommittee of the U.S.
House of Representatives on February 11, 2014.
While Archbishop Chullikatt offered testimony concerning the "flagrant and widespread persecution" of Christians in the Middle East, he focused especially on the situation in Syria, where FOX News reports "there have been reports of kidnappings, Christian communities intentionally displaced by militants, as well as shootings and beheadings of Christians who refused to convert to Islam."
As certain members of Congress, especially Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona), demand U.S. military action in Syria, the Vatican has cautioned that there is no military solution to the crisis. Senator McCain reportedly "stormed out of a closed-door meeting" with Syrian Christian leaders in late January, when they tried to draw attention to the plight of Christians, who make up ten percent of Syria's population.
McCain's action stands in marked contrast to Pope Francis's efforts to bring peace to Syria, which included his declaration of September 7, 2013, as a worldwide day of fasting and prayer for an end to the violence in Syria, and his appeal to Vladimir Putin, at the start of the G20 summit in September, to find a peaceful solution to the unrest.
Next:What if the Pope rode a Harley?
There was a lot of excitement in the early days of Pope Francis's pontificate when, starting with his inaugural Mass, he eschewed the use of the Popemobile (increasingly armored since the time of the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II) for an open-air Jeep.
Then, six months later, the Vatican announced that the Holy Father had been given a 1984 Renault, which he would use to drive himself around Vatican City.
Of course, Pope Francis is known also for ditching the car and walking, when the mood strikes.
But back in June, famed motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson donated a special edition 2013 Dyna Super Glide to the Holy Father—something it's hard to imagine the company having done for previous popes. Complete with a matching leather jacket, the motorcycle was a "sweet ride." Pope Francis, however, wasn't ready for a midnight run (unless it was to feed the homeless of Rome).
And so he put the Harley and the jacket up for auction at Bonhams, with the proceeds to benefit "the renovation of the Caritas Roma's Don Luigi di Liegro hostel and soup kitchen based at Rome's Termini railway station." Not surprisingly, the Holy Father's hog and jacket commanded record prices.
- The new owner of the "Papal Chopper" wishes to remain anonymous, but Catholic Vote has a guess.
Next: Did Pope Francis really want to be Pope John XXIV?
At the papal conclave in 2005, if cardinals who broke their oath of secrecy are to be believed, Jorge Mario Cardinal Bergoglio was the runner-up to Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. Indeed (the story goes) Pope Benedict XVI was elected only after Cardinal Bergoglio asked those supporting him to change their votes.
Now, in the wake of the first anniversary of Pope Benedict's resignation, the U.K. Daily Mail claims that, if Cardinal Bergoglio had been elected in 2005, he would have chosen the name John XXIV—in honor of Pope John XXIII, who convened the Second Vatican Council.
"John, I would have called myself John, like the Good Pope; I would have been completely inspired by him," the current Pope Francis is reported to have said. Fr. Dwight Longenecker has his doubts, though, about the truth of the report.
Certain Catholics who were already looking for reasons to dislike the Holy Father have found vindication in report that Father Longenecker suggests taking with "a pinch of salt." In the wake of Vatican II, Pope John XXIII has been painted as a liturgical liberal and a moral modernist, and Father Longenecker thinks that this report is largely an attempt to paint Francis with the same brush.
- Food for thought: While the Novus Ordo was promulgated in the wake of Vatican II, the last version of the Roman Missal for the Traditional Latin Mass bears the name of Pope John XXIII.
Next: Is Miranda Barbour the worst female serial killer ever?
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