Of course the Pope is Catholic! But is the Pope the Head of the Catholic Church? Most people would say yes, without a doubt...but those people would be wrong. Under church doctrine, Jesus is the Head of the Catholic Church. The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, the highest ranking ordained member, and the leader of the faithful under Jesus. Catholics recognize the Pope as the successor of Saint Peter, which in Catholic teachings, Jesus calls the shepherd of the Catholic Church. Being the shepherd of 1.2 billion Catholics across the globe requires a commitment to a ministry few could fulfill.
“In the decisive moments of life — indeed, if we look closely, in every moment — we are at a crossroads. Do we want to follow the self or God? Individual interest or the real good?” Over the past few weeks, the great shepherd, the Pope, found himself at a crossroads. After prayerful consideration, Pope Benedict XVI decided that the deterioration of his mind and body had compromised his ability to adequately carry out the duties of the position. In a letter to the cardinals of the church, he announced his resignation.
His abrupt resignation seemed unexpected, unwarranted, and absolutely wrong to many followers and non-Catholics alike. However rare, the resignation of the Pope should not come as a complete surprise to everyone. Even though a resignation hasn't been tendered in six centuries, there were many signs that Pope Benedict's time was coming to an end.
The day after news of the resignation spread, the Vatican announced that the Pope had undergone a secret surgery to replace the battery in his pacemaker, an intensive procedure for anyone, especially for an 84 year old man. Another serious incident occurred during a March 2012 trip to Mexico where the Pope sustained a head injury. The bleeding was severe enough to cause his pillow and sheets to be covered in blood. Although the Vatican insists that these injuries are minor and played no major role in his decision to step down, one must question whether that is actually the case. For, if the Catholic Church managed to keep those injuries and surgeries hidden, who knows what other secrets might be hiding in the shadows of the ministry.
Whether there is a conspiracy in this resignation has yet to be seen. What is known is that Pope was confronted by his own crossroads in life leading to his departure from the church. Now, today, the Catholic Church has found themselves at a crossroad of their own- Who will be their shepherd?
You are right: I think perhaps there was a way in which Benedict could be seen as a radical reformer. It is quite a big deal to have a Pope resign for the first time in almost 600 years. Is this a sign of a shift in the Church? It is certainly a slow moving institution (small-c conservative, as I called it in my comments on Chris's post), but it seems that it may gradually be changing over the course of the last Papacy and this one. It may take another 50-100 years, but I think that an organization as old as the Church knows exactly how much change it needs to survive.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't though about it like that. It might mean that the Catholic church can appoint a younger Pope who is more energetic without the fear of a 50 year papacy, if that is something they fear.
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