Catholic world in shock after pope quits
2013-02-12 15:01
Vatican City - The Catholic Church faced a tricky
transition on Tuesday as it prepared to elect a new pope, with many faithful
still reeling from the shock resignation of Pope Benedict XVI.
The 85-year-old Benedict told a group of cardinals in a
speech in Latin on Monday that he will step down on 28 February because he
could no longer fulfil his duties in a fast-changing world - the first pope to
resign of his own free will in more than 700 years.
A report in Italian daily Il Sole 24 Ore said his
decision may have been for health reasons.
The newspaper said Benedict underwent heart surgery less
than three months ago to replace his pacemaker - an operation that was kept out
of the public eye.
While the surgery went well, the report quoted advisors
as saying that it made the pope reflect on whether he could continue to guide
the church.
The Vatican has emphasised that the momentous decision
was not due to any specific illness and said the pope will retire to a monastery
building inside the Vatican - creating an unprecedented situation in which the
new pope and his predecessor will live in the same place.
The rumour mill over who could be the next pope was in
full swing within hours of the pontiff's speech but no clear favourites have
emerged yet.
Benedict's next scheduled appearance is on Wednesday at
around 09:30, when he is to hold an audience with hundreds of faithful in the
Vatican.
He will later celebrate mass in St Peter's basilica at 16:00
for Ash Wednesday - the start of the period of Lent before Easter.
The mass had been due to be held in the much smaller church
of Santa Sabina in Rome but plans have been changed at the last minute.
Only a few advisors knew of the pope's plan and many in
the Vatican hierarchy were caught off guard, with Cardinal Angelo Sodano saying
it was "like a lightning bolt in a clear blue sky”.
Within hours, a lightning bolt did strike the very tip of
the dome of St Peter's Basilica, an eerie image captured by AFP photographer
Filippo Monteforte.
Sodano embraced the pope following the momentous
announcement, after which the pope returned to his rooms in the Vatican's
Apostolic Palace and broke down in tears, Italian daily La Stampa reported.
"He could not hold back the emotion any more,"
the report said, adding that the pope had taken his decision after suffering a
fall during a trip to Mexico and Cuba last year that was not made public.
Several observers said Benedict wanted to avoid the fate
of his predecessor and mentor, John Paul II, who suffered a long and
debilitating illness.
Mixed reactions
Ordinary faithful among the world's 1.1 billion Catholics
were stunned by the decision.
"An historic, unexpected and humble
announcement," read a headline in Avvenire, the official newspaper of the
Italian bishops' conference.
Some faithful said the move was a courageous act that
would breathe new life into a Roman Catholic Church struggling with multiple
crises and could possibly set a precedent for ageing popes.
"This signals the end of the tradition of popes for
life. It is an example and a suggestion for future popes," said Marco
Politi, a biographer of Benedict and columnist for Il Fatto Quotidiano daily.
Others expressed dismay that a leader whose election by
the church's cardinals is believed to be divinely inspired could simply decide
to quit.
World leaders said they respected the decision and
generally praised his pontificate, particularly for his efforts to promote
inter-religious dialogue.
The pope's eight-year rule - one of the shortest in the church's
modern history - also earned him plenty of enemies, however, from the gay
community and Aids activists to the many shocked by the abuses of paedophile
priests and multiple cover-ups.
An academic theologian and the author of numerous tomes,
including a trilogy on the life of Jesus Christ, the pope was often seen as
somewhat distant from the day-to-day running of the church.
Still he tried hard to reach out to a younger, global
audience - including by opening a Twitter account just before Christmas with
the handle "Pontifex" ("Pontiff" in Latin).
A new home
The Vatican said the ex-pope would initially stay at the
papal summer residence of Castel Gandolfo while his new home is being
renovated.
Only one other pope has resigned in the church's 2 000-year
history - Celestine V in 1294 - a humble hermit who stepped down after just a
few months, saying he could no longer bear the intrigue of Rome and was not
able to fulfil his duties.
In 1415, Gregory XII was forced out as part of a deal to
end the "Western Schism", when two rival claimants declared
themselves pope and threatened to tear apart Roman Catholicism.
Speculation over who could be the next pope was already
rife in Rome, although even seasoned observers cautioned that predictions of
future popes are notoriously unreliable.
The field appears wide open, with some saying the papacy
could return to an Italian for the first time since 1978, others saying it
could go to a North American candidate and still others saying Africa or Asia
could yield the next pope.
Several analysts said the fact that the pope was resigning
precisely because of his advancing age could favour the choice of a relatively
young pope.
The Vatican has said it expects a new pope to be in place
in time for Easter, which falls on 31 March this year, although the decision is
ultimately up to the cardinals meeting in a secret conclave.
They send a signal of black smoke each day until a
decision is taken with a two-thirds majority.
White smoke is then put out from the Vatican palace when
a candidate has been approved.
The new pope is then presented to cheering crowds in St
Peter's Square with the famous Latin cry: "Habemus Papam!" ("We
have a pope!”).
