Pope tries to calm Catholics' fear
2013-02-13 21:00
Rome - A visibly moved Pope Benedict tried to assure his
worldwide flock on Wednesday over his stunning decision to become the first
pontiff in centuries to resign, saying he was confident that it would not hurt
the church.
The Vatican, meanwhile, announced that a conclave to
elect his successor would start sometime between 15 March and 20 March, in
keeping with church rules about the timing of such gatherings after the papal
see becomes vacant.
"Continue to pray for me, for the Church and for the
future pope," he said in unscripted remarks at the start of his weekly
general audience, his first public appearance since his shock decision on
Monday that he will step down on 28 February.
It was the first time Benedict, 85, who will retire to a
convent inside the Vatican, exchanging the splendour of his 16th century
Apostolic Palace for a sober modern residence, had uttered the words
"future pope" in public.
Church officials are still so stunned by the move that
the Vatican experts have yet to decide what his title will be and whether he
will continue to wear the white of a pope, the red of a cardinal or the black
of an ordinary priest.
His voice sounded strong at the audience but he was
clearly moved and his eyes appeared to be watering as he reacted to the
thunderous applause in the Vatican's vast, modern audience hall, packed with
more than 8 000 people.
In brief remarks in Italian that mirrored those he read
in Latin to stunned cardinals on Monday he appeared to try to calm Catholics'
fears of the unknown.
He message was that God would continue to guide the church.
Examination of conscience
"I took this decision in full freedom for the good
of the church after praying for a long time and examining my conscience before
God," he said.
He said he was "well aware of the gravity of such an
act”, but also aware that he no longer had the strength required to run the 1.2
billion member Roman Catholic Church, which has been beset by a string of
scandals both in Rome and round the world.
Benedict said he was sustained by the "certainty
that the church belongs to Christ, who will never stop guiding it and caring
for it" and suggested that the faithful should also feel comforted by
this.
He said that he had "felt almost physically"
the affection and kindness he had received since he announced the decision.
When Benedict resigned on Monday, the Vatican spokesperson
said the pontiff did not fear schism in the church after his decision to step
down.
Some 115 cardinals under the age of 80 will be eligible
to enter a secret conclave to elect his successor.
Cardinals around the world have already begun informal
consultations by phone and e-mail to construct a profile of the man they think
would be best suited to lead the church in a period of continuing crisis.
The likelihood that the next pope would be a younger man
and perhaps a non-Italian, was increasing, particularly because of the many
mishaps caused by Benedict's mostly Italian top aides.
Benedict has been faulted for putting too much power in the
hands of his friend, Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.
Critics of Bertone, effectively the Vatican's chief
administrator, said he should have prevented some papal mishaps and
bureaucratic blunders.
Ill-served pope
"These scandals, these miscommunications, in many
cases were caused by Pope Benedict's own top aides and I think a lot of
Catholics around the world think that he was perhaps ill-served by some of the
cardinals here," said John Thavis, author of a new book “The Vatican
Diaries”.
Benedict's papacy was rocked by crises over sex abuse of
children by priests in Europe and the US, most of which preceded his time in
office but came to light during it.
His reign also saw Muslim anger after he compared Islam
to violence. Jews were upset over rehabilitation of a Holocaust denier.
During a scandal over the church's business dealings, his
butler was accused of leaking his private papers.
"When cardinals arrive here for the conclave... they
are going to have this on their mind, they're going to take a good hard look at
how Pope Benedict was served, and I think many of them feel that the burden of
the papacy that finally weighed so heavy on Benedict was caused in part by some
of this in-fighting [among his administration]," Thavis told Reuters.
Vatican spokesperson Father Federico Lombardi urged the
faithful to remain confident in the church and its future.
"Those who may feel a bit disorientated or stunned
by this, or have a hard time understanding the Holy Father's decision should
look at it in the context of faith and the certainty that Christ will support
his church," Lombardi said.
Lombardi said that on his last day in office, Benedict
would receive cardinals in a farewell meeting and after 28 February his ring of
office, used to seal official documents, would be destroyed just as if he had
died.
Later on Wednesday, an Ash Wednesday Mass that was
originally scheduled to have taken place in a small church in Rome, has been
moved to St Peter's Basilica so more people can attend.
Unless the Vatican changes the pope's schedule, it will
be his last public Mass.
