Popes who stepped down
2013-02-11 18:29
Vatican City - Pope Benedict XVI, who stunned the world
on Monday with the announcement he will resign on 28 February, is the first pontiff
to step down in modern Catholic Church history.
At most, there have been only five papal abdications in 2
000 years, but numerous popes were deposed or exiled, 21 popes are listed as
martyrs and nine others are considered martyrs.
Four popes died in exile or in prison, six were
assassinated, two died of wounds received in the course of riots and one was
killed when a roof collapsed.
Here are some examples of previous popes who have given
up the papacy:
- In 1045, Benedict IX, renowned as one of the most
disgraceful popes the Church has known, sold his papacy to his godfather, pious
priest John Gratian, so that he could get married. Reportedly unable to
persuade the woman in question to have him, he returned to seize Rome.
- In 1046, Gratian, who had reigned shortly as Pope
Gregory VI and was considered the true pope by many despite Benedict IX's
violent return to claim the throne, was forced to resign himself amid
accusations he had bought the papacy.
- In 1294, Celestine V, a simple hermit who was elected
to end a deadlock among cardinals, proved incompetent and stepped down after
reigning a mere five months. He had issued a decree declaring it possible for a
pope to resign, opening up the way for his own departure.
- In 1415, Gregory XII resigned in a bid to end the
"Western Schism", when two rival claimants declared themselves pope
in Pisa and Avignon and threatened to tear apart Roman Catholicism.
- In 1804, Pius VII signed an abdication of the papal
throne before setting out for Paris to crown Napoleon to be put into effect in
case he were imprisoned in France.
- During World War II, Pius XII is reported to have
signed a document which said that he was to be considered as having resigned
his office should he be kidnapped by the Nazis.
Several popes were resigned or martyred as the Roman
Empire collapsed, and the Eternal City-- sacked and depopulated by barbarian
hordes - fell prey to quarrelling factions. But the historical details of how
they fell are often lost in the mist of time, and often only the legends
remain.
