From a moslty agnostic/atheist point of view:
Pope Benedict XVI resigns and surprises the World, most of all, 1.2 Billion Roman Catholics. A Vatican spokesman called his move a “game changer“. A gesture of humility and respect for the Church. Perhaps future popes will do the same, leave while the getting is good. Popes usually hang on ’til the very end, but Pope Ben wanted to stop and smell the roses. The last one to jump ship before the Grim Reaper did so 600 years ago. Pope Gregory XII split during a civil war in the 15th century.
Basically, Ben decided to exit before being too ill to honour the Holy job. Quite sensible. Hopefully the Vatican’s next head honcho will be a bit less conservative. History will soon tell us… Nonetheless, congrats to Ben for letting someone more able bodied hold the wheel.
Leave a Reply