Reasoning
with Pope Benedict XVI
By Mike Nsikak Umoh
Pope
Benedict XVI shocked the Church and the world when he announced on Monday, the
Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, his decision to resign from the highly exalted
office he occupied since 19 April, 2005 as the Vicar of Christ and the Bishop
of Rome, come February 28, 2013. Since then there have been no ending in the
media to the torrents of commentaries, stories, reportage, photo-clips on the
Pope, his times, the Church as a whole and many more. While some people, even
well-meaning Catholics, have expressed disappointment at the Pope’s action, and
in spite of pockets of conspiracy theories here and there, the reactions from official
ecclesiastical and secular quarters have been largely positive. However, some
people are simply not able to come to terms with the idea of a retired Pope.
They consider it a thing akin to a sacrilege. The questions agitating such
minds are: Why will the Pope act in this
manner? How are we to explain this strange action? What does it portend for the
Church and the world?
In
this piece, I wish to highlight some points which may help us better understand
the circumstances that could have informed the pope’s decision.
1. OLDEST
POPE IN 300 YEARS: When Benedict XVI became the Pope, he was already 78 years,
which made him the oldest person to assume that office in the past 300 years.
We will recall that his predecessor, Pope John Paul II became the Pope at the
age of 57 and died at the age of 84. Meanwhile Pope Benedict XVI will turn 86
years by 16 April 2013.
2. BACKBONE
OF POPE JOHN PAUL II: Before being called to the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI,
then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, was a professor of theology and a Vatican II
expert. He contributed enormously to the Papacy of John Paul II as the Prefect
of the Congregation for Doctrine and Faith for 24 years; 1981 to 2005. This is a key department in the entire life
and administrative set up of the Church. Therefore, one may not be fair in
celebrating the success of the great Pope John Paul II without giving some due
credit to Pope Benedict XVI. The
implication so far from the above is that Pope Benedict XVI was already well-spent
and tired before he became the Pope.
3. SACRIFICE:
From the points above, one may wonder why Pope Benedict was chosen or why he
still accepted to be the Pope if he knew he was tired. The answer lies in some
factors considered in the process of appointing a Pope. When a Pope dies, or in
this case, when the seat if vacant, the Cardinals in conclave are led in a
retreat which helps them, among other things, become more vividly aware of the
needs of the Church at the particular age and time, and what should be the
Church’s major form of witness to the world at the time. Besides, unlike many
secular bodies and governments, the Catholic Church is built on continuity.
Therefore due to the high level of achievement recorded during the long reign
of Pope John Paul II, the Cardinals at the April 2005 conclave reasoned that
there was need to elect someone who was closest in thoughts to Pope John Paul
II to manage the papacy. The most fitted for the description as the votes
turned out was Cardinal Ratzinger who accepted the office with trepidation but
a high sense of sacrifice. It was a huge sacrifice for him because severally before
that time, he had expressed his desire to resign from being the Prefect of the
Congregation he managed. He was even more desperate to retire after the death
of his great friend John Paul II. In a sense therefore, one may say that the
papacy of Pope Benedict XVI is an extension of that of Pope John Paul II. It
seems to me that Pope John II’s era that started in 1981 is just coming to an
end.
4. HEROIC
ACT OF LEADERSHIP: Pope Benedict’s action speaks volume of his maturity, self-confidence,
sincerity of purpose, humility and above all his ardent FAITH in God and his love
for the holy Church. Faith, because he firmly believes that the Church is first
and foremost truly divine, though also human. The Pope’s action manifests his
humble acknowledgement that the burden of the Church essentially rests on the
outstretched arms of Jesus Christ on the cross and not on any human shoulders. It
is a lesson to all those in leadership position whether in Church or the
secular society, that it could be unjust and self-serving to stay on in power when
one realizes that he is no longer efficient or effective in the office. It
takes a lot of grace, maturity and intelligence to come to this knowledge and enormous
courage to accept it. In this context, one recalls the message in that great
but short prayer; Lord grant me the
serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I
can, and wisdom to know the difference.
5. CHRIST
MUST INCREASE, I MUST DECREASE: Reading the script of his resignation, the Holy
Father mentioned his failing health as a core reason he decided to resign. Some
conspiracy theorists have interpreted this to mean that he has some terminal
deceases. Commonsensically, a man of 85 who has handled such huge and busy
office is definitely old enough to be physically incapacitated. The salient
point that however needs to be pointed out here is that the Pope is not necessarily
concerned about his health in the sense that he is afraid that if he continues
in the office, he might soon die; rather his concern is the good and progress
of the life of the Church. He realizes how very crucial the services required
of the office of the Vicar of Christ are, he realizes that no one must be a
stumbling block to the work of Christ, he therefore chose not to allow his
physical weakness to hinder or slow it down. In an age where human beings will do
anything and everything to hold on to power, as we experience in Nigeria and
many countries, it is strange to see a man freely give up power and all the
paraphernalia that goes with it. As already noted above, a very deep
implication from this action is a profound profession of faith. Perhaps that is
also the reason he declared a year of faith. By this action, Pope Benedict
teaches everyone that the burden of the Church does not essentially rest on any
human shoulders, but on the outstretched arms of Jesus on the cross. The Church
is the body of Christ; the work is the work of Christ; the flock is the flock
of Christ; in life or death we belong to Christ. Christ is the center and Christ
is all. He has promised he would always guide and protect his Church. The gift
of His Holy Spirit is constantly renewed in her. Consequently, the message is that
what matters most is for the work of God to advance, no one needs pretend that
the Church will collapse without him.
6. CANONICAL
PROVISION: A major reason why many people in the Church and the world are
shocked at Pope Benedict’s resignation is because it is a rare occurrence. In
the over 2000 years of the papacy, it is not usual to see a Pope resign. It is
however pertinent to remind us that the Canon law, the body of laws guiding the
life of the Church, makes provision for a serving
Pope to be able to resign if he so wishes. Canon 332 paragraph 2 gives
three conditions: First, that the resignation is freely expressed; secondly,
that it be adequately manifested; and thirdly, that the process is valid
whether anyone accepts it or not. This is what Pope Benedict applied. Thus he is
acting within the law of the Church. Pope Benedict’s resignation is historic
not only because it is up to 600 years ago when Pope Gregory XII resigned as a
Pope in 1415, but because it seems it is the first time a pope is resigning
simply because he is old and physically incapable, totally of his own volition
and not forced by factors or circumstances outside of him. One expects that
this action will rub positively on the attitude of office holders in Church and
society.
Moreover,
because of the unprecedented nature of this event, Christ’s faithful look
forward to the Cardinals to know how the Pope is to be addressed after
resignation. Would he be called “Pope Emeritus” or “Emeritus Bishop of Rome”?
7. NO
SURPRISE: Much as the Pope’s action is shocking, it has not come as a complete
surprise to those who are conversant with the life and works of this strong-willed
and erudite Pope. His predecessor was at the verge of resignation in 2000. In
his book, "In the Light of
Faith”, written in 2010, Pope Benedict says “If a pope clearly realizes that he
is no longer physically, psychologically and spiritually capable of handling
the duties of his office, then he has a right, and under some circumstances,
also an obligation to resign." What's interesting is how long ago this decision was made -- shortly
after the pope's trip to Cuba, which was in March of last year, he manifested so
much tiredness and desire to resign. Against the conspiracy theory that the
Pope is forced out of power because of the controversies and scandals that have
been orchestrated against the Church out of proportion in and by the media, it
is instructive to note that was before the whole butler story even broke. Problems
have always been in the Church. Problems will remain in the Church because it
is made up of human beings. Jesus knew this. That is why he promised that the
Spirit will be with her so that the gates of the underworld will not prevail
against her. Pope Benedict has opened the doors for successive popes and even
Bishops if need be to resign with greater ease without feeling morally obliged
to remain until death.
In
conclusion, the Church at this threshold of history calls her children and all
men and women of goodwill to prayer: for the body of Christ, for the Pope and for
the Cardinals who will soon be in conclave. Come Holy Spirit and fill the
hearts of your faithful, and enkindle in us the fire of your love.
Rev,
Fr. Mike Umoh
Director,
Center for Media Development
Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos
08023062860
The proposed All Progressive Congress (APC) has appointed Chief Bisi Akande as the interim chairman of the new merger party. Until his appointment, Bisi Akande was the National Chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria, a major political party that formed the APC Merger.
