So he’s now the pope emeritus.His papal reign lasted just a little shy of eight years. Joseph Ratzinger will be 86 in April.
Traditionalist Catholics are outraged. When you are elected pope, it is understood that you will die on the job. It is truly a romance till death us do part. For some the heartburn is a little reminiscent of the abdication of Edward VIII—bad form. It seems to show disrespect for the office. It had been 719 years since a pope had voluntarily abdicated, and that pope, Celestine V, was such a misfit that he lasted less than a year, had all his papal acts annulled by his successor, and was immediately put into prison after his abdication where he soon died.
I give Benedict XVI credit. If he had called for my advice, I’d have endorsed his plan. He was well past most people’s normal retirement age—78—when he was elected pope. Here are some reasons why I salute Benedict:
