Humble determination

So-called transitional papacies are not to be trusted! In 1958, John XXIII was presented to us as old (he was 77), as well as a conservative and transitional Pope… He revolutionized the face of the Church by summoning the Second Vatican Council, and giving it the means to work in freedom. In 2005, when Benedict XVI was elected at 78, he was presented to us as a tranquil conservative, after John Paul II’s long and charismatic papacy. And, all of a sudden, he has made a unique decision in the papacy’s long history, a radically new decision, breaking with the Catholic Church’s tradition: a decision that promises to bring modernity and change in the exercise of the Roman Magisterium. There are certainly other instances of Popes stepping down from the See of Peter (Saint Clement in 97, Saint Pontian in 235, and a few others during the Middle Ages), but they were related to external events, either seriours persecutions or crises within the Church, that required an undisputed pastor to step in to guide Her. The closest case to the one we are experiencing now is that of Celestine V in 1294, but it was still very different: he used to be a hermit who did not feel up to the task that had been entrusted to him, and so he resigned very quickly, also because the cardinals forced this decision upon him.Benedict XVI had prepared us through statements and gestures (e.g. his visit to Celestine V’s tomb) that led us to assume that someday he might make the same decision. His noticeable weariness over the last few days perhaps prompted him to make this decision with complete clear-headedness and freedom. It is this freedom that, today, allows several observers to talk about courage. In our world, where so many people want to prevail and wield power for power’s sake, to humbly relinquish power recognizing one’s own weakness is surprising. However, throughout his papacy, Benedict XVI has made us accustomed to courage, following in the footsteps of John Paul II ever since the beginning of his papacy. Benedict XVI has given proof of such courage himself, in dealing with the most sensitive situations through far-reaching words and actions: the question of paedophilia inside the Church, inter-religious dialogue, worldwide persecution of Christians, the economic and financial crisis, dialogue with fundamentalists. This papacy has been difficult for this great intellectual who does not love power, but he faced up to all the storms with a humble determination that begs admiration. However, this action might turn the papacy into a post like any other, desacralizing it. All its consequences will have to be assessed. Several questions already need to be addressed, and their answers are not obvious, such as the status of the former Pope within the Church, as Bishop “Emeritus” of Rome. Actually the Pope is the vicar of Christ, entrsuted with a sacred mission, and also Bishop of the Diocese of Rome and Primate of Italy, as well as head of State who is endowed with a relevant moral responsibility in international relations, whose words are listened by everyone, who is also at the head of a complex administration, the Roman Curia. Benedict XVI took on all these missions as a service. On April 19, 2005, from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, he presented himself to the assembled crowds as “a simple and humble laborer in the Lord’s vineyar”. It is this lofty idea of service that has inspired the Holy Father throughout the years of his papacy, that has inspired him during these last months of reflection, and that sheds light on the decision he announced on February, 11, on the anniversary of the Virgin Mary’s first apparition to Bernadette in Lourdes. He is inspired by the idea of service, like the Gospel according to Luke tells us: something he mentioned precisely in Lourdes in September 2008. To Benedict XVI, conscious of the importance of his decision, stepping down is, yet again, a way to be a humble servant.