Global Post: When Pope Benedict XVI startled one billion members of the global Catholic church and made news all over the world with his resignation in Rome on Monday morning, he did so in Latin, saying that he was planning to step down due to a deterioration in “strength of mind…to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me.”
That he made the stunning announcement in the ancient language of the Roman Catholic Church seems somehow perfectly fitting for a papacy steeped in — some Vatican observers might even say trapped by — tradition and a yearning to return the Church to a time of obedience that existed before the Second Vatican Council 50 years ago.
Coming two days before Ash Wednesday, the Vatican announcement that Benedict wouldconclude his papacy Feb. 28, with the conclave to elect a new pontiff in mid-March, suggests a majestic passing of power on global television just before the Easter liturgy of Christian rebirth.
Categories: Europe