Pope Benedict XVI made a statement on Monday that he would be resigning at the end of the month due to his deteriorating health.

This is the first time that a Pope has stepped down since Pope Gregory XII left the office in 1415 to end the Great Schism.

Many Popes have issued conditions for their resignations since then, such as Pius XII during World War II (in case of capture by Nazis) and the last Pope, John Paul II (if he had an incurable disease that would prevent him from exercising the apostolic ministry; or in case of a "severe and prolonged impairment" that would have kept him from being the pope.)

Thoughts? This is history, right here, people!

i considered making this thread.
But then i realised i didnt care.
The papacy are manipulative...
Iregular finances(there bank was being blacklisted in europe), covering up abuses by priests, opposing woman and gays having equal rights etc.
I dont much like the man.

It is history, alright. Strange though. Might he be doing it just to make history and get the media attention? Even if his health is bad?

According to a various articles I did while I was doing some background research, it seems he has had trouble walking without help for awhile now. So I suppose I can understand his reasons.

thenumberone : It seems that you are merging the office with the man himself for some of those. I personally don't care for the Vatican and all that, but I will say that this Pope did go after those priests accused of harming children, to his credit.

I think the one truly sad thing about his stepping down though... no more Pope Palpatine jokes. Though it does leave the window open for this:

Elara : You beat me to the joke. ;-;

But uh, yeah, pretty surprising honestly. I actually wasn't aware the Pope COULD quit, y'know, being "chosen by god" and all. This is also the first time I heard about the other guy quitting too, honestly.

Can't say I'll miss him, obviously, considering his history. Hopefully the next one won't be so... Hateful, honestly, Nya~.

there was a big scandal recently, where the popes butler blew the lid off the vatican scandals. I just find it unlikely he (pope-y)didnt know about the goings on.
I think that he may have tried to improve the churces reputation, but that he was deceitfull in the manner in which he pursued this.

Apparently the vatican was struck by lightning right after he resigned (no joke).

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/entertainment/video-lightning-strikes-vatican-after-pope-resigns

Also, I think it's now the time to look into nostradamus' prediction of last pope. If the pope is french then I guess the end of world is near.

Well, considering this one was German and none of the Cardinals being mentioned are French, I think we are in the clear.

I don't know how the Vatican operates in terms of whether the candidate can decline the decision by the council, but I was wondering why would Pope Benedict XVI would agree to accept the Papacy in the first place. His health was already in fairly bad shape back when Pope JPII was pope. I find the initial decision of the pope to be rather....pointless.

Benedict could walk on his own when he accepted the Papacy, I think that is what changed.

Honestly though, I am more inclined to think of this as the Vatican taking the change at revitalizing their image with a younger, stronger Pope. Sure, that "younger" is still going to have grey or white hair, but he will seem younger. Stronger looking leader = stronger looking church.

I dont care really. I was maybe struck a little in a way that I actually lived to see the day, if this is something that happenes only once in a thoudand years. Well, the last pope had totally different reasons to quit and I always kinda understood this one never really wanted the job and was suprised he was voted in.

Well,all in all it dosent matter. To those who care there will be a new one by the easter. Over here people mostly joke about it.

Brigand : You mean like how Benedict gave up the Papacy for Lent?

The anti-christ is coming.

Elara :

If I understood right and you mean the antipope Benedict the XIII, yes I do. Ofcource the situation back then was much more complicated than now. Or is it. There is so many rumours now circulating what really happened behind the scenes.

Well that is  Pope Benedict 16 has quit.  The world has seven would be "popes

Angelo Scola, (age) 71,
(Nationality) Italian. Scola is the archbishop of Milan. By tradition, many popes express their choice for the man most likely to succeed them by making that cardinal Archbishop of Milan. It happened for Cardinal Montini who later became Paul VI but it did not happen to my choice in the last round, Cardinal Martini, who in the Conclave of 2005 had already retired as Archbishop of Milan to pursue his scholarly studies in Jerusalem, though Martini did well in the first ballot. Scola is believed to be one of the favorites to succeed Pope Benedict. He founded the Oasis International Foundation, whose goal is to promote understanding between Christians and Muslims. He may indeed become a figurehead pope while the real power remains behind the scenes in the Curia, and perhaps even in the hand so the Bishop Emeritus of Rome who will still be living “in his retirement” deep inside the Vatican City Walls.

Gianfranco Ravasi, 70, Italian. Ravasi serves as the president of the Vatican’s council for culture and became a cardinal in 2011.


Christoph Schoenborn, 67, Austrian. The archbishop of Vienna is a liberal in a sea of conservative choices. In 2012, he overruled one of his priests and allowed a gay Catholic to serve on a parish council. I do not see liberals or non-Italians getting very far in the Conclave of 2013.


Peter Erdo, 61, Hungarian. Another Eastern European? (Not!) Been there, done that. Erdo is the archbishop of Budapest and heads the Conference of Bishops for Europe.


Angelo Bagnasco, 70, Italian. Bagnasco is the archbishop of Genoa. He is cut from the mainstream triumphalist, right wing cardinal stock, earning his right-wing weathervane of righteousness receiving threats from gay-rights activists after he condemned same-sex unions in 2007. I say, follow the conservatives and the Italians in this conclave. Bagnasco has a chance.

Joao Braz de Aviz, 65, Brazilian. He heads the Vatican’s department for religious congregations. He became a cardinal in 2012.

Leonardo Sandri, 69, Argentinian. Vatican chief of staff for seven years until 2007. Current head of the Vatican’s Department for Eastern Churches.

Odilo Pedro Scherer, 63, Brazilian. Archbishop of Sao Paolo, Brazil, the largest diocese in the largest Catholic country. He will have chance to vote for the next pope as he was elevated to the College of Cardinals in 2007, however, I do not see Brazil having a successful Summer Olympics “and” a liberal Brazilian Pope in Rome in the near future.

Marc Ouellet, 68, Canadian. Head of the Congregation for Bishops at the Vatican. In 2011, he was quoted as saying that becoming a pope “would be a nightmare.” As some of my readers correctly point out, Ouellet being an ancient French name will require an examination of his chances in regards to the predictions of Nostradamus in a later article. (Join my free newsletter now, and get a notice when the article is published.)

Timothy Dolan, 62, American. This Archbishop of New York City is America’s best chance for a pope but my oracle says “nope.”


Peter Turkson, 64, Ghanan. Africa’s great black pope hope for pontiff. Turkson is head of Vatican’s Justice and Peace Council. He is one of my favorites for the job, but then, Anthony Quinn was my favorite pontiff in the movie, The Shoes of the Fisherman. That, by the way, is another clue to who might be Petrus Romanus: anything to do symbolically or literally with “the fisherman”. That was St. Peter’s day job before he ran off with Yeshua. Oh, I’m sorry, I mean “Jesus Christ”. That is who the Romans “paganized” when they established a Church of Rome and thus Romanized Christianity like they did other religions, calling Yeshua by the misnomer “Jesus Christ”. The apostasy of the Christian Church began at its beginning.


Luis Tagle, 55, Filipino. Archbishop of Manila. A veritable “kid” in college of graying cardinals and thought to be a charismatic evangel of the Catholic Church where it is growing fastest, in the developing nations. I know there is great anticipation that a Cardinal from the developing world will be the next pope, but I do not foresee it happening. I believe it will be an Italian this time and perhaps the “last” time.
The person most likely to be pope is not on the papabille list. It is the Camerlengo himself, the Secretary of State. Cardinal Ratzinger (Benedict’s) former secretary when he was heading John Paul II’s Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith (aka The Inquisition). It is Cardinal Tarcisio Pietro Evasio Bertone, the former Vatican diplomat, Archbishop of Vercelli, Archbishop of Genoa and Cardinal-Bishop of Frascati. He is Italian and is fluent in French, Spanish, German and Portuguese. He can read Latin, Greek and Hebrew. This Sagittarian born Cardinal is 78, but unlike Benedict, he appears vital and much younger than his years.



With the advent of Pope Benedict XVI's sudden resignation, author John Hogue discussed the prophecies of St. Malachy, the 12th century Irish bishop who predicted all the subsequent popes following a vision. Malachy was on a pilgrimage in Rome in 1140 and while situated on a hill at sunset, he "went into an ecstatic trance; his serving monks around him put out candles and paper and started writing down...his utterances of 2 or 3 word Latin mottoes," Hogue explained. This list was handed to Pope Celestine II, he continued, and was presented as a prophecy of the succession of the Popes with the mottoes representing the name or heraldry of the next 111 Popes, until the Catholic version of the Apocalypse occurs with the selection of the 112th Pope (the Pope after Benedict will be the 112th). Interestingly, Malachy's prophecy disappeared until it was rediscovered in 1595, and there was suspicion that it was a forgery.

The motto Malachy indicated for the 112th Pope referenced the name Petrus Romanus or Peter of Rome, and Hogue analyzed a number of possible candidates with Peter in their name, though he suspects the next Pope will likely be someone hailing from Italy. According to approved Catholic prophecy (which differs from Malachy's), there are several stages leading up to the Apocalypse, including a time of miracles, with mass healings, Marian apparitions, and signs in the heavens. Hogue wondered if the current spate of meteors and fireballs, as well as the coming of the bright comet ISON later this year might relate to this.


He also reviewed prophecies of Nostradamus that could relate to our current time frame, the Popes, and the Apocalypse. When Nostradamus wrote "when the great Pontiff will change lands," this could refer to how the next Pope could become a refugee after the destruction of Rome, Hogue said. For more, check out his blog posting, Pope Benedict XVI Resigns, Prophecies of St. Malachy, Papabille and the Last Pope Petrus Romanus.

Guys I worried here  we might see the down fall of the Roman Crunch in the next few years
what do you think?


http://www.coasttocoastam.com/show/2013/02/18
http://www.hogueprophecy.com/

Brigand : Actually I was making a joke. But that works, too.

FrankThePunisherCastle : I'm not sure who wrote that article you used, but personally the second someone mentions Nostradamus I stop listening. Doom predictions and such are a load of hogswash. The next Pope is just going to be the next Pope. Personally though, I would love to see a liberal Cardinal get the promotion.

Elara :

Hehe.

ROME – As the world’s eyes fall on the papal conclave due to begin Tuesday, cardinals must now identify the key characteristics they want to see in the next leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics – and then find the man who matches their vision of the ‘ideal’ pontiff.
So what are the top five qualities that should be on the resume of the next pope? NBC’s team of experts in Rome give their insight into what the cardinals will be looking for.
<br>

Management skills
“A pope needs to know how to lead and manage a team,” says Father John Bartunek, a Catholic priest and author who provided spiritual support on the set of Mel Gibson’s "The Passion of the Christ" while researching his 2005 best-seller about the film, "Inside the Passion." “If he can’t create cohesion among his primary co-workers – especially the curia and the bishops – all his other efforts will be hampered.” that doesn’t necessarily mean a candidate with a ruthless eye for boardroom-style effectiveness. The next pope could be somebody who can select the right team alongside him.
“Popes of the 21st century cannot be micromanaging their chief executives so they must have good judgment in the men they select to lead local churches as bishops and to manage the machinery of the church,” says George Weigel, NBC Vatican analyst, biographer of Pope John Paul II and author of over 20 books, including “Evangelical Catholicism: Deep Reform in the 21st-Century Church".  
Good communicator
“The pope should be a gifted communicator – skilled in a variety of languages but above all skilled in the art of persuasive speech,” says Father Robert Barron, a Catholic priest, author and documentary-maker. “He should also be a man with a global vision, a sense of the universal church and its needs.”
Given the demographics of world Catholicism in the 21st century, a pope without a functional knowledge of English and Spanish is going to be at a serious disadvantage, says Weigel. “And until the Roman Curia changes its ingrained habits and institutional culture, a working knowledge of Italian is also an important attribute for a pope.”
An evangelist
A pope needs “to encourage, inspire, and support every member of the Church in this beautiful and crucial mission,” says Bartunek.
Weigel adds: “The church needs to present the gospel of good news in a positive and compelling way, suggesting to the secular world that there’s more to life than ‘me, myself and I,’ and that a larger horizon of aspiration might actually lead to a happier human life. That’s going to take a missionary, evangelical pope to put a face on the evangelical fervor that is already felt through the church, including in the United States.
“And let’s underscore that: The Catholic church is vital and lively in America. A reclusive man, a man who wears his doubts and his sense of ambiguities on his sleeve or who is shy about the world media, is lacking an important quality.”
Trustworthiness
“One word can sum up this conclave and papal election: trust,” says Elizabeth Lev, an American living in Rome who teaches in the Catholic studies program at the University of St. Thomas. “Of the many concerns and challenges that the cardinals are airing in these days of meetings, they will all be looking above all for the man they can trust to lead the church forward on its journey.
“Scandals of all kinds have undermined the trust people placed in the church; aggressive secularism and encroachment on religious liberty have shaken the trust many Catholics have towards the outside world; the next pope will have to restore that trust.”
A common touch
The next pope "needs to understand and be in synch with today’s culture,” Bartunek believes. “Otherwise, how will he be able to connect the Catholic faith to the felt needs of God’s children throughout the world?”
Barron agrees that the cardinals must choose a man “who understands the dynamics of the secularism that has come to dominate so much of Western culture.”

That could point to a candidate with a grounding in the pastoral work of the church.  “John Paul II came to Peter’s chair with a vast amount of pastoral experience that proved to be a great benefit,” says Weigel. “Virtually every one of the major initiatives of his papacy can be traced back to his experience as archbishop of Krakow – as test bed for his pontificate, if you will.”
With those qualities on the agenda, NBC’s experts agree that characteristics such as background and race shouldn’t be up for consideration.
“As it will be difficult enough to find a candidate who has a measure of all these qualities, nationality ought to mean nothing in the final choice,” says Weigel. “It would be irresponsible of cardinal-electors to constrain their choices by dismissing some nationalities, races, or ethnicities, or by giving pride of place to others.”


Bartunek says age, nationality and personality are “secondary” traits that matter only in relation to how they affect the other ideal characteristics, although Barron suggests “it would be wise to choose someone under 70.”
Lev adds: “The conclave will not be a casting call. Trust isn't old or young, tall or short, black or white, media friendly or shy – if you look at the ways trust has been depicted in art over the centuries, it is sometimes a frightened fisherman sinking in troubled waters reaching up to a serene Christ while at other times it is a woman standing tall and steadfast while holding a cross for grace through suffering.”
Finally, Weigel points out anyone actually wanting the job is likely to be ruled out as a result, “not so much for a lack of humility as for a lack of prudence. No sane man seeks the physical and spiritual burden of the papacy. The office seeks the man.”
Related:


from msnbc

So from the seven people that I have posted who are your top five  for the title of Pope?