Like everyone else in the world, whether Catholic or not, I have spent this week digesting the news that the Pope, our beloved (to us Catholics, anyway) Papa, Benedict XVI, will be resigning as Pope as of February 28th, 2013. It was stunning news, especially considering that it has not happened since Gregory XII, who ended his nine-year papacy by resigning in 1415 as part of a deal that ended the Western schism in the church, which had followed a contested election in 1378.
Cardinal Ratzinger was elected Pope Benedict XVI on April 19th, 2005, just as I was beginning to understand what it meant to be Catholic, and that I might (how I did not yet know) find my way into the Catholic Church. I will be eternally grateful to God for giving this gentle and holy Father to the Church after the death of the Blessed John Paul. His quiet strength has been a blessing to his whole flock, and for us especially as new members of that flock.
So much has been written this week, and more yet will be in the weeks to come, in thanks and admiration for Papa Benedetto, as the Italians call him. One of the first and best was of course from the brilliant Elizabeth Scalia, and I commend it to you both for her beautiful summation as well as for her myriad links to the thoughts published by so many others, which are worthy of your time as well.
I will end with a few of my favorite images from this past eight years of Pope Benedict XVI. They include some photos from his ordination and his early years, some images of the multi-million strong, joy-filled international crowds of young people gathered to celebrate their faith with Him at World Youth Day, and finally his last public mass, celebrated on Ash Wednesday at St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome.
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Finally, here is Pope Benedict recessing after that final mass to the strains of Palestrina, Tu es Petrus.
