Re: The Pope's Brave and Noble Decision

In response to Pope Benedict Makes a Brave and Noble Decision:

I was shocked to hear the news of the Pope Benedict XVI‘s resignation, this morning. If the Pope feels the need to step down, he must be very ill, indeed.

In her excellent post at The Corner, this morning,  Kathryn Jean Lopez pointed to an interview the Pontiff made in 2010. When asked by journalist Peter Seewald whether he had ever considered resigning, he answered:

 “When the danger is great one must not run
away,” he replied. “For that reason, now is certainly not the time to
resign. Precisely at a time like this one must stand fast and endure the
difficult situation. That is my view. One can resign at a peaceful
moment or when one simply cannot go on. But one must not run away from
danger and say that someone else should do it.”

***

“Is it possible then to imagine a situation in which you would
consider a resignation by the Pope appropriate?” the reporter pressed.

“Yes,” the Pope said. “If a Pope clearly realizes he is no longer
physically, psychologically, and spiritually capable of handling the
duties of his office, then he has a right and, under some circumstances,
also an obligation to resign.”

There is much to admire in how both men handled their infirmities. Pope John Paul II had the presence of mind to remain Pontiff,  and so he did while enduring his physical afflictions until the day he died. Pope Benedict XVI soldiered on until he simply could not go on, and felt an obligation to resign. 

As K-Lo aptly put it, “John Paul taught us how to die. Pope Benedict shows us how to step aside in humility and love.”

Meanwhile on Twitter, the left continues to appall.

Many of the same folks who have been idolizing a cop killer, are now heaping profane insults and derision at this “servant of the servants of God.”