February 11, 201313 yr Pope Benedict XVI is to resign The Pope is to resign at the end of this month in an entirely unexpected development, the Vatican has confirmed. The 85-year-old became Pope Benedict XVI in April 2005 following the death of John Paul II. The reasons behind the pontiff's surprise resignation have yet to emerge. At 78, the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was one of the oldest new popes in history when elected. link ----------------- Vatican spokesman Frederico Lombardi has told the AFP news agency that he will step down at 20:00 on 28 February. This is a surprise announcement, and makes him the first pope to resign in centuries. The Pope says his strength is no longer adequate to continue in office, in a statement reported by Reuters news agency.
February 11, 201313 yr Author Dear Brothers, I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonizations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the Church. After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry. I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering. However, in today’s world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the bark of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me. For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to me by the Cardinals on 19 April 2005, in such a way, that as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant and a Conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have to be convoked by those whose competence it is. Dear Brothers, I thank you most sincerely for all the love and work with which you have supported me in my ministry and I ask pardon for all my defects. And now, let us entrust the Holy Church to the care of Our Supreme Pastor, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and implore his holy Mother Mary, so that she may assist the Cardinal Fathers with her maternal solicitude, in electing a new Supreme Pontiff. With regard to myself, I wish to also devotedly serve the Holy Church of God in the future through a life dedicated to prayer. From the Vatican, 10 February 2013 BENEDICTUS PP XVI link
February 11, 201313 yr Should have probably gone when the cover up for the child abusing priests came out a few years ago. Hopefully whoever gets in charge will bring the catholic church into the 21st century and allow the use of condoms without sin
February 12, 201313 yr It was twitter that did him in. After making an account recently, he decided "screw this modern sh*t, I'm outta here." twitter is the devil
February 12, 201313 yr Should have probably gone when the cover up for the child abusing priests came out a few years ago. Hopefully whoever gets in charge will bring the catholic church into the 21st century and allow the use of condoms without sin You'll be lucky to get a pope who is prepared to take the Catholic Church into the 20th century never mind the 21st.
February 12, 201313 yr Author Lightning really does strike twice As the world reeled with the news that Pope Benedict XVI was to resign, another bolt from the blue was to hit the Vatican within hours. This time quite literally. A bolt of lightning - surely not a message from above - was photographed striking the lightning rod on the top St Peter's Basilica, not by one, but two photographers. Or, indeed, maybe more? One of those was photographer Alessandro Di Meo, who was in the area following the breaking news of the resignation. When the first bolt struck, he immediately moved to a position where he would be able to record another strike. It was, he says, a race against time but also against misfortune. "While I was cleaning the lens from raindrops a first lightning bolt hit the dome and I could not help but watch," he says. "Bad luck. However it was not enough to discourage me, so I went on to persevere in an attempt to try to make the picture as well as I had imagined. I tried again several times until a bolt of lightning struck the cupola just as I was taking the shot." For those not aware, to take a photograph of lightning you must open the shutter and hope - or perhaps pray. You can't wait until you see a flash and press the shutter release, as you will, of course, have missed the event. The trick is to frame the shot and set the camera for a long exposure, then any bolts that appear in the frame will be captured in all their glory. Di Meo's camera was in fact balanced on a fence to ensure it did not move during the long exposure, though no doubt a tripod would have been used had one been available. He set his camera for an exposure time of eight seconds, at f/9 aperture and 50 ISO. "Of course, the camera was set to manual and I mounted a wide angle lens that allowed me to include the whole church in the frame," he says. Inevitably there were discussions around the authenticity of the picture, but as long as you know what you are doing, and have some luck, then lightning pictures are not too tricky. Saying that, I can gladly own up to having missed a few in my time. The skill, as demonstrated here, is good framing and ensuring the result is dramatic. "I understand that the picture may be incredible," says Di Meo. "Photos of lightning have always been done, but the only difference, in this case, is that it is the right place and at the right time." AFP photographer Filippo Monteforte was also in the right place at the right time. He captured the same scene having also found a good vantage point sheltering in the columns around St Peter's Square. He shot on a 50mm lens and waited for two hours. He told AFP, "The first bolt was huge and lit up the sky, but unfortunately I missed it. I had better luck the second time, and was able to snap a couple of images of the dome illuminated by the bolt." And of course who can forget the picture of lightning seeming to strike the Eiffel Tower or bolts striking the Bay Bridge in San Francisco by Phil McGrew. link
March 12, 201313 yr Author 10 things about the conclave The cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church are gathering to elect a new pope. At some point, white smoke billowing from the Sistine Chapel will show that a decision has been made. But what goes on behind the closed doors before the smoke appears? Here are 10 lesser-known facts about the conclave. 1. It's a lock-in. Conclave comes from the Latin "cum-clave" meaning literally "with key" - the cardinal-electors will be locked in the Sistine Chapel each day until Benedict XVI's successor is chosen. The tradition dates back to 1268, when after nearly three years of deliberation the cardinals had still not agreed on a new pope, prompting the people of Rome to hurry things up by locking them up and cutting their rations. Duly elected, the new pope, Gregory X, ruled that in future cardinals should be sequestered from the start of the conclave. 2. Spying is tricky. During the conclave they are allowed no contact with the outside the world - no papers, no TV, no phones, no Twitter. And the world is allowed no contact with them. The threat of excommunication hangs over any cardinal who breaks the rules. Before the conclave starts, the Sistine Chapel is swept for recording equipment and hidden cameras. It is a myth that a fake floor is laid to cater for anti-bugging devices... Anti-bugging devices are used, and the floor is raised, but only to protect the marble mosaic floor. 3. Portable loos play an essential role. Until 2005, the cardinals endured Spartan conditions in makeshift "cells" close to the Sistine Chapel. They slept on hard beds and were issued with chamber pots. Pope John Paul II changed that with the construction of a five-storey 130-room guest house near St Peter's - Domus Sanctae Marthae (St Martha's House). But cardinals still have to rough it while voting. In an interview with the Catholic News Service last week, Antonio Paolucci, the director of the Vatican Museum said: "I believe they may be installing portable chemical toilets inside the chapel." One of the world's better furnished polling stations 4. An "interregnum" is ending. The pontificate used to be known as a "reign" - hence the period between two popes being called an interregnum ("between reigns"). Many of the regal trappings of the papacy were set aside by Pope Paul VI, who began his pontificate in 1963 with a coronation, but never wore the beehive-shaped papal tiara again. The last coronation, in 1963 - and the last outing of the crown 5. Counted votes are sewn up. The cardinals hold one vote on day one and then two each morning and afternoon until a candidate wins a two-thirds majority. Each writes his choice on a slip of paper, in disguised handwriting, and folds it in half. Cardinals then process to the altar one by one and place the ballots in an urn. The papers are mixed, counted, opened and scrutinised by three cardinals, the third of whom passes a needle and thread through the counted votes. At the end of each morning and afternoon session the papers are burned. Black smoke billows from the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican, indicating that the cardinals gathered in the Conclave have not yet chosen a new pope, file pic from 19 April 2005 The Conclave's secrecy means outsiders are left looking for clues in the smoke 6. Chemicals colour the smoke. Those 115 ballot papers produce an unusual amount of smoke... which pours out of a chimney specially installed on the roof of the Sistine Chapel. A chemical is mixed with the paper to produce black smoke when voting is inconclusive, or white smoke when a pope has been elected. But even the white smoke looks dark against a bright sky, so to avoid any possible confusion, white smoke is accompanied by the pealing of bells. In 2005, though, the official responsible for authorising the bells was temporarily occupied with other duties, so there was a period of confusion while white smoke billowed out, and the bells of St Peter's remained silent. The Conclave's secrecy means outsiders are left looking for clues in the smoke 7. Robes are prepared in S, M and L. The Pope has to look the part when he is presented to the faithful from a balcony overlooking St Peter's Square. So papal tailors Gammarelli prepare three sets of vestments - in small, medium and large sizes. These will include a white cassock, a white silk sash, a white zucchetto (skullcap), red leather shoes and a red velvet mozzetta or capelet with ermine trim - a style revived by Benedict XVI. The Pope dresses by himself, donning a gold-corded pectoral cross and a red embroidered stole. (Popes traditionally wore red, but in 1566 St Pius V, a Dominican, decided to continue wearing his white robes. Only the Pope's red mozzetta, capelet and shoes remain from the pre-1566 days.) 8. Huge bets are laid. Experts suggest more than £10m ($15m) will be wagered as people guess which cardinal will get the nod - making this the world's most bet-upon non-sporting event. It's not a new phenomenon. In 1503 betting on the pope was already referred to as "an old practice". Pope Gregory XIV was so cheesed off that in 1591 he threatened punters with excommunication, but the gambling continues unabated. Prominent Italian and Latin American names currently lead the field. 9. Just say yes. Technically, an elected Pope can refuse to take up the position, but it's not really done to turn down the Holy Spirit. That said, few relish the prospect of leading the world's largest Church, beset as it is at the moment with falling congregation numbers, sex abuse scandals and internal wrangling. So many new popes are overcome with emotion after their election that the first room they enter, to dress for the balcony scene, is commonly known as the Room of Tears. 10. There is no gender test. Chairs with a large hole cut in the seat are sometimes thought to have been used to check the sex of a new Pope. The story goes that the aim of the checks was to prevent a repeat of the scandal of "Pope Joan", a legendary female cardinal supposedly elected pope in the 14th Century. Most historians agree that the Joan story is nonsense. Examples of the chairs, the sedes stercoraria, are apparently held in museums, but their purpose is unclear. One unconfirmed theory is that they were used to check that the new pope had not been castrated. link
March 12, 201313 yr Maybe he feels guilty for the massive amount of wealth the Vatican has and isn't using to help the poor?
March 13, 201313 yr As a Catholic, I'm very optimistic about the possibilities. Perhaps my church will get out of politics and go back to our initial mission of caring for the poor.
March 13, 201313 yr And it is Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, now known as Pope Francis I The French for it is François 1er. It's a bit weird for French people because François 1er was a very famous French king that reigned in the 16th century. He notably won the famous battle of Melegnano (in French Marignan) against Italians, in 1515. :lol:
March 13, 201313 yr The French for it is François 1er. It's a bit weird for French people because François 1er was a very famous French king that reigned in the 16th century. He notably won the famous battle of Melegnano (in French Marignan) against Italians, in 1515. :lol: And you know what? The Pope's got Italian origins too (from around Turin) :lol:
March 14, 201313 yr [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsZqdAiWe2g]Pope Francis I resigns - YouTube[/ame] seems legit :laugh3:
March 15, 201313 yr I found out on a billboard on Vegas Strip. :laugh3: "World welcomes Pope Francis I"
Create an account or sign in to comment