Bulletins

February 17, 2013

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This past Monday Pope Benedict XVI announced that, as of 8:00 p.m. Thursday, February 28, 2013, he would "renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter" having "come to the certainty that [his] strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry."

It is no random occurrence that the Holy Father made the statement on 11th of February, the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes and the World Day of the Sick. He concluded the unexpected statement at a regularly scheduled meeting with Cardinals in Rome: "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." In fact, he will take up residence in Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, which was established in the Vatican by Pope John Paul II in 1994.

Some of you already know that three years ago the Pope made a visit to the tomb of Pope Saint Celestine V, who reigned as Supreme Pontiff in 1294, having been elected at the age of 79. Pope Benedict left a conspicuous gift at the tomb of the 13th century pope: the woolen pallium which he had worn during his papal inauguration in April 2005. Several months after Pope Celestine V was elected Pope, he resigned as Bishop of Rome, seeking to return to the monastic life which had been interrupted by the twelve members of the College of Cardinals whose twenty seven month deadlock ended when they decided to elect the monk unanimously.

Those of us who believe in the power of prayer and penance can only imagine the wellspring of grace that will assist the Church in general and the next Pope in particular with our holy and humble spiritual father "serving the Holy Church of God… through a life dedicated to prayer". Moreover it is difficult to imagine that Pope Benedict's successor will do anything but respect and honor his hidden neighbor whose gracious exit has won over even some of his critics. The others will be satisfied only when the Catholic Church renounces Christianity. We should pray for them, for Pope Benedict, for the next Bishop of Rome and the 118 Cardinals who will elect him.

God bless you this Lent. May your prayer and fasting bear much fruit for you, your loved ones and the Church.

Fr. Christopher J. Pollard