“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 ...”
So began the message of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to his cardinals earlier this morning. In his brief speech, issued in Latin, the Pope explains that in today's fast-paced world, strength of mind and body are necessary to lead over one billion Catholics worldwide, and that his age has taken a toll on both.
Meanwhile, Father Dwight Longenecker provides an excellent analysis of the landscape unfolding.
The sudden effectiveness–he will be gone within a few weeks–is brilliant. There is scarcely time for the world’s cardinals to book their plane tickets–much less to be politicking and planning how to get the white soutane. The press has not had the chance to be picking papabile for months. The Vatican insiders have not had time to get “their man” in place.
Ah, you say, but the day is still young. Stay tuned ...
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