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Pope Benedict XVI @ 93: Taking A Deserved Rest
By Chuks Ekpeneru
The world was stunned on the morning of 11th February 2013 when Pope Benedict XVI announced he was stepping down as leader of the Catholic Church.
That decision made him the first pope to relinquish the office since Gregory XII in 1415.
Before then, the only other pope who stepped down from the powerful position was Celestine V in 1294. Whereas Gregory XII took his action in order to end the Western Schism, Celestine V’s action was voluntary.
Thus, Pope Benedict XVI could be described as the first since Celestine V to actually step down.
The pontiff gave as his reason, his declining health due to old age for that unexpected decision. He was the fourth-oldest person to hold the office of pope.
He was head of the Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2005 until his resignation in 2013. He took over from Pope John Paul II.
The retired Pontiff was born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger on the 16th of April 1927 in Marktl, Germany.
During his papacy, Pope Benedict promoted the use of Latin and supported Christian values. He also came to be known for his rather conservative views on Catholicism and homosexuality.
He led the Catholic Church with the belief that the Church should retain its core traditional, conservative values in an era of rapid change.
He rejected calls for a debate on the issue of clerical celibacy, and reaffirmed the ban on Communion for divorced Catholics who remarry. He has also said the churches’ strict positions on abortion, euthanasia and gay partnerships were “not negotiable”.
In retirement, he continues to wear his distinctive white cassock without the mozzetta and without the red papal shoes, opting to wear a pair of brown shoes that he received during a state visit to Mexico.
Benedict took up residence in the Papal Palace of Castel Gandolfo immediately following his resignation.
Benedict moved permanently to Vatican City’s Mater Ecclesiae on 2 May 2013, a monastery previously used by nuns for stays of up to several years at a time.
Two weeks ago and ahead of his 93rd birthday, his secretary Archbishop Georg Gaenswein revealed that the retired pontiff was doing well but was no longer accepting visitors in the monastery where he is passing away his last years.
The retired pontiff has indeed been out of public view for seven years but his decisive move to enforce traditional values that promote the faith remain unforgettable.
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