The Holy Father Gives His Two-Week Notice

I think “floored” best describes the feelings of many a Catholic (including myself) this morning.

Floored, but not surprised.

If anything, the Holy Father Benedict XVI has shown himself to be an individual of tremendous wisdom to both Catholics and non-Catholics alike. He has always been, first and foremost, a scholar and a theologian as well as a leader and (as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith) the chief enforcer under his predecessor John Paul II.

The Holy Father has shepherded the Catholic Church through a very difficult time in her life, through the quagmire of child molestation scandals, amplified these past few weeks by the Los Angeles Archdiocese’s release of its files on priests accused of violating the trust of those in their charge. They are files I have been reading in depth the last day or so, perhaps as a catharsis for my own pain from the bullying I endured during my three years in a parochial school and the fact that the pastor whom I looked up to during that time is now serving a year’s prison term for violating that same trust and another had been forced into transition to the laity. I grew up in the Diocese of Orange, immediately south of L.A. and under its metropolitan domain.

Pat Archibold’s blog entry today is probably the best reasoning as to why the Holy Father would choose to become the first Pope in 600 years to step aside rather than remain in the office until his last breath. The then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was close to his predecessor, John Paul II, and was witness to his final weeks and months in failing health, when the task of directing the Church became more the responsibility of subordinate bishops and Cardinals rather than the individual chosen to lead them, and I would be certain that the Holy Father, in his wisdom, did not wish to repeat this. I would guess that in his contemplation and prayer, he came to the conclusion that it was best for the Church that he step aside while he still had the ability to do so.

I think the Holy Father also knows that in the end it’s not about him—it’s about Christ whom he, as His vicar, represents. I think he is keenly aware that his church is more than just one individual. It’s the continuation of a tradition and a movement that began nearly two thousand years ago and continues to endure through many hardships, scandals, and less than pristine history. She endures not because of any single individual, but because of the acknowledgment that it is Christ who ultimately leads them.