Pope's Last Speech

[Anxious Girl]

The Pope gave his last speech today. His tenure will end at 8 tonight. Link: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013 ... hurch?lite.

Here are some quotes:

Referring to the many turbulent moments of his papacy, he acknowledged its moments of joy but also difficulty when "It seemed like the Lord was sleeping."

His message was that it's not our church, it's not my church, it's the church of Christ."

Young members of the Catholic group Opus Dei served as stewards at the entrance to the square, managing the queues of people filing in past metal detectors, AFP correspondent Gildas Le Roux reported.

Not all of them supported Benedict's resignation, Le Roux said, quoting one of the stewards, Leonardo Rossi, as saying: "I do not share the pope's decision to step down. It is not a fitting time, with all the problems the church is going through."

After the address, the Pope's Twitter account, @Pontifex, posted a message that said: "If only everyone could experience the joy of being Christian, being loved by God who gave his Son for us!"

Seems like something fishy is going on behind the scenes... :? Wonder what it is? :think: :?:

[Mela99]

I agree. Something is shady with this. I don't believe he was "too old and tired"...

[Eliowy]

Does anyone else think its interesting that Opus Dei was involved? I mean just from my past dealings with them i think that its rather interesting...i didn't think they had that level of influence with this pope?

[JenniferJuniper]

I agree. Something is shady with this. I don't believe he was "too old and tired"...

Have you seen his, ahem, "personal secretary"? Monsignor Georg Gänswein is going to continue to serve him in his retirement.

[Eliowy]

hmmmm my goodness why would he need a 'personal secretary' in his alleged retirement to a monastery?

[Anxious Girl]

Does anyone else think its interesting that Opus Dei was involved? I mean just from my past dealings with them i think that its rather interesting...i didn't think they had that level of influence with this pope?

Oooh, please do tell! * deist who grew up Roman Catholic who still abides by their beliefs in Mary and the saints*

[valsa]

Have you seen his, ahem, "personal secretary"? Monsignor Georg Gänswein is going to continue to serve him in his retirement.

Well, hellooooo Doctor Father!

[OkToBeTakei]

Well, hellooooo Doctor Father!

Get lost YOU..He is MINE! Can't wait to make my first err confession :D

[Eliowy]

Oooh, please do tell! * deist who grew up Roman Catholic who still abides by their beliefs in Mary and the saints*

My parents were fundy Catholics and growing up both were involved in Opus Dei. I went to some of the camps and worked at one of the centers for 'discernment' the summer before I took off to college. Needless to say it didn't go very well. While quite conservative and traditional my parents had nothing on the people at the centers.

*edited to prove that yes i can spell*

[valsa]

Get lost YOU..He is MINE! Can't wait to make my first err confession :D

Whatever! I'll just steal him away from you. Then confess it and be forgiven :P

By the way, confessional lapdances are totally a real thing, right? Like, if you pay extra... stuff a $20 in their collar, maybe?

[OkToBeTakei]

Sounds like a good business proposition. Church is in flux. Always a prime time for good business opportunities. You can be the brains I'll practice the moves on Monsignor :P

[thekate]

hmmmm my goodness why would he need a 'personal secretary' in his alleged retirement to a monastery?

To deal with all the letters from Abigail to her "daddy." :roll:

[Hane]

Have you seen his, ahem, "personal secretary"? Monsignor Georg Gänswein is going to continue to serve him in his retirement.

Hot for Preacher!

[PennySycamore]

As for the personal secretary, is it possible he plays for the other team? Swings the other way? In other words, if you are a woman, he's just not that into you.

From what I've read on Daily Kos, there are two possible scenarios: One is a financial scandal involving the Vatican Bank or a gay sex scandal brewing. British Catholics just saw their top Bishop resign because of a gay sex scandal.

[Cran]

Or possibly he really feels just too old to continue? Many people were not happy at all with JP II staying Pope through his illness up to his death.

And while this pope didn't seem to be as fond of the Opus Dei as the previous one, it is still a relatively large Catholic organisation in good standing with the Church and can't be passed over all the time.

To me, there's such a thing as too much conspiracy theories.

[debrand]

Or possibly he really feels just too old to continue? Many people were not happy at all with JP II staying Pope through his illness up to his death.

And while this pope didn't seem to be as fond of the Opus Dei as the previous one, it is still a relatively large Catholic organisation in good standing with the Church and can't be passed over all the time.

To me, there's such a thing as too much conspiracy theories.

It is possible but it is also equally possible that there is another reason. The Vatican would probably be less vulnerable to such questions if they were more transparent with the public.

[Coconut Flan]

He's falling, going deaf, has almost completely lost the sight in one eye, can't fly transoceanic, and has trouble walking and getting up and down stairs and out of chairs. He's had at least one stroke, has blood pressure problems, has a pace maker, and probably other issues. He watched how things fell apart as JPII failed and I expect after watching that said that isn't how things should be done. I think he's simply done. Holy Week is fast approaching and after seeing how exhausted he was last year by the end of Holy Week, I think he doesn't have it in him to go through that again. It took him weeks to recover last year.

Sometimes a duck is just a duck. The news people seem to love conspiracies, but I think he did the right thing. Maybe this will give future popes who are simply too old and frail for the job the freedom to retire.

[chiara]

Abigail, I agree with you 100%.

[Sunnichick31]

Or possibly he really feels just too old to continue? Many people were not happy at all with JP II staying Pope through his illness up to his death.

And while this pope didn't seem to be as fond of the Opus Dei as the previous one, it is still a relatively large Catholic organisation in good standing with the Church and can't be passed over all the time.

To me, there's such a thing as too much conspiracy theories.

I don't know. The thing that really gets me is that he announced his retirement right before Lent, and his retirement is taking place in the middle of Lent. It just seems kinda odd. It seems to me that he would have either retired long before Lent, or after Easter.

[hoipolloi]

Whatever! I'll just steal him away from you. Then confess it and be forgiven :P

Sorry, gang, you're all out of luck - looks like Monsignor Georg belongs to the Pope Emeritus, one way or the other. The two have some, uh, history: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religio ... d-man.html.

Regarding the presence of Opus Dei at today's event, check out this paragraph from the Telegraph article:

He was ordained as a Catholic priest in 1984 and moved to Rome a decade later, becoming a professor of canon law at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, which is closely affiliated to the conservative Catholic order Opus Dei.

And Mr. Emeritus isn't going anywhere; after the election of the new pope, Benedict is zooming right back into the Vatican to stay there until he meets his Maker, or whatever. In the meantime, Mr. Georg will be "helping" Mr. Emeritus at night ( :wink: ) while working for the new pope during the day.

Someday, all of these deeply closeted homophobes are going to be stunned when their closet doors blow off in an explosion of light & publicity.

[gustava]

Not about his speech, but his housing. If I understand correctly, he's moving into a cloistered convent in the Vatican--and all the nuns got kicked out.

Pisses me off.

[RachelB]

Have you seen his, ahem, "personal secretary"? Monsignor Georg Gänswein is going to continue to serve him in his retirement.

Well, then!

I went to high school with a beautiful young man who took vows. A friend referred to him as "Father What a Waste."

[Eliowy]

The nice part of me wants to agree with the other posters that maybe this is what the pope says it is. my cynic is disagreeing though. And its good to know i'm not the only one that heard about the nuns having to move.

[Megan]

I don't know. The thing that really gets me is that he announced his retirement right before Lent, and his retirement is taking place in the middle of Lent. It just seems kinda odd. It seems to me that he would have either retired long before Lent, or after Easter.

From what I understand, he visited the tomb of the last Pope to resign (Celestine?) during previous trips, even though that Pope was rather obscure. Since he didn't the job, has health problems AND he had difficulty wrangling everyone around him, I'm leaning towards just accepting the official explanation, though as an ex-Catholic, my natural tendency is towards conspiracy theories. The most conspiratorial I'm going now is that he got a diagnosis for something very recently or has experienced worsening of symptoms for an existing condition.

I am not a fan of Benedict but am willing to accept that an old man doesn't want to deal with all this shit anymore. The Vatican sounds like Mean Girls at time

[takers401]

Not about his speech, but his housing. If I understand correctly, he's moving into a cloistered convent in the Vatican--and all the nuns got kicked out.

Pisses me off.

I thought that the nuns were already out of the convent as it's being renovated? Somewhere I read that he's only staying there until his permanent location is ready for him. Or am I getting this backward and his permanent location is where the nuns were?