I hit Facebook this morning without looking at the news; one 'booker was wondering who the next Pope would be. That seemed off, since the current Pope wasn't on his last legs as best I remembered.
Well, I hit the news pages just now, and we have the news story of the year; Pope Benedict is stepping aside at 85. He's been in "frail" health and had been warned off of a lot of travel; that wouldn't be an issue in the past, but John Paul II set the standard for a globe-trotting, visable presence for the Church, and Bene16 wasn't up to that anymore.
This is the first papal resignation since 1415. He gave the Catholic church a solid eight years at the helm, holding his own coming after a unique historical package that was a near-imposssible act to follow.
He stacked the college of cardinals, along with John Paul II. Expect a young ratzinger.
Posted by: alan | February 12, 2013 at 11:55 AM