Yesterday Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation. He will resign at the end of this month. He stated he was resigning for the good of the Church, and that is a reason that I can, and will, fully respect.
There has been a lot of discussion on the news boards (CNN, NYT and Washington Post), with varying degrees of opinions. My faith is my faith, and I will not discuss it in too much detail here. The point being that whatever the reason; I appreciate him stepping down for the good of the Church, instead of having the world watch his decay and the rumors fly.
The Church is part of my belief system, and I look at the Pope as the guide for the Church. But there are other parts of my belief system that are just as important. How one lives their life and interacts with others is key, as is forgiveness and charity. I don’t believe one has to have organized religion to believe, it is more intrinsic; at least for me. And that is how I feel about it.
To Pope Benedict, I say good job for having the moral courage to step down while still able to provide guidance to the general direction of the Church. I think you are setting a good example, and more folks should follow suite; for the good of the Church.
Does the Church have some issues – yep. But that is a discussion for another day, today is to show respect for our Pope and his decision.
L Johnston
I know many people are enamored with all the pomp, circumstance, and splendor of the Vatican, as well as its leader, the Pope. Unfortunately, like so many institutions throughout the ages, the “life” of the Papal See has exceeded its necessity. I see no problem with the Vatican as a church-law oversight committee, but do we really need some tired old figurehead of a person dictating what we can and cannot do in daily life? There’s a major disconnect between the Pope (yes, go ahead and have 16 kids; it’s God’s will) and reality (we can’t afford a bunch of kids – have you seen the price of insurance and groceries lately??). I love the history of Vatican City, but do they REALLY need all that artwork, those golden chalices, the world’s most expensive cars and shoes? I say sell all of it off and feed the hungry of the world – for me, that’s the ultimate “do unto others” purpose for religion, not the accumulation of wealth. When you think about it, you really don’t need to be part of any organized religion to be a good person…..