Guest LiterateParakeet Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 Pope Benedict XVI to step down | News | DW.DE | 11.02.2013The Pope has given his resignation. My condolences to our Catholic friends. I imagine this as a potentially confusing and hurtful thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizrenowden Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 Have just seen this in another paper - to say I was shocked is an understatement. Apparently the last Pope to resign was Gregory XII in 1415. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenamarie Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 Wow. To be honest, I didn't even realize they could do that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeuroTypical Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 I wish my Catholic friends and neighbors well, as they move through the transition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackmarch Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 I'd like to echo the sentiments shared so far. I also wish our friends well, and pray that the next pope will be a worthy and capable defender of their faith, and will be able to promote christian values to the world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pam Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 I'm not sure why this would be considered to be a hurtful thing. I'm sure he made his decision with much prayer. According to another article it states: Although most popes remain in office until their death, the regulations that govern the Catholic Church allow for a pope to step down from his duties. He need not ask permission: It is his decision entirely. To me it is done with much courage and much humility in deciding that they are no longer able to perform all the numerous duties of their office. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarginOfError Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 I wish I could go to the Vatican to watch the cardinals blow smoke up the chimney*. :) * I mean that seriously. It looks like a really fun event. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soulsearcher Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 I remember when this pope was elected. I have a fwe conversations and the general conclusion was this pope wouldn't hold the office for long, either he'd pass away of step down. Following in the shoes of John paul the second left quite a legacy to follow and some thought he was just a place holder til someone better (not that he's not a great man) came along. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LiterateParakeet Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 I'm not sure why this would be considered to be a hurtful thing. I'm sure he made his decision with much prayer.Simply because the article I read didn't explain "stepping down" as a possibility, only that he is the first Pope to have done so since 1415. Our Prophets don't "step down" even when they are in poor health. I think if Pres. Monson said one day he is going to abdicate his position, it would rock a lot of people's world. So my intent was to be sympathetic that perhaps this would be a difficult thing for our Catholic friends. If it is no big deal, then it's no big deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiJolly Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 I think it would be a good thing for us to give our prophets the same option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vort Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 I think it would be a good thing for us to give our prophets the same option.It's not ours to give. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiJolly Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 It's not ours to give.Why ever not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vort Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 Why ever not?President Monson does not serve in his office because I want him to. I have no authority to give him permission either to serve or to retire. Neither do you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiJolly Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 President Monson does not serve in his office because I want him to. I have no authority to give him permission either to serve or to retire. Neither do you.I wasn't limiting the comment to you and I, Vort. Try to be reasonable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarginOfError Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 I think it would be a good thing for us to give our prophets the same option.Agreed. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it started to happen soon. It wasn't all that long ago that we started putting seventies onto emeritus status. The major impetus behind doing so was that we needed younger, more physically able men to help the Twelve in their responsibilities. I don't know if we'll ever hit the point of requiring Apostles and prophets to go onto emeritus status (how would succession work if it were mandatory?) but I can see us allowing them to step out if their health and physical abilities make the calling overly burdensome on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vort Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 I wasn't limiting the comment to you and I, Vort. Try to be reasonable.I'm being perfectly reasonable. Whom did you mean by "us" when you said, "I think it would be a good thing for us to give our prophets the same option"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiJolly Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 by "us", I meant the LDS church as a whole. Including prophets and apostles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vort Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 by "us", I meant the LDS church as a whole. Including prophets and apostles.And who makes decisions for "us"? Not us. Such a thing is not ours to give.If the prophet wished to step down from his position, he could do so. The fact that none has ever done so doesn't mean they can't, just that they don't. I'm guessing there is an important reason for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiJolly Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 It's called policy, Vort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnn727 Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 Had Benedict been following the Word of Wisdom all his life.............. he may be in better health. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just_A_Guy Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 Is that what you tell every 85-year-old who feels a little under the weather? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ploomf Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 This is shocking, I've just started attending a Catholic church a little while ago, the people on the Catholic forums I read seem pretty upset by this. He's the first pope in 600 years to resign. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beefche Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 Had Benedict been following the Word of Wisdom all his life.............. he may be in better health.You aren't being serious, are you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gopecon Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 I think a big reason why the 12 and First Presidency don't have an Emeritus/retirement option is that they hold the keys to the Kingdom via their ordinations to the apostleship. There are only so many people at a time that are given those keys (this is why we have 1 quorum of the 12, unlike the Seventies that can grow as the Church needs expands. That said, if one of them wanted to step away from the ministry, they have the agency to do so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annewandering Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 A prophet can step down anytime he feels its the right thing to do. He is a prophet after all. We have had more than 12 apostles. In fact we always have more than 12. There is no reason to be inflexible given that these men are perfectly capable of asking God and receiving answers. Surely we trust them to do this. As far as the pope goes, it was shocking news. It makes sense though. He obviously is very weak physically. There are a lot of issues around his papacy that may well have influenced his decision. Overall he is a brave man to do what he feels is the right thing to do at this time. I have been disturbed to see all the crazy stuff going on the web today about him. People are reacting in some very odd ways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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