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| Pope Benedict XVI in his Camauro, a.k.a. Santa Claus Hat |
busy in the newsroom all morning.
The announcement was wholly unexpected and in many ways unprecedented. Not since the uneven reign of Gregory XII ended in his forced resignation has a pontiff gotten out of the papacy alive (so to speak). Leading Catholic scholar Thomas J. Reese says as many as ten Popes have resigned in the Church's 2000-year history, but even that number is uncertain, and none stepped down under circumstances like today's. As recently as the late 20th Century, Rome frowned on resignation; Pope Paul VI said "paternity cannot be resigned"; and you may recall Dante Alighieri sending the resigned Pope Celestine V to hell for quitting, in his masterpiece, "Inferno".
I view the papacy and its history with morbid curiosity and fascination, something that might surprise those of you familiar with my religious tendencies. Indeed, although I do not subscribe to their dogma and doctrine, I find myself very appreciative of Catholic-inspired art, architecture and ceremony. Every year, you'll find me watching in awe the spectacles that are Easter and Christmas at the Vatican. Consider me a sort of amateur anthropologist of religious ritual.
My respect for the papal office itself, and its current and soon-to-be former occupant, is less reverential. History will likely be unkind to Benedict, given recent revelations that he personally ordered Church cover-ups in cases of sexual abuse by priests; continued to bitterly fight against the rights of gays and women; and was a Nazi. (Who elected this guy, anyway?)
Even as we reflected today in the newsroom on what we all experienced back in 2005 with the death of Pope John Paul II and the election of Benedict XVI, there's an aura of mystery and, indeed, excitement as we look to the next papal election. For the first time in nearly 600 years, we will have a living former pope witness the selection of his replacement! For my part, I wonder if we'll still have to call Benedict by his papal name, or if he reverts to being good ol' Joey Ratzinger.
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Speaking of rats, biologists and archaeologists have made an exciting discovery about a rat-like creature that was the direct ancestor of all humans, pope and layman alike! (This also fits well with a story I brought you last week about the strongest evidence yet of the meteor impact that killed the dinosaurs. As always, the Church has no response.)
The man who personally shot and killed Osama bin Laden has finally come forward. He says his life has been hell since that day.
The world could soon have a brand-new independent nation, and you've probably heard of it: Scotland.
TODAY'S SEMI-OBSCURE MOMENT IN HISTORY
On February 11, 1535, Niccolo Sfondrati was born in Milan, in what is now Italy. He later became known as Pope Gregory XIV and had, for the time, what you might call exceedingly liberal views on abortion.
