Resignation of Pope Benedict XVI
The resignation of Pope Benedict XVI took effect on 28 February 2013 at 20:00 CET, following his announcement of it on 11 February.[1][2][3] It made him the first pope to relinquish the office[note 1] since Gregory XII was forced to resign in 1415[4] to end the Western Schism, and the first pope to voluntarily resign since Celestine V in 1294.[5]
Date
28 February 2013
20:00 (CET)
Deteriorating strength due to old age and the physical and mental demands of the papacy
- Benedict resigns and becomes pope emeritus, dies 9 years later
- Pope Francis is elected
All other popes in the modern era have held the position from election until death.[6] Benedict resigned at the age of 85, citing declining health due to old age.[7] The conclave to select his successor began on 12 March 2013[8] and elected cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, who took the name of Francis.
Benedict chose to be known as "Pope emeritus" upon his resignation, and he retained this title until his death in December 2022.[9][10]
Announcement[edit]
On 11 February 2013, the World Day of the Sick, a Vatican holy day, Pope Benedict XVI announced his intention to resign at the Apostolic Palace in the Sala del Concistoro, at an early morning gathering held to announce the date of the canonisation of 800 Catholic martyrs.[11][12][13] Speaking in Latin, he told the attendees that he had made "a decision of great importance for the life of the church".[2][14] He cited his deteriorating strength due to old age and the physical and mental demands of the papacy.[7] He also declared that he would continue to serve the Church "through a life dedicated to prayer".[7]
Two days later, he presided over his final public Mass, Ash Wednesday services that ended with congregants bursting into a "deafening standing ovation that lasted for minutes"[15] while the pontiff departed St. Peter's Basilica.[16] On 17 February 2013, Benedict, speaking in Spanish, requested prayers for himself and the new pope from the crowd in St. Peter's Square.[17]
Post-papacy[edit]
According to Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi, Benedict would not have the title of cardinal upon his retirement and would not be eligible to hold any office in the Roman Curia.[18][19] On 26 February 2013, Father Lombardi stated that the pope's style and title after resignation are His Holiness Benedict XVI, Roman Pontiff Emeritus, or Pope Emeritus.[20][21] In later years, Benedict expressed his desire to be known simply as "Father Benedict" in conversation.[22]
He continued to wear his distinctive white cassock without the mozzetta. Instead of the red papal shoes, he wore a pair of brown shoes that he received during a state visit to Mexico. Cardinal Camerlengo Tarcisio Bertone destroyed the Ring of the Fisherman and the lead seal of Benedict's pontificate. Benedict wore a regular ecclesiastical ring.[20]
After his resignation, Benedict took up residence in the Papal Palace of Castel Gandolfo. As the Swiss Guard serves as the personal bodyguard to the pope, their service at Castel Gandolfo ended with Benedict's resignation.[20] The Vatican Gendarmerie ordinarily provides security at the Papal summer residence; they became solely responsible for the former pope's personal security.[20] Benedict moved permanently to Vatican City's Mater Ecclesiae on 2 May 2013, a monastery previously used by nuns for stays of up to several years.[23]
Benedict XVI lived in the monastery until his death on 31 December 2022. He died there after being ill for several days. After his funeral on 5 January 2023 in St. Peter's Square, he was buried in a tomb next to his predecessors underneath St. Peter's Basilica.
Reactions[edit]
State[edit]
Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard,[24] Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff,[25] Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper,[26] Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel,[27] United Kingdom's Prime Minister David Cameron[28] and United States' President Barack Obama[29] praised Benedict and his pontificate; while Italy's Prime Minister Mario Monti[30] and Philippines' President Benigno Aquino III[31] expressed shock and regret, respectively.
Benevacantism[edit]
An uncertain number of people believe that the resignation of Benedict XVI was not valid, and that he therefore never resigned, that Pope Francis is an antipope and Benedict XVI still remained pope until 31 December 2022. This position is called "Benevacantism" (a portmanteau of "Benedict” and "sedevacantism"), "resignationism", or "Beneplenism".[54] Supporters of this position assert that the phrasing or grammar of Benedict XVI's resignation statement, given in Latin, did not effectively remove him from office of the papacy.[55]