Pope Benedict XVI on Monday
announced he will resign on
February 28, a Vatican spokesman
told AFP. If the Pope does resign on
February28, he will be the first pope
to resign in more than 600 years.
The first pope to resign was Pope
St. Pontian. He was elected pontiff
for the burgeoning Christian faithful
and the direct successor of St. Peter
on July 21, 230AD. Christians then
faced persecution from the Roman
Empire and he was exiled to the
Mediterranean island of Sardinia —
then a Roman province — to labour
in salt mines. With few expected to
survive enslavement and hard
labour, St. Pontian resigned in
September 235. His successor, St.
Anteros, died a few months later —
either from a beating or ill-
treatment, the historical is unclear
on the matter.
Pope St. Silverius, who ruled the
church from June 1, 536, was the
first pope forcibly removed from his
office. Nine months later, the
Byzantine Empress Theodora had
Pope St. Silverius imprisoned and
removed from the Holy See for
refusing to approve her nominations
for bishops. He died a year later in
exile. Since he was imprisoned,
church elected Pope Vigilius —
whom Theodora endorsed.
Pope St. Martin I, who was
consecrated in July 649, also fell
foul of the Byzantine Empire and its
efforts to appoint non-sanctioned
bishops. St. Martin was exiled and
died in the Crimea in 656, the last
pope to die a martyr to his Christian
beliefs.
St. Celestine V became pope in
August, 1294, at the age of 84
when the college of cardinals were
unable to elect a successor. He was
a monk and resigned within four
months to return to his monastery,
but was imprisoned by his
successor, Pope Boniface VIII, to
prevent his restoration.
Pope Gregory XII was pontiff
between 1406 and 1415 and
reigned at a time where the papacy
was split with illegitimate pontiffs in
Avignon and Pisa claiming to be the
true heir to the Holy See.
He resigned at the Council of
Constance in an effort to heal the
divisions of the Christian Church. He
was succeeded in 1417 by Pope
Martin V, who reigned until 1431.
“The pope announced that he will
leave his ministry at 8pm (7pm
GMT) on February 28,” said
spokesman Federico Lombardi.
Pope Benedict on Monday said he
would resign because he no longer
had the strength to fulfil the duties
of his office, Reuters added.
“For this reason, and well aware of
the seriousness of this act, with full
freedom I declare that I renounce
the ministry of Bishop of Rome,
Successor of Saint Peter,” he said
according to a statement from the
Vatican.
According to Canon Law — rules
that govern how the Roman Catholic
Church operates — there is nothing
to prevent the pontiff from
resigning.
All that he is required to do is make
sure that he’s doing so without
undue pressure from any quarters,
and is making the decision from his
own free will.
“If it should happen that the Roman
Pontiff resigns his office, it is
required for validity that he makes
the resignation freely and that it be
duly manifested, but not that it be
accepted by anyone,” according to
Canon 332, No. 2.
The sudden and unexpected choice
of Pope Benedict XVI to resign due
to health reasons puts the curia in
the position of having to convene to
elect a new spiritual leader for the
world’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics.
www.informationng.com/2013/02/pope-benedict-xvi-to-resign-february-28.html