[Magdalen] German RC bishop speaks boldly

[Joseph Cirou]

Maybe you should have qualified it with "voluntarily"  There are Popes who resigned before death, but in the past with circumstances, such as exile for the Pope who was sent to the mines to reconcile with St. Hippolytus (the first antipope) St Celestine who recognized that he was administratively incompetent, Martin V to heal the Great Western Schism and perhaps a few others.

Bennie was the first to simply "retire" considering his age, but he will soon join Jimmy Carter and other who are still productive into their 90's

Joe

-----Original Message-----
>From: Ann Markle <ann.markle at aya.yale.edu>
>Sent: Feb 12, 2016 4:31 PM
>To: "magdalen at herberthouse.org" <magdalen at herberthouse.org>
>Subject: Re: [Magdalen] German RC bishop speaks boldly
>
>Not socially progressive, but he *is* the first Pope ever to retire before
>he died.  He set a precedent there....
>
>Ann
>
>The Rev. Ann Markle
>Buffalo, NY
>ann.markle at aya.yale.edu
>blog:  www.onewildandpreciouslife.typepad.com
>
>On Fri, Oct 9, 2015 at 3:34 PM, Jay Weigel <jay.weigel at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> B16 is German, but *hardly* progressive! I see him as pretty far right, in
>> fact.
>>
>>