The death of Benedict XVI has inaugurated the second phase of the pontificate of Pope Francis. For the first time since he has been Pope, Francis will not have to cohabit with the Pope Emeritus.
Benedict XVI had always made it clear that he was no longer Pope and was no longer a point of reference for anyone from that point of view. It was Pope Francis himself, however, who gave the Pope emeritus an essential role in the life of the Church: he had wanted him in the consistories, and when it became difficult for Benedict XVI to move around, he always wanted the new cardinals to visit him and he accompanied them; he often mentioned Benedict as an example, especially on the issue of fighting sexual abuse; he constantly visited him.
After all, in this new phase, Pope Francis also finds himself a little more alone because the presence of Benedict XVI, with his prayer of intercession, remained a point of reference.
Thus begins a new era in this pontificate, at least from the point of view of perception. Pope Francis, over the years, has not failed to make personal decisions which marked an apparent discontinuity from the previous pontificate. The most recent one is the promulgation of the Traditionis Custodes, which annulled the earlier decision of Benedict XVI to liberalize the use of the ancient rite for the celebration of Mass.
This decision had aroused perplexity in Benedict XVI, at least according to the account given by his private secretary, Archbishop Georg Gaenswein, in the memoir “Nothing but the truth.”
The absence of Benedict XVI, however, opens a new phase. Not only will Pope Francis not have to worry about the presence of the Pope Emeritus, but even those who do not share Francis’ ideas will be unencumbered by the presence of the Pope Emeritus.
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MondayVatican – Vatican » Pope Francis, what kind of a future has just begun? | MondayVatican
Vatican » Pope Francis, what kind of a future has just begun? | MondayVatican
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