Why did Pope Benedict XVI REALLY resign?

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2 Answers

Dan Banks Profile
Dan Banks answered

Health?

The official Vatican line is that Pope Benedict XVI resigned due to his deteriorating health. He had been advised by his doctor not to make long-distance flights and thus he believed that he could no longer effectively carry out his duties as the head of the Catholic Church. Having said that, traditionally Popes carry out their role until they drop dead.

Politics?
It has been suggested that the Pope had political reasons for resigning as this point in time. By doing this, Pope Benedict XVI could influence the election of his successor, and thus keep his conservative ideology alive for at least another Papal term.
Regardless of the motive, it is very strange that Pope Benedict XVI has taken this decision, especially because he is the first pope to resign in nearly 600 years!

Conspiracy?
However, I am not one to shy away from a good conspiracy theory. Some people have rather amusingly suggested that it was strange that the pope resigned on that exact same day that the full extent of the horse meat scandal broke in Europe. Is Pope Benedict XVI the head of some sort of international-meat-trading-consortium which specialised in selling horse meat for knock-off prices, and disguising it as beef? Unlikely, but food for thought nonetheless.
Yo Kass Profile
Yo Kass answered
Pope Benedict XVI (also known as Pope Ratzinger) official resigned due to "ill health and advanced age', but you don't need to read the Angels and Demons by Dan Brown to know that not everything in the Vatican is as straightforward as it may seem.

This begs the question: "what was the REAL reason Pope Benedict resigned?"

Scandal and controversy Anyone that's been following the news lately will know that the Catholic Church has struggled with some serious scandals and controversy.

Child abuse has been a real problem that the Church has struggled to deal with, and has weakened its image in countries like the States and Ireland.

On the other hand, these issues were not unique to Pope Benedict's papacy - and it would seem strange that this was the real reason for his "resignation".

Forced out by enemies from within Earlier this year, the Pope's official butler was jailed for releasing private Vatican documents. When asked why he betrayed his employer, the butler explained that "there were forces within the church acting against the pope, and he felt that the world needed to know about them".

It's well known that the Church is a complex maze of politics and power-struggles, and perhaps Pope Benedict was finally toppled by his enemies.

Politics and his successor Another theory that's being banded about is the possibility that Pope Benedict resigned because he wanted to ensure that he'd be alive to see the next Pope elected.

Those Vatican Papal-inauguration parties are notoriously wild, so it's understandable that he'd want to attend another one before he kicks the bucket.

However, there may be more to his decision than that.

Although Pope Benedict would be too old to vote for the next Pope (there are strict rules about how the Papal seat is handed out), stepping down before he dies allows Pope Benedict to remain a powerful influencer at the Vatican.

Being around when the next pope is elected means that Benedict will be able to discreetly influence "what kind" of pope is elected after him.

Pope Benedict was well known for his conservative views, and this could be a final move to ensure his vision and legacy is continued through someone suitable.

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