The charisma of Pope Francis has given Pope Benedict confirmation of God’s desire for his own resignation
A confident of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has told Zenit, the Catholic news agency, that Pope Benedict has admitted to him that the more he has witnessed the charisma of Pope Francis the greater the sense of confirmation of God’s desire for his own resignation as the successor of St. Peter. The Daily Telegraph reports:
‘He said the more he sees the “charisma” of Pope Francis, his successor, the more he is convinced that it was “the will of God” that he became the first pontiff in 600 years to resign.’
Pope Benedict XVI also spoke of the mystical experience that prompted his resignation in February 2013:
‘God told me to do it,” the 86-year-old former pontiff told a friend, six months after his decision to step down shocked the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics.
God had implanted in his heart the “absolute desire” to resign and to
devote himself to a life of prayer and reflection, Benedict told the
anonymous confidante, according to Zenit, a Rome-based Catholic news
agency.
“It was not because of any type of apparition or phenomenon of that
sort,” he said, but instead the result of a “mystical experience”
received during “a direct rapport with the Lord”.’
The Holy See has allegedly confirmed the veracity of the confidante’s account of Pope Benedict’s words:
‘The conversation between Benedict and the confidante took place in Mater Ecclesiae, the former convent within the walls of the Vatican that has been converted into a retirement home for the German former pope.
Vatican sources confirmed the veracity of the report but declined to reveal the identity of the person that Benedict spoke to.
“The report is reliable, without a doubt, although this is not an official Vatican statement or position,” an insider told The Daily Telegraph.
Protect the Pope comment: Over the years we have known Pope Emeritus Benedict since his election as the successor of St. Peter and before as prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, many faithful and loyal Catholics have come to both admire and trust him, not only for his profound and erudite scholarship, but also his deep love of the Church and acute pastoral sense of the needs of the Church. Therefore, when Pope Benedict is reported as admitting that his decision to resign was founded in a mystical experience, we must take this seriously. Some orthodox Catholics are perturbed by the differences between Pope Francis and Pope Benedict, and find it difficult to be as loyal to Francis as they were with Benedict. However, if Pope Benedict believes that God planted in his heart the ‘absolute desire’ to resign and that the charisma of Pope Francis confirms the truth of this mystical impulse, then we should allow this insight of a deeply holy man shape our attitude to Pope Francis.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/vaticancityandholysee/10256890/Pope-Benedict-resigned-because-God-told-me-to-do-it.html
The Holy See has allegedly confirmed the veracity of the confidante’s account of Pope Benedict’s words:
‘The conversation between Benedict and the confidante took place in Mater Ecclesiae, the former convent within the walls of the Vatican that has been converted into a retirement home for the German former pope.
Vatican sources confirmed the veracity of the report but declined to reveal the identity of the person that Benedict spoke to.
“The report is reliable, without a doubt, although this is not an official Vatican statement or position,” an insider told The Daily Telegraph.
Protect the Pope comment: Over the years we have known Pope Emeritus Benedict since his election as the successor of St. Peter and before as prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, many faithful and loyal Catholics have come to both admire and trust him, not only for his profound and erudite scholarship, but also his deep love of the Church and acute pastoral sense of the needs of the Church. Therefore, when Pope Benedict is reported as admitting that his decision to resign was founded in a mystical experience, we must take this seriously. Some orthodox Catholics are perturbed by the differences between Pope Francis and Pope Benedict, and find it difficult to be as loyal to Francis as they were with Benedict. However, if Pope Benedict believes that God planted in his heart the ‘absolute desire’ to resign and that the charisma of Pope Francis confirms the truth of this mystical impulse, then we should allow this insight of a deeply holy man shape our attitude to Pope Francis.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/vaticancityandholysee/10256890/Pope-Benedict-resigned-because-God-told-me-to-do-it.html