 |
| Text in Latin of papal resignation by Agence France Presse |
The Pope's resignation is almost unprecedented in the history of the Holy Roman Catholic Church. The last sovereign pontif who resigned was Pope Gregory XII in 1415. Before him was Benedict IX in 1045 who resigned because he wanted to marry. In 1294, Pope Celestin V aged over 80 who was elected against his wishes, resigned after only serving 5 months as pontif.
The Pope made his announcement in a speech in Latin in Vatican, the Holy See's spokesperson Federico Lombradi said to the Agence France Presse.
Le Figaro report: Commencera alors la période de 'sede vacante' (siège vacant)", a précisé le père Federico Lombardi, dans une annonce quasiment sans précédent dans l'histoire de l'Eglise catholique. (Our translation: 'The pope has announced that he is renouncing his ministry on 28 February in a declaration which is almost unprecedented in the history of the Catholic Church. The seat will be vacant starting then.')
Pope Benedict's statement: «Mes forces, en raison de l’avancement de mon âge, ne sont plus aptes à exercer de façon adéquate le ministère.» ("My strength, because of my old age, is no longer apt to adequately exercise my ministry.")
No comments:
Post a Comment