Wow! Just seen this myself on BBC News and Sky News and was about to post it.

Wonder if there is more to it than just age/ill health?

When he was elected Pope, his own brother said he'd be pope for five years but doubted it would be longer than that because of his age and health. I figure it's his health AND because he saw how ineffective PJPII was in the end years and so he's bowing out before he is like that.

I'm wondering about Cardinal Arinze for the next pope.
That would be good.

However, if it follows the St. Malachi predictions, the next pope will be the Cardinal who covers Rome.

Wow
That really is a shock.

That means the next pope is the last on Malichi's list if i remember correctly.

SnF

Will have to start looking up all the prophecies and predictions related to a Pope abdicating and possibly a `Black Pope` being elected. WOuldn`t this fulfill Nostradamus` prophecies? Apparently there are a number of `black` cardinals in line....

Yet more proof that the Catholic Church is obsolete.

Good. No more Popes. We've had enough.

The world does not have time for the faux wisdom of old white men.

Originally posted by bintang
possibly a `Black Pope` being elected.

Best chance of a black pope .... Cardinal Arinze.
I met him once. Very nice man with a lot of common sense.
He'd make a good pope.


(But then again, I thought Ratzinger would too .. and boy was I wrong on that!!)

One of the Italian Cardinals is reckoned to be favourite to replace him.
If that happens then it is one step closer to St. Malachy's predictions.

Originally posted by VaterOrlaag
Yet more proof that the Catholic Church is obsolete.

How does a pope resigning, most likely due to bad health or age, mean that the church is obsolete? If anything, it means that this pope is wise enough to step aside when he gets too old for the job. This resignation is actually a MODERN way of thinking as opposed to how popes have held on to the bitter end in the past.

Good. No more Popes. We've had enough.

Pope Benedict resigning does NOT mean that there will be 'no more popes'.
How do you get that?

The world does not have time for the faux wisdom of old white men.

The Cardinals who would be pope are not all a bunch of old white men.
There are people from all over the world ... every nationality and race.
Some are older and some are younger.

Has a Pope ever resigned before? I thought they either died due to natural causes or died due to ingestion of a poison. Maybe they tried poison and it had no effect. Well, he looks like evil incarnate!

P

So i'm guessing the new pope will be pro- Israel

Would The Father EVER leave us? Apparently, neigh