Sex scandals, betrayal, and corruption–after Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation, there have been much talk behind the scenes as to why he was actually stepping down. The Pope stated that he was too frail to continue his service and asked to be released from his position but some skeptics believe that there is more to the story.

   
 

Born on April 16, 1927, as Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, Pope Benedict was selected the 256th pope on April 19, 2005. By resigning on February 28, the leader of 1.2 billion Catholics shocked the world by announcing that he would step down from his post after serving for eight years. The last pope to resign was back in 1415, when Pope Gregory XII stepped down in order to resolve a conflict within the church.

he history of the papacy starts in Rome around the first century of the Christian era. The role of the Pope has been to act as the spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic Church as well as to continue the role of St. Peter. Popes are selected by 120 elector cardinals, who are bishops chosen by the pope. These cardinals meet in the Sistine Chapel of Vatican, where they will stay until a decision has been made. Once a new pope is chosen, he will take an official new name and plan to serve until his death. 

During his eight years of service, Pope Benedict XVI has achieved many things. He not only reached out to non-Catholic regions, such as Africa, but also attempted to make connections between religions. In 2008, for example, Benedict addressed the first Catholic-Muslim Forum, a three-day conference of Catholic theologians and Islamic scholars. He also contributed greatly to the restoration of the traditional Latin mass, the establishment of procedures to bring Anglicans back into the Catholic Church and unification of the Christian world. 

In his resignation speech, Pope Benedict said, “After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry.” At the age of 85, Pope Benedict claimed that he was too weak to continue his service to God. 

However, some claimed that the many scandals during his papacy led to his resignation. The most notorious scandal was the sex scandal involving pedophile priests sexually abusing children and younger followers. More than 2,000 reports of sexual abuse have surfaced over the past decade and are now one of the biggest concerns when selecting a new pope who will have to deal with this problem. 

   
▲ Pope Benedict resigned on February 28th. Provided by blessedbythykingdom.com

During Pope Benedict XVI’s papacy, the sexual scandals have cost the church two billion dollars in settlements, and as a response to these scandals, Pope Benedict spoke out against clerical sexual on delivered an address at the United Nations (UN). However, many critics reprimanded him for not doing enough to directly deal with the situation despite the fact that he was aware of this problem. They described his actions as just lip service.

Sex scandals were not the only thing that shook the Church; there were even betrayals within the church when private documents restricted to the Vatican Church were released to the public. Pope Benedict’s personal butler, Paolo Gabriele, was identified as the betrayer and was arrested for having released the private documents that included corruption and struggle for power within the Vatican Bank. They also showed how contracts were made with companies and individuals who were in favor. These papers, along with private letters to the Pope, were released to the Italian media outlet, the Vatileaks.

However, some Vatican experts said that Gabriele could not have been the whistleblower. For example, Paolo Rodari, an Italian newspaper journalist, said that he was personally acquainted with Gabriele and knew him to be a man who could not have committed such misconduct. Rodari said that Gabriele was probably being used as a scapegoat. Some say that the scandal was just a plot to defame and shame Pope Benedict XVI. Nonetheless, whoever might be behind the leaks, it still remains that these documents are legitimate and that there is major corruption within the “Holy Sea,” which greatly weakened the state and the Pope.

During his eight years of service, Pope Benedict XVI and the church went through quite a rough time. Whatever might be true or not, there is no doubt that the scandals and problems might have greatly weakened Pope Benedict XVI physically and mentally. While there are many critics of the ex-Pope, there are also many supporters who applaud him for his service. Father Kim Joseph (Gangnam District) said “I think the pope has done a great job in serving God and that he still remains a great individual.”

On March 13, it was announced that Pope Francis was chosen to lead the Roman Catholic Church. This pope is named the pope of firsts’; it is the first time that the pope is from Latin America. It is the also the first time that a pope has taken the name of Francis. In addition, there has never been a pope who was a Jesuit. Now, Catholics, as well as the rest of the world, can only hope that the newly-appointed Pope can resolve the grave problems that the Church is facing, internally and externally.

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