The shadow of resignation: How does the death of Benedict XVI affect the figure of Francis?

The death of Benedict XVI It has put the Catholic Church in the face of several unprecedented circumstances. For the first time in nearly 600 years, a reigning pope is officiating the funeral of an emeritus and his obsequies will not lead to a conclave to choose a successor. His death will also have an impact on the papacy of Franciscowho for nearly 10 years led the Catholic Church with the anomaly of having two popes in the Vatican.

SIGHT: “Benedict XVI will be remembered for his fruitful teaching and the important gesture of his resignation”

Although when he resigned his papacy in February 2013 he promised to remain in the Vatican “hidden from the world”, Benedict XVI wrote, gave interviews and received visitors, which gave encouragement to a conservative sector of the Church that said he preferred the emeritus pontiff in Francis place.

For this reason, it is inevitable to wonder how the figure of Francis and his papacy remain after the death of Benedict XVI. For the Italian historian Gerardo Ferrara, representative of Spanish-speaking foundations at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross (Rome), the answer is simple. He considers that, despite the polarization that certain sectors have wanted to sow in recent years, the role of the Argentine pontiff has never been in discussion.

“I believe that the figure of Francisco remains the same as before. Some sectors speak of a polarization in the Church between those who are in favor of Benedict XVI and those who are in favor of Francis, but this is not the case. For those of us who are true Catholics, the Pope is one and all this time Francis has been the pontiff because Benedict XVI resigned”, he tells El Comercio.

Although the figure of Benedict XVI was a bit unusual because he was a pope emeritus who lived in the same Vatican territory as Pope Francis, the expert considers that the emeritus was a prayer support for the acting pontiff.

“The two figures cannot be compared. Francis and Benedict XVI have always been two sides of the same coin because they embodied two different aspects of the apostolate, of being Catholic, but the entire Catholic Church recognizes itself in a Pope and that is Francis”, he adds.

This photo taken on January 2, 2023 by Vatican media shows Cardinal Mauro Gambetti kissing the body of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in St. Peter’s Basilica. (HANDOUT / AFP / VATICAN MEDIA).

The shadow of a resignation

Another question that has resurfaced with the death of Benedict XVI is the one raised by an eventual resignation of Pope Francis, even more so considering the rumors on the subject that increased in 2022. Mirticeli Medeiros, researcher on the history of Catholicism at the Pontifical University Gregorian of Rome, emphasizes that Benedict XVI was the first Pope in recent history to retire from office.

“He was not the first to resign, but he was the first to create an ‘institution’ called ’emeritus papacy’. His gesture revolutionized the papacy. First, because he opened the door to a general change, through the election of Francisco. Secondly, by resigning from a traditionally life position, he is also bringing into play the ‘monarchical’ role of the Pope.”, he tells this newspaper.

He explains that the resignation of the pontificate is a possibility foreseen by the Code of Canon Law, but that no pontiff in the modern era had had the courage to take this step. Paul VI even prepared a letter of resignation, but ended up staying in office until his death.

In this file photo taken on December 25, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI delivers the “Urbi et Orbi” blessing from the balcony of Saint Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. (Photo by Tiziana FABI / AFP) (TIZIANA FABI /)

“The resignation of a Pope, in the times we live in today, is undoubtedly a sign that the Catholic Church, from a hierarchical point of view, is perhaps open to change. But I think this will only become more evident after Francisco, who has already indicated that he is open to this possibility. What happened with Benedict was a transitional papacy, and like all transitional papacies, he prepared the Church for the changes that we see there, now.”, he points out.

For his part, Ferrara points out that he was greatly impacted by the image of Pope Francis in recent days. “He is also sick and has health problems. It gave me the impression that the death of Benedict XVI would have had a great impact on him because at this moment it is likely that he would have wanted to be close to Benedict XVI. Francis and Benedict XVI have remained very close in recent years. I believe that at this moment a believer has to consider Francisco as a person, a man and a father who needs the support of his children in a historical moment like this.”, he adds.

Regarding what is coming for the papacy of Francisco, Ferrara emphasizes that it is difficult to know since the Argentine pontiff has been a surprise after the style of the European pontiffs. For the expert, there was a Eurocentric idea of ​​Catholicism and in this regard Francis and Benedict XVI himself were quite different. He points out that Benedict XVI had a very fundamental idea of ​​Europe as the center of Catholicism, while Francis seems to have realized that Catholicism is no longer the majority in Europe, but that Latin America, Africa or Asia are very important centers of religion and For this reason, an even more synodal and polycentric Church is necessary.

Source: Elcomercio