"Dear Brothers,
I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the
three canonizations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great
importance for the life of the Church. 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. I am well aware that
this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried
out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and
suffering. However, in today’s world, subject to so many rapid changes
and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in
order to govern the barque of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both
strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few
months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to
recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to
me. For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with
full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome,
Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to me by the Cardinals on 19 April
2005, in such a way, that as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours, the
See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant and a Conclave to
elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have to be convoked by those whose
competence it is.
Dear Brothers, I thank you most sincerely for all the love
and work with which you have supported me in my ministry and I ask
pardon for all my defects. And now, let us entrust the Holy Church to
the care of Our Supreme Pastor, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and implore his
holy Mother Mary, so that she may assist the Cardinal Fathers with her
maternal solicitude, in electing a new Supreme Pontiff. With regard to
myself, I wish to also devotedly serve the Holy Church of God in the
future through a life dedicated to prayer."
No comments:
Post a Comment