Monday, February 07, 2005
Cardinals say Popes should retire at 80 for the sake of the church
Future Popes will have to retire at a fixed age, under secret plans being discussed by Roman Catholic cardinals, ending a tradition of service until death that has lasted two millennia, The Times reports. According to senior Church sources, cardinals -- who will meet in conclave to elect the next Pope -- have discussed among themselves the need to choose someone who is open to a retirement age, probably 80.
They do not want a repeat of the past few years, when the ill-health of Pope John Paul II, 84, has forced him to take an increasingly light hand in directing the Church. The Church has, in effect, been run by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the ultraconservative head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, whose nickname is John Paul III but who, at 77, is considered too old to succeed him, and Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Secretary of State. Also at the heart of every decision is Joaquín Navarro-Valls, the celibate Opus Dei member, a qualified doctor who is the Pope’s press officer and most-trusted adviser.
The Pope was elected in 1978, making him the third longest-serving pontiff in history, but Catholic officials believe that this could be the “beginning of the end”.
Future Popes will have to retire at a fixed age, under secret plans being discussed by Roman Catholic cardinals, ending a tradition of service until death that has lasted two millennia, The Times reports. According to senior Church sources, cardinals -- who will meet in conclave to elect the next Pope -- have discussed among themselves the need to choose someone who is open to a retirement age, probably 80.
They do not want a repeat of the past few years, when the ill-health of Pope John Paul II, 84, has forced him to take an increasingly light hand in directing the Church. The Church has, in effect, been run by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the ultraconservative head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, whose nickname is John Paul III but who, at 77, is considered too old to succeed him, and Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Secretary of State. Also at the heart of every decision is Joaquín Navarro-Valls, the celibate Opus Dei member, a qualified doctor who is the Pope’s press officer and most-trusted adviser.
The Pope was elected in 1978, making him the third longest-serving pontiff in history, but Catholic officials believe that this could be the “beginning of the end”.
