VATICAN CITY
National Catholic Reporter
by John L. Allen Jr. | Feb. 12, 2013
Rome —
When you’re talking about a church with more than 2,000 years of history, you don’t get a chance to use terms such as “uncharted waters” very often, but that’s precisely where Catholicism finds itself in the wake of Benedict XVI’s bombshell announcement that he plans to resign Feb. 28.
At the moment, the list of unknowns about what it all means is considerably longer than the certainties. During a Vatican briefing Tuesday, reporters amused themselves by compiling a list of all the times the spokesperson, Jesuit Fr. Federico Lombardi, replied to questions with some version of “I don’t have precise information on that.” They included:
• Exactly when will Benedict XVI depart for Castel Gandolfo after the formal end of his papacy at 8 p.m. Rome time Feb. 28, and when exactly will he return to move into a former monastery on Vatican grounds?
• What will happen to symbols of Benedict’s papacy, such as papal ring and seal?
• Will Benedict take part in the public ceremonies of his successor, such as the installation Mass of the new pope?
• What will Benedict’s title be after he steps down?
• Who exactly will move in with Benedict to run his household and act as aides?
Lombardi was charmingly frank in conceding that this is a “new situation” and it’s not always “immediately obvious” how things will play out.
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