UNITED STATES
National Catholic Reporter
by NCR Editorial Staff | Feb. 28, 2013
Editorial
Pope Benedict XVI is leaving us, a weary, ailing and spent man. More than 60 years a priest, he gave himself entirely to the church. Elected pope almost eight years ago, he wanted to re-evangelize Europe, only to watch its churches’ pews empty. With church laws and apologies, he tried mightily to right a sex scandal, but he failed to bring to account the enablers of the abusers. Benedict preached and taught keenly as a theologian, but his words as a pastor were muffled.
In the end, the weight of office became too much for him, at age 85, to carry.
Was it the person or the structure that finally failed us?
It seems he will be remembered most in history for the way he left the papacy, the first pope to resign in modern times. His final legacy, then, has yet to be written. It will certainly be shaped in part by his surprisingly beautiful and pastoral encyclicals and his book-length reflections on Jesus. And it will depend, as well, on what follows. This is a critical time for the church.
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