VATICAN CITY — Two days after saying he will resign, Pope Benedict XVI said that he has been able to feel, “almost physically,” the prayers and love that have been poured out for him.
“I have felt, almost physically, your prayers in these days which are not easy for me, the strength which the love of the Church and your prayers brings to me,” he said at the beginning of his weekly general audience Feb. 13.
“Continue to pray for me and for the future Pope; the Lord will guide us!" he told the thousands of pilgrims.
The outpouring of support for Pope Benedict was evident from the moment he stepped onto the stage in Paul VI Hall. He was met with sustained applause when he began his remarks and had to pause until it subsided.
“Thank you for your kindness,” he responded as he resumed.
“I decided to resign from the ministry that the Lord had entrusted me on April 19, 2005. I did this in full freedom,” the Pope stressed, adding that he made the decision “for the good of the Church, after having prayed at length and examined my conscience before God, well aware of the gravity of this act.”
The Pope reiterated his official statement of resignation by saying that he was “also well aware that I was no longer able to fulfill the Petrine ministry with that strength that it demands.”
“What sustains and illuminates me is the certainty that the Church belongs to Christ, whose care and guidance will never be lacking.
“I thank you all for the love and prayer with which you have accompanied me.”
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Nothing lasts forever in this world. I will miss our good Pope he has been outspoken, courageous and humble at the same time. Additionally I still miss Mother Angelica’s voice who had these same qualities. May Our Lord send us more defenders of the Faith like them that are not afraid to stand up, and with no hesitations defend the Church of Our Lord, Jesus Christ!!
Dearest Holy Father, thank you for your exceptional leadership, for your beautiful writings and your stellar example in holiness, humility & love.
I will miss you so much. I applaud you along with the audience at Ash Wednesday’s Mass and will continue to pray for you and for a successor as worthy as you.
God’s Choicest Blessings!
Sharon Murphy
I understand what the Pope means by feeling the prayers for him. I have felt that myself when a lot of prayers were being said for me during a serious illness.
This may sound wrong but I mean it with a heart full of love; after February 28th, can we refer to Pope Benedict XVI as our Holy Grandfather?
I have lived in the company of this wise and saintly man since 1970 when I was kindly advised by Msgr. Myles Bourke to read “Introduction to Christianity,” perhaps the first book by Joseph Ratzinger that was translated into English. Since then I have bought and read and meditated on all of his books. After he as elected pope, co-editor, John Thornton, and I put together a book of his essential writings which was published by HarperSanFrancisco Press. So it was with profound sympathy and immense gratitude, and a deep sadness, that I learned of his abdication. I hope he will be well enough for some years to come to enjoy his rest and peace, and that he will continue to write. But I know, clearly, that he is retiring to a life of prayer in order to prepare himself for the inevitable end when he will finally meet his beloved Christ face to face. God bless Pope Benedict and fill his days with consolation and the comfort of a sense of his nearness.
I, too, miss Mother Angelica and will miss Pope Benedict very much!!! May GOD bless them both and send us many more like them! Pray! Pray! Pray!
When I was in Catholic grade school in June of 1963 they announced over the loud speaker system that Pope John XXIII died. Nobody really showed any emotion. Later the next school year they announced that the President had been shot and was probably dead. All the girls cried. Fast forward 50 years. Pope Benedict announces his resignation and both women and men cried. It is amazing how many people love Pope Benedict. Is it because we feel his love for us in just the same manner as he says he feels our prayers? In many ways, Pope Benedict will be the Pope of my lifetime. In all ways, I see more clearly now why Christ gave us Peter and his successors. May the next Pope steer our ship using Benedict’s charts.
Call it maternal instincts, but to me he does not look well. His left eye seems to droop and he recently he dropped the big crucifix (the one on the stick). I can’t help but wonder if him witnessing the problems JP2 had while as pope was in the back of his mind in making this decision. That being said, who among us expect to be alive at 86, let alone be in good health.
Irony…..I agree. I saw him close up (5-6 feet away) in November and I told my husband that he looked very tired. I cannot imagine keeping the schedule he does at 65 let alone almost 86. I hate to see him retire but his prayers will be extremely beneficial!
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