Catholic Church May Consider New Rules for Retired Popes
2023-01-04
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1Pope Benedict, the retired leader of the Roman Catholic Church, died December 31.
2He became Pope in 2005 and retired from the position in 2013.
3Most popes serve until they die.
4There are not many rules or traditions in place concerning retired popes.
5Benedict was the first pope to retire in 600 years.
6Benedict took the title Pope Emeritus upon retirement.
7But, that led to some confusion among Roman Catholics over the next ten years.
8Followers wondered if they should honor official messages from Benedict as a new pope, Francis, was leading the Church.
9Some were unsure about who was in charge: the pope or the pope emeritus?
10With the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the question has been answered.
11The Church's press office released a two-sentence announcement.
12No one rang the bells at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, as would have been done with a serving pope.
13There was no official live statement to followers outside the basilica either.
14The Vatican response makes clear that Benedict stopped being pope upon retirement.
15Experts say the death announcement was more like those that come with the death of other clergy, such as bishops.
16Benedict is getting some important honors, however. For example, he is lying in state for three days inside St. Peter's Basilica.
17He is wearing the red robes of a pope for lying in state and the burial.
18Many thousands of visitors have paid their respects to Benedict there already.
19Pope Francis will lead Benedict's funeral on Thursday.
20The Vatican says the service will be simple.
21It invited delegations only from Germany and Italy to attend.
22When a serving pope dies, the entire international community is invited to send delegates.
23After the funeral, Roman Catholic Church leaders will start to think about some rules for future popes who decide to retire.
24Some wonder if Pope Francis will make new rules for retired popes.
25Perhaps Francis himself will think about retiring.
26Pope Francis said Benedict was "saintly and discreet" as pope emeritus.
27He said those qualities enabled Benedict to carry out retired life in a good way.
28But Francis also said there should be some rules to guide future retirements.
29One likely change is to bar use of the title Pope Emeritus.
30In 2021, lawyers who are experts in the workings of the Roman Catholic Church started a project to think about papal retirement.
31Among the proposals they produced was a new title for retirees: "bishop emeritus of Rome."
32They also suggested a retired pope should not wear or use traditional clothing or objects used by a serving pope.
33The retired pope, the group said, should support the Catholic Church but not take part in high-level church meetings.
34Such actions might help avoid problems and confusion, especially when a serving pope and retired pope disagree on issues.
35Geraldina Boni is a professor of religious law at the University of Bologna who is part of the group.
36She said she thinks "appropriate ways will be found," so that followers are not confused.
37Boni said the group was criticized for coming together in 2021.
38But, she said the need for rules about retirement "has been affirmed by high-level church" officials.
39No one knows if the Vatican will consider the group's ideas.
40One observer, however, thinks Francis will now find it easier to think about his own retirement since Benedict set an example.
41Luis Badilla runs a blog that covers the Vatican called Il Sismografo.
42"We have to get used to the idea that popes will live long lives and that, in the end, just like my grandfather or your grandfather and everyone's grandfathers, they can't continue," he said.
43"But they are still part of the family, and this is something beautiful. It gives us a normal church, not a Martian or other-worldly one."
44I'm Dan Friedell. And I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
1Pope Benedict, the retired leader of the Roman Catholic Church, died December 31. He became Pope in 2005 and retired from the position in 2013. Most popes serve until they die. 2There are not many rules or traditions in place concerning retired popes. Benedict was the first pope to retire in 600 years. 3Benedict took the title Pope Emeritus upon retirement. But, that led to some confusion among Roman Catholics over the next ten years. Followers wondered if they should honor official messages from Benedict as a new pope, Francis, was leading the Church. 4Some were unsure about who was in charge: the pope or the pope emeritus? 5With the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the question has been answered. 6The Church's press office released a two-sentence announcement. No one rang the bells at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, as would have been done with a serving pope. There was no official live statement to followers outside the basilica either. The Vatican response makes clear that Benedict stopped being pope upon retirement. 7Experts say the death announcement was more like those that come with the death of other clergy, such as bishops. 8Benedict is getting some important honors, however. For example, he is lying in state for three days inside St. Peter's Basilica. He is wearing the red robes of a pope for lying in state and the burial. Many thousands of visitors have paid their respects to Benedict there already. Pope Francis will lead Benedict's funeral on Thursday. 9The Vatican says the service will be simple. It invited delegations only from Germany and Italy to attend. When a serving pope dies, the entire international community is invited to send delegates. 10After the funeral, Roman Catholic Church leaders will start to think about some rules for future popes who decide to retire. 11Some wonder if Pope Francis will make new rules for retired popes. Perhaps Francis himself will think about retiring. 12Pope Francis said Benedict was "saintly and discreet" as pope emeritus. He said those qualities enabled Benedict to carry out retired life in a good way. 13But Francis also said there should be some rules to guide future retirements. One likely change is to bar use of the title Pope Emeritus. 14In 2021, lawyers who are experts in the workings of the Roman Catholic Church started a project to think about papal retirement. Among the proposals they produced was a new title for retirees: "bishop emeritus of Rome." 15They also suggested a retired pope should not wear or use traditional clothing or objects used by a serving pope. The retired pope, the group said, should support the Catholic Church but not take part in high-level church meetings. 16Such actions might help avoid problems and confusion, especially when a serving pope and retired pope disagree on issues. 17Geraldina Boni is a professor of religious law at the University of Bologna who is part of the group. She said she thinks "appropriate ways will be found," so that followers are not confused. 18Boni said the group was criticized for coming together in 2021. But, she said the need for rules about retirement "has been affirmed by high-level church" officials. 19No one knows if the Vatican will consider the group's ideas. One observer, however, thinks Francis will now find it easier to think about his own retirement since Benedict set an example. 20Luis Badilla runs a blog that covers the Vatican called Il Sismografo. 21"We have to get used to the idea that popes will live long lives and that, in the end, just like my grandfather or your grandfather and everyone's grandfathers, they can't continue," he said. "But they are still part of the family, and this is something beautiful. It gives us a normal church, not a Martian or other-worldly one." 22I'm Dan Friedell. And I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. 23Dan Friedell adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on a report by the Associated Press. 24____________________________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26live -adj. done in front of an audience 27robe -n. a long, loose piece of clothing that is worn on top of other clothes to show that someone has a high rank or an important job 28saintly -adj. like a saint, good and kind 29discreet -adj. careful and quiet, not noticed 30appropriate -adj. right or correct for the situation 31affirm -v. to say something is true or correct 32blog - n. a website on which someone writes personal ideas or opinions 33other-wordly - adj. not from earth or a place humans are familiar with 34______________________________________________________________ 35We want to hear from you. What do you think the Vatican should do about rules for a retired pope? 36We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 37Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.