The advantages of tenure.....

Something is rotten in Denmark.

Now we know why the Church has lasted so long. Because popes only resign once every 600 years.

When someone dies, especially a pope, the reaction is to speak only well of the dead. That´s what funerals are for.

A deceased Pope Benedict could have had a respectful send-off. But his resignation allowed the world´s liberal anti-Christian media to pour into the Vatican and, with nothing much to do in the long interim before a new pope is chosen, bring up scandals and generally rake both Benedict and the Church over the coals.

In the future, as long as a pope is able to be wheeled up to a window in Saint Peter´s, and, however feebly, deliver some sort of service, he should remain in his job. A pope too sick to appear in a window would at least command the world´s sympathy enough to keep the media vultures from destroying his reputation.

I am so glad he will keep his name. He was anointed Benedict XVI and will always be that. But I will call him Santo Nonno...Holy Grandfather. He will always be our dear German Shepard. Long live BXVI.

#3, nothing will keep the liberal media vultures at bay, even when a pope dies "with his boots on", or in this case, the red shoes. I remember the media jumping all over JPII´s last days saying he SHOULD resign. They are (pardon the expression) hell bent on criticizing the Catholic Church at every chance. Sadly, some of our own priests and bishops have given them fodder to fuel the fires. Nothing saddens devout Catholics more than the harm some priests and bishops have done to children and the scandal they have caused our Church. But we remain, and will remain, devoted adherents to our Faith. Jesus didn´t found a church of saints. He founded a church for sinners, where we could aspire to and strive to become saints. Blessed by the name of Jesus.

The first E-Pope?

I am 80 years young,I have never seen weather like we are having.

Since God still directs and disposes the new Pope will not be elected will he.
Election is a media political term and they must pretend they have an influence over the process.

I think it´s fair to call this an election, #8. These are humans, with all their biases, etc. If you like "conclave" better, fine with me, but these are a bunch of old Cardinals voting among their own.

#4 ... German Shepherd, not a worthy Sheeple dog.

Hate to spoil the conspiracy-theory free-for-all; but the name a pope takes doesn´t revert when he stops being pope, even ones who are eventually canonized. It doesn´t indicate that he´ll consider himself a lingering pontiff (or a co-pope).

As for ominous backroom plotting, get a grip. Benedict will effectively vanish from the public eye and ear after Friday, provided the controversy-hungry press lets him do that.

But I expect they will keep him, his residence, and his close aides under constant surveillance from here on out, the way they do for headline celebrities. And the tabloid paparazzi will have to concoct a new outrageous story every few weeks just to keep their jobs. Sooner or later they´ll have him getting abducted by aliens and marrying Kim Kardashian...

I take it he´s not moving to Avignon.