Vatican
City, 11 February 2013
(VIS) – The Holy Father, at the end of today's consistory for
causes for canonization, announced his resignation from ministry as
Bishop of Rome to the College of Cardinals. Following is the Holy
Father's complete declaration, which he read in Latin:
"I
have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three
canonizations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great
importance for the life of the Church. After having repeatedly
examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that
my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an
adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry. I am well aware that this
ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out
not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering.
However, in today’s world, subject to so many rapid changes and
shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order
to govern the barque of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both
strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last
few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to
recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfil the ministry entrusted
to me. For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this
act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of
Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to me by the
Cardinals on 19 April 2005, in such a way, that as from 28 February
2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will
be vacant and a Conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have
to be convoked by those whose competence it is."
"Dear
Brothers, I thank you most sincerely for all the love and work with
which you have supported me in my ministry and I ask pardon for all
my defects. And now, let us entrust the Holy Church to the care of
Our Supreme Pastor, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and implore his holy
Mother Mary, so that she may assist the Cardinal Fathers with her
maternal solicitude, in electing a new Supreme Pontiff. With regard
to myself, I wish to also devotedly serve the Holy Church of God in
the future through a life dedicated to prayer."
No comments:
Post a Comment