February 11th, 2013 began like any other day for me. I was barely a
year in Rome as ZENIT’s English Edition correspondent and there was
always a lot of work. I decided the day before that I would work from
home in a more relaxing environment. Little did I know, it would be
anything but that.
Before midday, I received a call from a good friend of mine asking
me if it was true that Pope Benedict had resigned. I gave the usual
response: “No, it's probably a rumor.”
“But that’s being reported on ANSA!” he said. Surprised that a
reputable agency like ANSA was reporting that, I ran to my computer.
As I was logging on, I received an email notification from the Holy
See Press Office stating that there was going to be a press conference
in 30 minutes and attached to the email was the text of Pope Benedict’s
announcement. Completely shocked, I grabbed all my things and asked my
friend to give me a ride to the Vatican since it would’ve taken me over
an hour with public transportation.
Luckily, he had a motorcycle which allowed us to bob and weave through traffic and get me to the press conference as it started.
The weather fitted my mood perfectly that day: cloudy, rainy, and
frankly a bit sad. I couldn’t understand it at first. I was in Rome for
less than a year, but I grew to appreciate the wisdom of Pope Benedict.
To know that he would not be Pope anymore really struck me.
As I look back and reflect on this one year anniversary, one thing is
absolutely clear: Benedict XVI loved the Church, and I don’t mean the
institution. I mean the people within the Church, those who are part of
the Body of Christ. Many in the media mischaracterized him and his
resignation, speculating that the weight of the scandals rocking the
Church and the betrayal of his maggiordomo was just too much for him.
In reality, what was perceived as his greatest moment of weakness was
actually his finest moment of strength. It showed something rarely seen
in today’s world: humility.
Many thought that the next Pope needed to be someone who was
assertive, who would take the reins of the Church with full force and be
the opposite of Benedict XVI’s meek and soft-spoken demeanor. After the
conclave, the new Pope from “the end of the world”, asked for the
prayers of the People of God as he humbly bowed down to them.
On March 13th, 2013, God proved that humility, shown by Pope Emeritus
Benedict XVI and now in his own way, Pope Francis, is what the Church
continues to need today.
Source: http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/benedict-xvi-the-humble-pope
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