From the desk of
®
JOHN BRADSHAW
February 2023 Dear friend in ministry,
Pope Benedict XVI passed away on the last day of last year.
People were initially surprised at his resignation. At almost 86 years old, Pope Benedict XVI was the fourth-oldest of the 260 or so popes to have ever held office. A pope had not retired in more than 700 years. Benedict cited his declining physical health as the chief reason for his resignation. He was succeeded a month later by the man who would become known as Pope Francis, the first non-European pope in 1,300 years, and the first Jesuit pope in the history of the papacy. Pope Benedict XVI passed away on the last day of last year. While his nine years as a former pope were, understandably, years of retirement, the eight years he spent as the Roman pontiff, or, pontifex maximus, were extraordinarily significant. Like all popes, Benedict was titled Vicar of Christ, Jesus’ personal representative on earth. He was also considered to be the successor of Peter, the one believed by Rome to be the “rock” upon whom Jesus would build His church. For many years prior to becoming pope, Benedict led the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, otherwise known as the Inquisition. Originally established to spearhead the Counter-Reformation, the Inquisition countered the teachings of “heretics” such as Martin Luther. Luther’s teachings in favor of justification by faith alone, and his teachings against false doctrines such as purgatory and papal supremacy put the papacy in an awkward position. While Rome could have admitted its errors and acknowledged the validity of Luther’s scriptural teachings, it chose to aggressively defend its own heresies and persecute many who dared to disagree.
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