A lesson that would do well to cross the pond!
Pope Benedict XVI passed away on December 31, 2022. His passing on the last day of the year.
Some may know him as the Pope from Germany. Others may not know him at all. I mean, his time in the seat was short. He was only the pope for a little under eight years. Yes, he didn’t serve until his death. He resigned from his position just a few years into the job. Wait! What? Yes, Pope Benedict XVI resigned from his position. “He is the first Pope to resign since Gregory XII in 1415.”[1]
Pope Benedict resigned for health reasons. “Both strength of mind and body are necessary, strengths which in the last few months have deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me.”[2]
“Pope Benedict was the first pope to meet with victims of clerical abuse.”[3] Think about that, he is the first pope to really recognize the victims from the church officials.
To the big point, he was a man who didn’t allow his ego to get the better of me. He put the church and the people first. Wow, what a concept.
I can name a few that would do well to take notes from him. You know, Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Mitch McConnell, Chuck Schumer, Chuck Grassley, Patrick Leahy, Dianne Feinstein, Richard Durbin, John Cornyn, and the list goes on and on. It is almost exhausting to think of.
Think about this in their many, many years of service to our nation. They couldn’t figure out how to mentor one single sole to be their replacement. Or let me put it this way. If they are so confident in getting things done but they couldn’t do it in the first two decades of their job? Hmmm. Maybe they are simply so in love with themselves that they can’t see that they are progression roadblocks. They are nothing more than people who are obsessed with their own power and their own ego.
Think about how smoothly our country would run if each of these followed Pope Benedict XVI’s shiny example. What a breath of fresh air our nation would have. Think of the progress and less party bickering we would have. Might I be so bold to say that we might even have more unity than less disunity in our nation? Hmmm, what a thought.
So, for Pope Benedict XVI, your time on earth, we thank you for showing us how to put things above yourself. As you look down from heaven, give us a smile because a few of us understood, it was about the position and not your ego.
I do believe America could benefit from that.
The Vet.
[1] (McGarvey, 2022)
[2] (Quintana, 2022)
[3] (Wooden, 2022)
McGarvey, E. (2022, December 31). BBC News. Retrieved from Foremr Pope Benedict XVI dies at 95: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64107731
Quintana, C. (2022, December 31). USA Today. Retrieved from Former Pope Benedict XVI, first to resign papacy in roughly 600 years, dies following illness: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/12/31/pope-benedict-xvi-resignation-catholic-church/10960183002/
Wooden, C. (2022, December 31). United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved from Pope Benedict: Eight years as pope capped long ministry as teacher of faith: https://www.usccb.org/news/2022/pope-benedict-eight-years-pope-capped-long-ministry-teacher-faith
