In the early afternoon of 9 February 2013, I was browsing through a shelf of Religion-themed books in a store in front of the Jesuit university along Katipunan Avenue, when I saw a paperback copy of Peter Seewald's Light of the World. It was one of 2 biographies of Benedict XVI that I did not yet own, the other being My Brother, the Pope by Msgr. Georg Ratzinger. It was also the latest or last (2010) interview by Benedict where he hinted at the possibility of papal resignation. I picked it up, and showed it to my friend Ryan Chua, who was with me at the store. I told him that "I needed to brush up (on all things Benedict)" but without putting much thought into what I said.
Later that afternoon, I met up for a quick snack with three high school friends, one of whom just returned from a teaching stint in Beijing; the other was on vacation from Singapore, where he works as a banker. Since the "theme" of the get-together was living or working abroad, all of us had our share of out-of-the-country experiences. Some time during the conversation, I thought aloud and wondered when I would be returning to Rome, especially since I threw a coin and made the customary "I shall return" wish at the Trevi fountain, when I went there for the October 2012 canonizations.
Then, on the evening of Monday, February 11th, I received a phone call from the central desk of the news organization I work for, asking if the news about Pope Benedict's resignation was true. I immediately said "Huh, what? Impossible." I immediately got my tablet and took to Twitter to check on the Vatican Information Service's English feed. Nada.
I then called my colleague to tell him that unless it came from the Vatican website, the news was a hoax. My colleague cited "Anza" as the source. So I checked their site and true enough, the item was there. It was even carried by the Associated Press. But I still did not want to make the call. However, after a few minutes, Radio Vaticana uploaded the English translation of the Pope's speech.
And the rest, as we now know, is history.
Was I psychic? (I don't know and I don't want to be.)
Many tried to read into the date chosen by Pope Benedict to announce his resignation. Pundits opined that the date was merely the most opportune. For one, many cardinals (who had to brush up on their Latin after the Pope's resignation announcement slipped through their ears) were in attendance for a consistory for the promulgation of certain advancements in sainthood causes. For another, it was an ordinary day: a holiday in Italy and an ordinary Monday in Ordinary Time, an ample time to convoke a conclave before Holy Week began.
But those who wanted a more profound explanation dug deeper. February 11, 2013 was the 83rd anniversary of the Lateran Treaty, a pact that defined the territory, among other agreements, of Vatican City within the (then) Kingdom of Italy.
If we were to use the Lateran Pact anniversary as a reference point, then Benedict wanted to communicate to the Church that the papacy is a temporal institution, the pope's power is ephemeral (although his legacy may not), and that the office can be renounced, with valid reason.
More importantly, however, February 11th is the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, the health and refuge of the infirm. There could not have been a more profound way of saying "I am sick and I must be replaced," than announcing it on this particular feast day of Our Lady.
Lesson learned: Popes are not immortal. Popes can get worn out and worn down. Popes can resign. Popes
can be replaced. The Curia changes. The Church changes. But one thing is certain: it always was, always has been, and always will be Jesus Christ, the King of the Universe, who leads His Church.
