Mandatory retirement.In his September Odds & Ends column ("A 10-year rule?") Peter Gilmour made a suggestion that deserves serious consideration: Limit each pope's term to 10 years or age 75, whichever comes first. Brilliant! How heartbreaking heart·break·ing adj. 1. Causing overwhelming grief or distress. 2. Producing a strong emotional reaction: heartbreaking loveliness. to see our current Holy Father unable to walk, struggling to speak, calling out for help during public ceremonies, breaking off homilies for someone else to finish, becoming more and more feeble fee·ble adj. fee·bler, fee·blest 1. a. Lacking strength; weak. b. Indicating weakness. 2. Lacking vigor, force, or effectiveness; inadequate. See Synonyms at weak. . This man can barely function, yet he is the recognized leader of millions of Catholics worldwide. It is certainly evident that he no longer has the capacity, at least physically, to carry out his papal duties. Sad but true, and resignation seems out of the question judging from his own comments. Had the proposed term limit been in place, Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (Latin: Ioannes Paulus PP. II, Italian: Giovanni Paolo II, Polish: Jan Paweł II) born Karol Józef Wojtyła would have retired as bishop of Rome at age 75 like any other bishop. He has devoted over a quarter century to the church as "servant of the servants of God." He deserves to spend his final years away from the stress of the papacy papacy (pā`pəsē), office of the pope, head of the Roman Catholic Church. He is pope by reason of being bishop of Rome and thus, according to Roman Catholic belief, successor in the see of Rome (the Holy See) to its first bishop, St. Peter. . Kudos to Gilmour for tackling this controversial topic. He has planted a seed with an idea whose time has come. Incidentally, why not send a copy of the article to every member of the College of Cardinals College of Cardinals n. Roman Catholic Church The body of all the cardinals that elect the pope, assist him in governing the church, and administer the Holy See when the papacy is vacant. Noun 1. ? Joan M. Kinderman Oshkosh, Wis. |
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