New chapter for Pope Francis after predecessor’s death
There is now only one pope to shepherd Catholics
VATICAN CITY, Holy See (AFP) — With the death of Benedict XVI, Pope Francis enters a new phase of his papacy free from the constraints of co-existing with a predecessor, but conservative criticism of his reforms may not end.
For the first time since his 2013 election, the Argentine pontiff is squarely at the helm of the Catholic Church and its 1.3 billion faithful without another man in white — former pope Benedict XVI — also at the Vatican.
From Benedict’s surprise resignation a decade ago until his death Saturday at the age of 95, the German theologian’s lingering presence at the Vatican had caused confusion within the Church, fueling a “two popes” dynamic sometimes exploited by Francis’s critics.
Benedict’s death “ends a misunderstanding, a situation of ambiguity, in which (Joseph) Ratzinger could be used as a standard by Francis’s opponents,” Vatican expert Marco Politi told AFP, using the former pope’s birth name.
Although promising to carry out a post-papacy life of quiet contemplation and study following his resignation, Benedict XVI later weighed in on the explosive issues of clerical sex abuse and the possibility of married priests.
His contribution to a book in January 2020 on celibacy was viewed as a bid to boost the cause of the Church’s ultra-conservative wing.
“The presence of a pope emeritus like Ratzinger, with his doctrinally conservative vision of the Church and intellectual stature, actually created a pole of tension with the pontificate of Francis, who had a pastorally very open line,” Politi said.