"Archbishop" Rowan Williams Stepping Down. And the Resignation of Pope Benedict XVI?

"Archbishop" of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, will be stepping down from this position at the end of the year.

Dr. Williams has presided over a very turbulent time for the Anglican Communion, with his authority often being thrown back into his face and ignored. Such issues include  women bishops, homosexual "marriage," actively homosexual bishops, and abortion.

Dr. Williams is a nice guy, with good intentions. He is intelligent, and very likable (he has become close friends with Pope Benedict XVI over the years, especially considering that Williams was only on the job 2 years before Benedict). While his beliefs are much different than conservative Catholics (he likes to label himself a liberal theologian), there are many things for which he should be commended. He's always supported the conservative voices in the Anglican Church, even when he disagreed with that voice.

Williams plans on becoming master of Magdalene College, Cambridge. In other words, he hopes to return to academic life.

Here's how the new "Archbishop" will be chosen: The Crown Nominations Commission will provide two names to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister will choose the next "Archbishop" of Canterbury from that short list "in the name of the Sovereign."

Two names are being floated for the next "Archbishop" of Canterbury. The first is "Archbishop" John Sentamu (born in Uganda, which would make him the first black "Archbishop" of Canterbury). He seems to be strongly conservative in his theology (he has criticized bills to make homosexual marriage legal, he has opposed bills to make IVF easier, etc.). Also, He is currently the second highest ranked prelate in the Anglican Communion. The second seeming candidate is "Bishop" of London Richard Chartres. I don't know much about him, though.

How does this relate to Pope Benedict XVI?

Well, Pope Benedict XVI turns 85 on April 16th. He's now the oldest pope in the last 109 years, since Leo XIII died in 1903 at 93, and will shortly become one of only six popes in the last 500 years to reign past the age of 85. His Holiness has raised the question before about Popes resigning, which under Canon Law is possible. Canon 332 §2 states simply that "it is required for validity that the resignation be freely made and properly manifested, but it is not necessary that it be accepted by anyone."

Two prominent Italian writers have voiced the question in regards to the possibility of Pope Benedict XVI resigning. This has brought the question to the fore in Italy, and Pope Benedict XVI's recent interview in Light of the World shows that he himself is not opposed to the idea.

Interestingly, these two Italian writers are rather pro-Benedict. They recognize, as many people do, that Pope Benedict is a strong spiritual leader, who is one of the most brilliant Christian minds of late. Nevertheless, they also recognize, as many people do, that Pope Benedict is as bad at administration as he is brilliant at theology. The Vatican has had a lot of gaffes and public relations stumbles under Pope Benedict XVI.

The hope of these two Italian writers is that Pope Benedict XVI would resign. He would then be in a position to informally influence the election of his successor, thereby (hopefully) electing a new Pope who had the theology of Ratzinger and the administrative acumen to get the Vatican into the 24-hour-news age.

Personally, I don't think it will happen, for two main reasons.

1) Because Pope Benedict XVI does not have that political acumen, he won't consider influencing the next election by resigning. Furthermore, Benedict thinks mainly in theological and spiritual terms, not in governmental terms. As a result, he wouldn't think of the political advantages of resigning, only what spiritual impact it might have.

2) Those in the Vatican that have the political acumen would not want to set a precedent. Popes Benedict IX, Gregory VI, and Celestine V resigned for scandalous reasons. The only precedent that would set is that a Pope who engages in scandalous behaviour should resign (too bad more didn't do that!) However, Pope Benedict XVI would be resigning because of his age. This precedent could be dangerous. It would be a strong pressure for a Pope to resign at that age, regardless of whether he should or not. I don't foresee the Vatican wanting to set such a precedent.

So, what are your thoughts on the resignation of "Archbishop" Williams? What do you think about papal resignation?