When Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation I was surprised, to say the least. As most people are aware, the papacy is a modern-day monarchy with its leaders ruling for life. Pope Benedict XVI will be the first pope to resign since 1445. While for the most part I have not agreed with the pope’s policies—particularly the changing of the responses at mass that betray my lack of attendance—his resignation hopefully signals a change in the Church’s leadership and an understanding of the physical limitations of its leaders.
In this day and age, the world’s life expectancy is almost 70 years old. Most cardinals come from the developed world, which has a slightly higher life expectancy at almost 80 years old. It seems that, through God’s divine intervention, clergymen live forever. While this has allowed the wisdom of the Church elders to exist for longer than ever, it does also lead to a situation in which the advanced members of the clergy are no longer physically or mentally up to the challenge of leading the flock.
Both Pope Benedict XVI, currently 85, and his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, who died in 2005 at age 84, served as pope throughout the later stages of their lives. Pope John Paul II was diagnosed with Parkinson’s four years before his death, and while he continued to travel the world per his papal duties, it was clear that he was unable to do so with the vigor of his youth. Pope Benedict XVI is resigning due to his failing health, which has made it difficult for him to maintain the schedule and responsibilities of being pope.
Pope Benedict XVI’s acceptance of the difficulty of the papacy in light of his advanced age will hopefully become a trend for future popes. The papacy is a grueling job, as the over one billion faithful have come to expect the pope to maintain a travel schedule on par with that of former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. Through the use of modern technology and transportation, the pope now has the ability to interact with his flock directly, whether it be through extensive travel or through the pope’s Twitter account @Pontifex. An ailing pope cannot possibly hope to maintain this contact that has become an integral part of the post.
Older popes not only tend to have a number of health problems, but also to have an issue connecting with the younger, and more numerous, members of the population. Pope Benedict XVI’s use of Twitter was a step in the right direction, but being able to speak in a way that younger parishioners can relate to will do a lot to improve the profile of the Church. The Church has come to be seen as an old man’s club, often inaccessible to those under the age of 50—particularly during Pope Benedict XVI’s reign. However, inculcating the pope with a sense of duty to resign when he is no longer up to the job will allow for new blood to rise up through the ranks more rapidly.
Papal resignations also allow for an exchange of information from pope to pope, an extremely rare occurrence. This can smooth out the transition, leading to continuity that has been sorely lacking in the past.
Fundamentally, as most monarchs have shown, few people are able to stay relevant from the time they come to power until their death. For an institution that is fundamentally grounded on its ability to transmit messages, this is of the utmost importance. The Church cannot hope to retain its younger followers if it cannot engage them.
Now, I’m not insinuating that those over the age of 75 are incapable of communicating with those under 25. I am, however, stating that it is important that the figurehead of the Church be both mentally and physically able to respond to the various needs of its congregation, one of which is direct communication. Furthermore, allowing for a more rapid ascendance of younger clergymen can facilitate greater canonical dialogue and lead to a modernization of the Church.
As an almost 2,000-year-old institution, the Catholic Church will not go out of fashion per se, but it could find itself increasingly irrelevant to its congregation if it fails to modernize. The pope, as leader of the organization, has the unique opportunity to cause change from the top down. Creating a trend of popes that resign when their age catches up to them can facilitate this transformation.
Who knows, maybe the next pope will get Vine.
