After the death of Benedict: The successful experiment of the two popes

Ein Pope gives his retired predecessor the last escort: With these pictures of the funeral of Benedict XVI. marks the end of an unprecedented era in church history. And if this unexpectedly long experiment by the two popes in the Vatican can generally be considered a success, then it is mainly thanks to Francis.

The Argentine Jesuit, who has little to do with the former theology professor Benedict XVI in terms of origin, character and character. has in common, there has been no lack of public expressions of his deference and affection over the past ten years. To Benedict XVI. and his pontificate never let anything come. In this case, as an exception, he did not allow himself to be tempted to say something in front of journalists that he should not have said.

It has Benedict XVI. not made easy for his successor. He never criticized Francis directly. But he did not prevent opponents of the pope from exploiting his regular comments. Francis generously ignored this. Just as he accepted the fact that Benedict XVI, in terms of his clothing, address and finally also his funeral, helped the former headline “We are Pope” to become continuously topical in a completely new sense.

It was by no means self-evident that this experiment would succeed. After the resignation of Benedict XVI. and a look at the handbook of church history, some augurs painted horror scenarios of a schism and an anti-pope on the wall in 2013. They commemorated Celestine V, the only pope who preceded Benedict XVI. voluntarily resigned. That was in 1294. His successor, Boniface VIII, had him taken into protective custody. Such speculation was wrong from the start. But even for a sober observer it was clear: as for every absolute monarchy, a resigned monarch also represents a potential danger for the papacy; all the more so as this office is sacred like no other.

No break with traditions

But what does the death of Benedict XVI mean? for the further course of the pontificate of Francis? The pope now has greater freedom of action, it was read. He no longer has to take his predecessor into consideration. It almost sounded as if a previously inhibited Francis could finally do everything he had always wanted to do. Certainly, in the early years of his tenure, Francis made some concessions to his predecessor. But everyone who believed that he was fundamentally reluctant to make decisions of Benedict XVI. to correct publicly, were taught otherwise by July 2021 at the latest.

At that time the Pope revoked the re-admission of the pre-conciliar liturgy that Benedict XVI. had decreed in 2007. This was not just any decree: there was probably no other decision in his pontificate that was as close to the heart of the German Pope as this one. This was based on one of his fundamental theological convictions: There should be no break with tradition in the church.

Francis knew all this, but it did not stop him from publicly correcting his predecessor – after a survey of bishops’ conferences around the world. The Pope, who likes to flirt with the stranger with Vatican customs and phrases, showed that he knows how to use them. Francis presented the correction of his predecessor as if he were pursuing the same goal as Benedict XVI. Francis has learned his lesson: a pope can reverse many decisions made by his predecessors, as long as he only appears to be in continuity with his predecessors.

So the two-popes era did not cause a reform backlog. Benedict XVI did not stop Francis from doing what he thought was right. The Pope only had one complex during the lifetime of his predecessor, quite obviously out of consideration for Benedict XVI. avoided: the regulation of a papal resignation and the status of a resigned pope. A canonical clarification would be urgently needed here. Because the number of Trumpists is also growing in the Catholic Church.

After the death of his predecessor, Francis would have a free hand to address this issue. Recently he has made no secret of the fact that his own ideas about a resigned pope have little to do with what Benedict XVI. has lived. He could now pour that into law – in the tried and tested manner with the reassuring subtext: In principle he is only pursuing the same goal that Benedict XVI already had. would have.