Monday, January 23, 2023

A question for anyone who has contemplated the notion that Benedict XVI retained some papal features after he resigned

 I'm not talking only to people who maintained this theory.  I'm just asking anyone who has thought about it enough to understand the contention.  For the record, this is a hypothetical question, it's been interesting to consider these past several years, but I both lean away from the notion and decline to take a stand--it seems to violate the intent of the Petrine office but it's a matter for experts to explain why my hunch would be right or wrong.

But I'm asking all of you anyway, just for curiosity.  Now that B16 has died, does his munus automatically devolve back to Francis?  Or does Francis not inherit it at all, since the bifurcation had already happened before his election?  If that's the case, would he just be pope without munus and only his successor would resume the power?  But what if Francis resigned too?  If he doesn't have it, he can't also give it up.

I know this is just a rabbit hole.  It's an interesting idea to play with.  But that should also tell us that maybe it's too bad of an idea to be true.

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