Pope Benedict XVI leaves Vatican amid power struggles, betrayals
February 23, 2013
If God works in mysterious ways, then the Vatican has long been meticulous about following His example.
The Holy See’s pronouncements on Catholic doctrine claim the missile-like clarity of truth. But its politics and workings are monuments to obscurity.
Centuries of secrecy and intrigue turn even the most historic events into exercises in uncertainty. On Monday, when Pope Benedict made one of the biggest Vatican announcements in 600 years — his resignation — he did it exclusively in Latin, a dead language only one journalist in attendance understood.
Don’t expect more clarity when cardinals gather in the Sistine Chapel to secretly vote for a new pope.
After each vote, chemicals will be used to turn smoke from a small rooftop chimney black, the signal of voting deadlock, or white, the fumes of success. In 2005, when German Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was elected Pope Benedict XVI, the smoke came out grey, leaving tens of thousands in St. Peter’s Square baffled for minutes.
