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American Morning

Pope to Retire?

Aired August 15, 2002 - 07:48   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Pope John Paul II returns to his homeland of Poland this week, and there have been persistent rumors throughout Europe that the pope is heading home in the twilight of his papacy to retire and not return to Vatican City.
Jim Bittermann has more now in Rome.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Since Pope John Paul II's 82nd birthday in May, the rumors and denials have been surfacing almost on a weekly basis. The pope, it was said, was planning to make his journey to Poland a one-way trip, planning to retire in his homeland.

The story was fueled in part by high-ranking churchmen themselves, who, for the first time, were not afraid to openly discuss the subject.

A cardinal from Honduras said he was sure the pope would resign if he believed the church needed a healthier man on the papal throne. And even Vatican insider, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, took up the notion, saying the pope certainly would resign if he realized he absolutely could not carry on.

Hoping to curb the gossip, the Vatican turned to a long-time collaborator of the pope's, writer Vittorio Messori, who published an official denial, quoting absolutely unimpeachable sources.

VITTORIO MESSORI, AUTHOR, "CROSSING THE THRESHOLD OF HOPE" (through translator): The Vatican itself had had enough of these voices continuously repeating, "Will the pope resign?" The Vatican was tired of these voices, and decided, through me, to stop them.

BITTERMANN: But more telling than Messori's newspaper rebuttal was the pope's determination to follow through with his last pastoral trip to North America, and the planning that's going on for future trips to Croatia and the Philippines. And the fact that John Paul himself has repeatedly said, God chose him to be pope, and he will serve until God chooses otherwise.

(on camera): In the entire 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church, only one pope actually ever resigned, Celestine V in the 13th century. And while there is that precedent for a papal resignation, and the while possibility for it is established under church cannon law, the procedure for a resignation is more than a little ambiguous. (voice-over): If the pope is chosen by God, who exactly should a pope resign to? The assumption is he would simply make public his wishes, but there is no established procedure for doing so.

And what impact would a living pope, who demands and receives the absolute fidelity of his cardinals, what impact would he have when they got together to elect a replacement? Some churchmen believe even a pope in distant retirement could affect the selection of his successor.

FATHER MARK LEWIS, CHURCH HISTORIAN: That's right. With a church having a resigned pope present somewhere in the world, it would have a psychological effect, especially, I would think, on the next pope.

BITTERMANN: So, for now, the arguments against a pending papal resignation, including those from the pope himself, far outweigh the natterings heard about Vatican coffee bars. The pope's age and health may change that one day, but as John Paul would probably say, God only knows when.

Jim Bittermann, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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