The Pope resigns

[Dr. Trainwreck]

Because priests are married to the Church, so having sex is adultery for them.

Orthodox priests can marry and still become priests.

[Irbis]

Orthodox priests can marry and still become priests.

Orthodox Church, as name says, never adopted Papal reforms (including between others imposing total celibate) and still follows old rules. In fact, you can find passages in Bible saying good priest should have family. Unfortunately, priests in middle ages tended to rob Church property to provide resources to their relatives first, so in short, in response Popes banned having family as the Church almost bankrupted due to this practice.

[Dr Roberts]

Apparantly he heard of talk of an arrest warrant being issued against him.

[Ralin]

Apparantly he heard of talk of an arrest warrant being issued against him.

I'd really like to see a source for that.

[Panzersharkcat]

The only one I heard from on that was from some group called the International Tribune for Crimes of Church and State and it appears it's just one guy with a massive rage boner against the Pope and Queen Elizabeth.

[Ralin]

Yeah, like I said, if he thinks he's going to be accused of child rape or whatever why the hell would he step down from being a head of state who can't be impeached?

[The Duchess of Zeon]

Because priests are married to the Church, so having sex is adultery for them.

Orthodox priests can marry and still become priests.

Yes, I am well aware. My priest when I was very young was married. The Catholic Church has come up with some even more absurd and ridiculous doctrines than Orthodoxy since they split (and that is saying something!).

[Melchior]

Apparantly he heard of talk of an arrest warrant being issued against him.

This is exceedingly unlikely. Besides more obvious considerations (it's politically unfeasible, there would be no point in him leaving, etc.) I'm not sure that a legal framework to arrest the Pope even exists, considering that he's the absolute ruler of a somewhat nebulous sovereign entity - the Holy See is not really even a westphalian state.

[CarsonPalmer]

Because priests are married to the Church, so having sex is adultery for them.

Orthodox priests can marry and still become priests.

Yes, I am well aware. My priest when I was very young was married. The Catholic Church has come up with some even more absurd and ridiculous doctrines than Orthodoxy since they split (and that is saying something!).

Actually (whether this makes it more or less ridiculous is your call) the bit about priests being married to the Church is false (that's a saying that nuns use). Priests are required to be celibate as a discipline, not a doctrine. From the Church's perspective, that means that it isn't a matter of religious faith (the Church can never go back on the Immaculate Conception, for example) but simply one of rules; they can change or make exceptions to it whenever they want. And they often do make exceptions to it: the various Eastern Churches under the authority of the Pope (Ukrainian Catholic, Byzantine Catholic, Maronite Catholic) are allowed to marry, and married Anglican priests are allowed to convert and be ordained as Catholic priests.

If the new Pope decided he felt like allowing priests to marry, he could do it. However, there has never been a married bishop, and it has been generally held that one must be celibate in order to reach that rank.

[Thanas]

Apparantly he heard of talk of an arrest warrant being issued against him.

This does not work, the Holy See is a sovereign entity and as such the pope cannot be arrested.

[weemadando]

Apparantly he heard of talk of an arrest warrant being issued against him.

This does not work, the Holy See is a sovereign entity and as such the pope cannot be arrested.

Not unless you call the Church Police.

Or, y'know the actual Vatican Police Service (or Gendarmes, whatever their chosen title is) who would, in theory, have the authority to do such things being the security apparatus of that sovereign entity.

[fgalkin]

Apparantly he heard of talk of an arrest warrant being issued against him.

This does not work, the Holy See is a sovereign entity and as such the pope cannot be arrested.

Good thing Benedict is no longer Pope, then.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

[Irbis]

And they often do make exceptions to it: the various Eastern Churches under the authority of the Pope (Ukrainian Catholic, Byzantine Catholic, Maronite Catholic) are allowed to marry, and married Anglican priests are allowed to convert and be ordained as Catholic priests.

In theory they can marry, but it only works for the lowest rank of priests. Rome doesn't allow any of 23 Churches subject to it to promote married men to rank of any importance to the best of my knowledge.

Good thing Benedict is no longer Pope, then.

Until Sede Vacante, he is absolute monarch and his word is final. He can easily recall the abdication. Still, I really don't see him resigning due to above, and I really don't see his successor agreeing to any sort of extradition request.

One interesting thing this abdication does is a huge blow to traditions of the Church. I didn't thought it would be a big deal, but apparently, Pope resigning was a big shock to some. I even heard comparison of "retired Bishop of Rome" being compared to "retired Jesus" in terms of disbelief. On the other hand, I also heard voices this was a calculated blow to position of Pope and since this post is no longer seen as eternal, it could well be opening to have pope return to position of primus inter pares and final reconciliation with Orthodox branch, or at least making Church more democratic. Time will tell, I guess.

[Ultonius]

Even in the Orthodox and some Eastern Catholic churches, while married men may become priests, unmarried or widowed men may not marry or remarry after their ordination, and bishops are almost always celibate monks, either 'hieromonks' (priest-monks) who took monastic vows before becoming priests, or widowed non-monastic priests who took the vows after their wives died.

[Thanas]

Apparantly he heard of talk of an arrest warrant being issued against him.

This does not work, the Holy See is a sovereign entity and as such the pope cannot be arrested.

Good thing Benedict is no longer Pope, then.

He still might enjoy the status of a prince of the church and immunity might still apply to his acts as pope.

[Ralin]

This does not work, the Holy See is a sovereign entity and as such the pope cannot be arrested.

I'm curious how much it would take to get the EU to go "Fuck sovereignty" and just drag him to trial anyway. Not like there's much the Vatican could do to stop it.

[Thanas]

This does not work, the Holy See is a sovereign entity and as such the pope cannot be arrested.

I'm curious how much it would take to get the EU to go "Fuck sovereignty" and just drag him to trial anyway. Not like there's much the Vatican could do to stop it.

Actually, the Vatican could resist with military means and there is no way Italy will order its army to crush the Swiss guard. Even more importantly, you would destroy several hundred years of treaties.

[LaCroix]

Not like there's much the Vatican could do to stop it.

110 highly trained soldiers, plus 130 'Gendarmes', holed up in a building you simply may not damage, at all, filled with hundreds of passively resisting priests and bishops almost eager to catch your bullets, in the middle of the probably most Catholic City of Europe, in Italy, which is not only Christian as hell, but bound by treaty to defend the Vatican?

Even if neither Italy nor the roman/italian people intervene, this would result in a bloodbath of an intensity that hasn't been seen since the storm of Berlin, and diplomatic problems of even bigger extent. But it's very much probable that hundreds of civilians would storm there to defend their 'papa'.

[Ralin]

Yeaaah, okay, maybe I didn't think that one through enough.

[EdgarjPublius]

Not like there's much the Vatican could do to stop it.

110 highly trained soldiers, plus 130 'Gendarmes', holed up in a building you simply may not damage, at all, filled with hundreds of passively resisting priests and bishops almost eager to catch your bullets, in the middle of the probably most Catholic City of Europe, in Italy, which is not only Christian as hell, but bound by treaty to defend the Vatican?

Even if neither Italy nor the roman/italian people intervene, this would result in a bloodbath of an intensity that hasn't been seen since the storm of Berlin, and diplomatic problems of even bigger extent. But it's very much probable that hundreds of civilians would storm there to defend their 'papa'.

Sounds like a situation where a drone strike is called for

[Thanas]

Not like there's much the Vatican could do to stop it.

110 highly trained soldiers, plus 130 'Gendarmes', holed up in a building you simply may not damage, at all, filled with hundreds of passively resisting priests and bishops almost eager to catch your bullets, in the middle of the probably most Catholic City of Europe, in Italy, which is not only Christian as hell, but bound by treaty to defend the Vatican?

Even if neither Italy nor the roman/italian people intervene, this would result in a bloodbath of an intensity that hasn't been seen since the storm of Berlin, and diplomatic problems of even bigger extent. But it's very much probable that hundreds of civilians would storm there to defend their 'papa'.

Sounds like a situation where a drone strike is called for

Haha. Good joke. Almost the funniest thing I heard this year. Really. Pat yourself on the back.

[Dr. Trainwreck]

Not like there's much the Vatican could do to stop it.

110 highly trained soldiers, plus 130 'Gendarmes', holed up in a building you simply may not damage, at all, filled with hundreds of passively resisting priests and bishops almost eager to catch your bullets, in the middle of the probably most Catholic City of Europe, in Italy, which is not only Christian as hell, but bound by treaty to defend the Vatican?

Even if neither Italy nor the roman/italian people intervene, this would result in a bloodbath of an intensity that hasn't been seen since the storm of Berlin, and diplomatic problems of even bigger extent. But it's very much probable that hundreds of civilians would storm there to defend their 'papa'.

Sounds like a situation where a drone strike is called for

You are a fucking retard.

[Irbis]

Even more importantly, you would destroy several hundred years of treaties.

Several hundred? Wasn't Vatican a gift to Pope from Mussolini? And before that, all lands of former Papal State were annexed into Italy in Risorgimento and for 70 years there was no state entity that could legally sign such treaties?

[LaCroix]

Even more importantly, you would destroy several hundred years of treaties.

Several hundred? Wasn't Vatican a gift to Pope from Mussolini? And before that, all lands of former Papal State were annexed into Italy in Risorgimento and for 70 years there was no state entity that could legally sign such treaties?

More of a restitution of stolen property. Still, the fact that the property was seized doesn't invalidate the treaties made with the institution, since the papal position isn't bound to earthly property, but the existence of the church.

[Irbis]

More of a restitution of stolen property. Still, the fact that the property was seized doesn't invalidate the treaties made with the institution, since the papal position isn't bound to earthly property, but the existence of the church.

More like recovery of stolen property; the Popes claimed the land by right of fictitious Donation of Constantine and further "gifts". Also, yes it did invalidate treaties, since a lot of countries stopped recognizing papal state or treating Pope like a head of state in landless period, only renewing diplomatic talks when Mussolini ended 70 year long crisis and gave Pope his new state to rule.