Retirement is a good idea. That’s just it. It would be shocking if there were no popes who are willing to agree with that. The last pope didn’t, this one appare

Retirement is a good idea. That’s just it. It would be shocking if there were no popes who are willing to agree with that. The last pope didn’t, this one apparently does. That said, both the last and the current pope are the same age when they leave office – 85 – so I could imagine that also factoring into Benedict’s decision. Dude wanted to retire eight years ago – and then became pope. I wouldn’t be surprised if this wasn’t how he imagined spending his last years. Nowadays old people are merely mentally or physically handicapped by malaises that would have killed them not a century ago. In that context this is a very natural development, proving once again that churches are always willing to change to insure their survival (but not an inch more).