Special Edition: Papal Abdication

02/11/2013

At the end of this month, Pope Benedict XVI will become the first pope in nearly 600 years to abdicate the papal seat. In this Special Edition of Footnoting History, we take a look at the colorful history of papal abdication and the precedents for Benedict's resignation.

What's your guess as to who the next pope will be? Let us know in the comments!

Further Reading

Eamon Duffy. Saints and Sinners: A History of the Popes. 3rd ed. Yale, 2006.

Richard McBrien. The Lives of the Popes: The Pontiffs from St. Peter to Benedict XVI. HarperOne, 2006.

Jon M. Sweeney. The Pope Who Quit: A True Medieval Tale of Mystery, Death, and Salvation. Image Books, 2012.

John O'Malley. A History of the Popes: From Peter to the Present. Sheed & Ward, 2011.

Download file (9.3 MB)
Music: "Evening Melodrama" by Kevin MacLeod (www.incompetech.com)

Comments

Brian Denton link

02/12/2013 10:50am

The next Pope should be either an African or an American as these regions are where the Catholic Church is the most vibrant. As a New Yorker I am partial seeing Archbishop Timothy Dolan become the next Pope.

Elizabeth

02/12/2013 10:59am

Brian, I definitely think many of us are expecting the pope to be selected from either Africa or the Americas, but I have heard that the European cardinals dominate number-wise. And as a former NYer, I miss Cardinal O'Connor :)

Jim Stephens link

02/12/2013 6:08pm

Well done. Thank you for a nice presentation.

Nathan

02/12/2013 7:48pm

Thanks, Jim!

Steph

02/18/2013 7:52pm

Thank you for the Henry V-Kenneth Branagh comment. Catching up on the podcasts and loving them!

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