Benevacantism

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Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict meeting on 5 July 2013 5 luglio 2013 - incontro tra Papa Francesco e Papa Benedetto XVI - inaugurazione statua San Michele Arcangelo -.jpg
Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict meeting on 5 July 2013

Benevacantism (a portmanteau of "Benedict" and "sedevacantism" [1] [a] ) is the fringe Catholic belief [3] [4] that Pope Benedict XVI did not validly resign the papacy in February 2013 and therefore remained pope, making Pope Francis an invalidly elected antipope. Believers of this theory are called "Benevacantists". [1]

Contents

Benevacantism emerged in conservative Catholic circles shortly after the election of Pope Francis in response to his less conservative theology. Benevacantists speculate that Benedict's resignation was invalid because Benedict had a faulty understanding of the papacy, or because external pressures made him not able to resign freely.

After Benedict predeceased Francis on 31 December 2022, some Benevacantists recognized Francis as the rightful pope while others adopted sedevacantism.

History

Background

On 11 February 2013, Pope Benedict XVI announced his intention to resign at the Apostolic Palace in the Sala del Concistoro, at an early morning gathering held to announce the date of the canonization of 800 Catholic martyrs. [5] [6] [7] Speaking in Latin, he told the attendees that he had made "a decision of great importance for the life of the church". [8] He cited his deteriorating strength due to old age and the physical and mental demands of the papacy. [9] He also declared that he would continue to serve the Church "through a life dedicated to prayer". [9]

Emergence

After the election of Pope Francis, disagreement with Francis' less conservative approach to Catholic theology spurred conspiracy theories among conservative Catholics. Noticing that after his resignation Benedict still wore a white cassock (albeit without mozetta) and still asked to be referred to by his regnal name (albeit with the title "emeritus"), questions about the validity of his resignation began to emerge. [10] These were compounded by the observation that Benedict continued to give the apostolic blessing in written letters, a privilege only a reigning pope enjoys, and that he retained the Keys of Heaven on his coat of arms, and continued to wear a version of the Ring of the Fisherman. [11] One of the first writers who talked about Benedict's declaration of resignation, and the relation between munus and ministerium, was Italian canon lawyer Stefano Violi in a theological journal of the University of Lugano in June 2013. [11] [b]

Theories

Benevacantist theories posit that for various reasons Benedict's resignation was invalid, and as such he remained the true pope until his death, thereby causing Francis to be invalidly elected and be an antipope. [12]

Undue pressure

Early speculation was that the Vatican leaks scandal pressured Benedict into resignation. [13] [14] It also was reported at the time in La Repubblica that the pope's resignation was linked to a "gay mafia" operating within the Vatican: an underground network of high-ranking homosexual clergy, holding sex parties in Rome and the Vatican, and involved with corruption in the Vatican Bank. [13] [15] Given that the 1983 Code of Canon Law states that resignations must be made "freely", coercion or undue pressure to resign would have caused the act to be invalid. [16]

In 2014, Benedict denied that he did not have full freedom in making his decision, [17] and in a 2016 book, The Last Conversations, Benedict downplayed the "gay mafia" rumour, describing it as a group of four or five people who were seeking to influence Vatican decisions that he had succeeded in breaking up. [18] [19]

Peter Seewald, Benedict's biographer, stated that a persistent insomnia since the 2005 World Youth Day in Cologne had been the primary reason for his resignation. After a March 2012 incident involving sleeping pills necessitated that he only be able to appear in public in the morning on trips abroad, Benedict decided he needed to resign prior to World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro in July 2013. [20]

Munus vs. ministerium

In a speech in May 2016, Georg Gänswein, personal secretary to Pope Benedict, spoke of an "expanded" Petrine office with both an "active" and "contemplative" pope, referring respectively to Francis and Benedict. Benedict had stated in an interview with his biographer Peter Seewald that he saw himself as a father whose role changed, but was still a father. According to Gänswein, Benedict intended to continue in the munus (transl. work) of the papacy. [21] [22] [23] [1]

Gänswein stated that Benedict only meant this in an analogical sense and that Benedict did not intend only to partially resign. However, Benevacantists believe that the distinction between the word ministerium (transl. ministry) used by Benedict in his resignation and the word munus in the 1983 Code of Canon Law's canon 332 §2 [c] indicate that Benedict did not intend to fully resign the papacy, and therefore the resignation was invalid. [1] [24]

Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, former prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, stated that "it would be difficult to say that [the resignation was] not valid", and that Benedict uses the words "munus" and "ministerium" interchangeably and without distinction. [24] Other Latinists have stated that munus and ministerium are "more or less synonymous" and that it is clear Benedict meant them to refer to the same thing upon his resignation. [25] [26]

Denials by Benedict

On the eve of the first anniversary of his resignation, Benedict wrote to La Stampa to deny speculation he had been forced to step down. "There isn't the slightest doubt about the validity of my resignation from the Petrine ministry", he wrote in a letter to the newspaper. "The only condition for the validity is the full freedom of the decision. Speculation about its invalidity is simply absurd", he wrote. [27] [17] In an interview on 28 February 2021, Benedict again repeated the legitimacy of his resignation. [28] [29] [30]

Legacy

At least five Italian priests have been excommunicated over publicly expressing Benevacantism, as well as priests in Costa Rica, Spain, and California, and nuns in Spain and Texas. [31] [32] [33] Carlo Maria Viganò, former Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, was excommunicated on 5 July 2024 for similar reasons. [33] [34]

After Benedict's death on 31 December 2022, some former adherents to Benevacantism held to sedevacantism, while others considered Francis to be the pope, and most of them eventually recognized Pope Leo XIV after his election in May 2025. [2]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ The term "sedevacantism" comes from the Latin words sede meaning 'seat' and vacante meaning 'vacant', and the Church refers to interregnal periods where there is no Pope as sede vacante. This term is also used by those who profess that the current occupant of the see is not actually the pope. [2]
  2. ↑ Violi, Stefano (June 2013). "La rinuncia di Benedetto XVI. Tra storia, diritto e coscienza" [The Renunciation of Benedict XVI. Between History, Law and Conscience]. Rivista Teologica di Lugano (in Italian). XVIII (2): 155–166. ISSN   1420-6730. OCLC   231707321 . Retrieved 18 February 2025.
  3. ↑ Text of Canon 332§2 in Latin and English

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Feser, Edward (14 April 2022). "Benevacantism is scandalous and pointless". Catholic World Report. Archived from the original on 23 July 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  2. 1 2 Lewis, Mike (24 May 2023). "What is sedevacantism? Who is a sedevacantist?". Where Peter Is. Archived from the original on 16 January 2025. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  3. ↑ Heschmeyer, Joe. "A Response to Patrick Coffin's "Seven Pieces of Evidence That Francis Is an Antipope"". Catholic Answers. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
  4. ↑ Heschmeyer, Joe. "Was Benedict XVI the True Pope the Whole Time?". Catholic Answers. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
  5. ↑ Davies, Lizzy (12 May 2013). "Pope Francis completes contentious canonisation of Otranto martyrs". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 6 November 2013. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
  6. ↑ "Pope convokes consistory for canonization of three Blessed". The Vatican Today. 4 February 2013. Archived from the original on 7 February 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  7. ↑ "Pope will announce on Monday date for canonization for over 800 saints". Rome Reports. 9 February 2013. Archived from the original on 12 February 2013.
  8. ↑ Lavanga, Claudio; McClam, Erin; Jamieson, Alastair. "Pope Benedict XVI, citing deteriorating strength, will step aside Feb. 28". NBC News. Archived from the original on 11 February 2013.
  9. 1 2 "Pope Benedict XVI announces his resignation at end of month". Vatican Radio. 11 February 2013. Archived from the original on 11 February 2013. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  10. ↑ Biema, David Van (31 December 2022). "Pope Benedict's Legacy Is Inextricably Bound to His Resignation". TIME. Archived from the original on 21 June 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  11. 1 2 Socci, Antonio (2019). The Secret of Benedict XVI: Is He Still the Pope?. Brooklyn, NY: Angelico Press. pp. 65, 79–80. ISBN   978-1-62138-458-8.
  12. ↑ Heschmeyer, Joe (6 January 2023). "Was Benedict XVI the True Pope the Whole Time?". Catholic Answers. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
  13. 1 2 "Papal resignation linked to inquiry into 'Vatican gay officials', says paper". the Guardian. 22 February 2013.
  14. ↑ Abad-Santos, Alexander (22 February 2013). "Did a Secret Vatican Report on Gay Sex and Blackmail Bring Down the Pope?". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 14 November 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  15. ↑ Abad-Santos, Alexander (22 February 2013). "Did a Secret Vatican Report on Gay Sex and Blackmail Bring Down the Pope?". The Atlantic.
  16. ↑ Cooper, Jenna Marie (15 March 2024). "Question Corner: Code of Canon Law affirms validity of Pope Benedict's resignation". The Dialog. Archived from the original on 8 November 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  17. 1 2 Winfield, Nicole (26 February 2014). "Benedict denies he was pressured to resign". AP News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 4 December 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  18. ↑ "In memoirs, ex Pope Benedict says Vatican 'gay lobby' tried to wield power: report". Reuters. 1 July 2016 – via www.reuters.com.
  19. ↑ Harris, Elise (9 September 2016). "Benedict XVI talks resignation, Pope Francis in new book-length interview". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  20. ↑ O'Connell, Gerard (27 January 2023). "Biographer reveals the reason for Pope Benedict's resignation: insomnia". America Magazine. Archived from the original on 20 July 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  21. ↑ Caldwell, Zelda. "In stepping down, Benedict XVI carved out new role as 'contemplative' pope". Catholic News Agency. Archived from the original on 19 January 2025. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  22. ↑ Cornwell, John (31 October 2018). "Pope vs. Pope: How Francis and Benedict's Conflict Could Split the Church". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  23. ↑ Pentin, Edward (23 May 2016). "Archbishop Gänswein: Benedict XVI Sees Resignation as Expanding Petrine Ministry". National Catholic Register. Archived from the original on 13 July 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  24. 1 2 Skojec, Steve (15 February 2019). "Gänswein, Burke, and Brandmüller Address Questions on Pope Benedict's Resignation". OnePeterFive. Archived from the original on 3 December 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  25. ↑ Grant, Ryan (14 December 2018). "Rise of the Benevacantists: Who Is Pope?". OnePeterFive. Archived from the original on 25 December 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  26. ↑ "Benedict XVI's big decision: Can a pope really just resign?". The Pillar . 2 January 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  27. ↑ "Benedict dismisses speculation about his resignation". Europe News.Net. 26 February 2014. Archived from the original on 27 February 2014. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  28. ↑ "Pope Benedict XVI defends resignation to 'fanatic' doubters". AP NEWS. 20 April 2021. Archived from the original on 26 September 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  29. ↑ "Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI: 'There are not two Popes' – Vatican News". vaticannews.va. 1 March 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  30. ↑ "Pope Benedict's 'Conscience Is Clear' Regarding His 2013 Resignation". NCR. March 2021. Archived from the original on 18 January 2024. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  31. ↑ Flynn, JD (11 August 2020). "Excommunicated Sacramento priest Fr. Jeremy Leatherby rejects Pope Francis, misconduct allegations". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 18 February 2025.
  32. ↑ "Two more Italian priests sanctioned for claiming Francis is 'anti-pope'". Crux. 16 November 2024. Archived from the original on 10 December 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  33. 1 2 Beltrán, Edgar (30 January 2025). "Another Italian priest excommunicated after calling Francis 'antipope'". The Pillar . Archived from the original on 2 February 2025. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  34. ↑ "Vatican excommunicates ex-ambassador to U.S., Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, declares him guilty of schism - CBS News". CBS News. Associated Press. 5 July 2024. Archived from the original on 3 October 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
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