Lifetime appointments

I have never been a big fan of life time appointments. I understand some of the logic and reasoning. Some positions need the person to be able to focus on the job itself to hopefully make the right decisions especially by nature of the position some of them may be tough or have to be unpopular. Yet you see people whose ego gets in the way of what is best for the overall group they represent and actually stay too long, way past where they can do any good, because of health and/or age.

Now historically the Papacy has required the Pope to stay for life and at times because of this pressure of the position they stay sometimes beyond where their health would allow for them to continue to be a benefit. I do not want to take away anything from any previous Popes (like most people I really liked John Paul II), but you have to admire Pope Benedict XVI for stepping down because of his age and health. It has been almost 600 hundred years since a Pope retired. And there is mix feelings about this from what I am hearing and reading.

Some feel that he should fulfill his commitment, however, I think most realize that it is better for the Church for him to retire. For a person who is responsible for over a billion people that must have taken some serious soul searching for him to decide it is not about him, but about the Church. I am sure being chosen Pope must have some affect on your ego, no matter how much of a Christian you are and being committed to true humility, that responsibility and historical legacy does not land easily in your pysche. So you have to admire any Pope in accepting that responsibility to be true to the Church itself and not letting themself be overwhelmed by the perceived power that may have been bestowed. Pope Benedict's retirement really shows the world that no matter how much people may hate the Church or have their conspiracy theories at the heart of it all, the Popes really are trying to do what is best for the people of the Church.

It is hard to comment about this, because many Popes have not retired and I blame the pressure of the position for this,not the individuals. There is that expectation among Catholics that this will be fulfilled no matter what. So again,kudos to Pope Benedict XVI to humble himself to reality and let himself retire.

So in general, we know we need certain positions to be lifetime appointments, here in the US for example, Federal judges get lifetime appointments, but let us all hope that these individuals can accept reality and realize there is a time to retire.