Strange Coincidence

I was amazed at the amount of media coverage which was given over yesterday to the announcement that the current Pope - Joseph Ratzinger - is to retire on the grounds of ill-health.

Especially as no one seemed to think it extremely odd and raise some serious questions about the fact - that he is the first Pontiff to stand down in almost 600 years.

Now Joseph Ratzinger may be getting on at 85 years of age - but so have many Popes and not just his immediate predecessor, John Paul II

Lots has been said about the supposedly gruelling regime taking its toll on a man - who has been at the centre of events in the Vatican for many years and long before he become Pope Benedict XVI.

Maybe his schedule is tough though I can't see it being any more demanding than that of the Queen and Prince Philip - both of whom are older, of course. 

So I can't help wondering if the Pope's decision to stand aside has anything to do with the terrible child abuse scandals which have engulfed the Catholic Church in recent years - and which showed the church hierarchy up in an extremely bad light.

Because the initial instincts of the Vatican were to protect the institution of the church - by quietly moving the abusers out of the way.

Instead of admitting to the scale and extent of the problem and holding paedophile priests to account for their actions - in countries across the world.

So I wonder if further revelations are likely about what powerful figures in the Vatican knew at the time - as this would surely lead to even more harsh criticism of the way the church hierarchy responded to the crisis.

If so, there is no doubt that Joseph Ratzinger would have been in the firing line - and maybe that influenced his decision to become the first 'retired' Pope since Pope Gregory XII in 1415.