Pope Benedict: 'There Were Moments When it Seemed as if the 'Lord Was Sleeping'

By Alicia Cruz
The Black Urban Times

Photo/Biography/Wikipedia

Speaking before a massive crowd of believers who gathered outside of the Vatican, the Holy Father said his decision to abnegate was made with "profound serenity of spirit." 

The Pontiff even referred to "choppy seas" and added that while he often saw light and better times, there were moments when it seemed as if the Lord "was sleeping."

Born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger on April 16, 1927, Pope Benedict XVI  was ordained as a priest in 1951.

Prior to becoming Pope in 2005, Pope Benedict planned to retire, specifically due to declining health, but hoped to return to his love of writing. Obedient to the wishes of Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict continued on in his role. 
For several years during the Holy Father's pontificate, he suffered from a variety of health issues beginning in 1991 when he suffered a hemorrhagic stroke, which slightly impaired his eyesight temporarily. The Conclave never released the true nature of the Pope's hospitalization, saying he fell and hit his head.  

Fourteen years later, rumors again surfaced concerning the Pope's declining health but none were confirmed. 2005 there were several rumors about the Pope's health. Media outlets reported that the Pope had suffered another mild stroke, but this was not officially confirmed. 

WashingtonPost: Departing Pope Benedict’s daily activities shrouded in mystery

Then, in November 2006 Vatican insiders told the international press that the Pope had had a routine examination of the heart. A few days later an unconfirmed rumor emerged that Pope Benedict had undergone an operation in preparation for an eventual bypass operation, according to his wikipedia page.

Finally, on February 11, 2013, the Vatican confirmed Pope Benedict would resign the papacy on February 28, 2013 as a result of his advanced age. The Holy Father is the first pope to resign since Gregory XII in 1415.

The audience came a day before Pope Benedict’s resignation will take formal effect and was one of the last public appearances scheduled before he withdraws from public life to assume what Vatican officials have depicted as a cloistered life of prayer and meditation, the NYTimes wrote.