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| A Giant Sequoia, one of the largest living beings on Earth, possibly 3000 years old. Sequoia National Park, Sierra Nevada Mountains, California |
I have published several posts about the Vatican and know that many of my readers are very interested in this topic. What follows below is a short update on what has been happening during the last few weeks regarding the Vatican, officially and unofficially.
Since the end of 2011, there has been widespread speculation in the media, both MSM and Alternative, that Pope Benedict XVI would resign early this year and, even more specifically, during this month. He turned 85 on April 16th and marked seven years as pope on April 19th. He is increasingly frail, now moving about with a cane or on a moving platform.
The Pope's birthday celebration at the Vatican was an emotional event for him featuring Bavarian music and dancing as well as the attendance by his older brother, Monsignor Georg Ratzinger, and many others from his homeland of Bavaria and greater Germany. His message both in his homily and "ad lib" remarks clearly seemed to squash resignation rumors, perhaps directed most pointedly at the College of Cardinals.
The continuing scandals over banking practices, pedophilia cover ups, sexual abuse, and leaks to the Italian media about political bickering within the Vatican threaten to permanently mar his legacy. The Los Angeles Times reported on a 2002 study which showed that of 10,667 individual charges against 4392 priests,
