[Verginius Rufus]

Benedict XVI is the fourth-oldest pope in the last 600 years (at least--I haven't checked back before 1400). If he survives two more years, he will be the second-oldest pope in that span (second only to Leo XIII, who was 93 when he died). Benedict XVI's 86th birthday will be in April.

Of the last 60 popes, only one has seen his 88th birthday.

[Buckeye McFrog]

Cardinal Marc Ouellet, 68, a kind of staff manager as head of the Vatican Congregation for Bishops, has a dry image but is "tri-continental".

Pope Canada Dry?

[SatinDoll]

“One senior cardinal, who asked not to be named, said many of Benedict’s appointments as cardinals and bishops were more conservative than the faithful they were named to lead.”

“I’m scared about it because we’ll lose our people if we go too far to the right,” he said. “If we sound more like conservative politicians than Christian leaders, that’s bad for the Church.”

This definitely sounds like fiction. It wouldn’t surprise me the least if it was made up by the reporter.

[PAR35]

The real reason that this story lacks credibility is that the conditions under which he’s slated to live post-resignation sound like they are a whole lot more harsh than a Dutch prison for UN convicts.