I've been thinking along the same lines. The "bad" precedent being set for future Popes - and many Catholics - is that it is no longer seen as a Divinely-appointed position but something decided by a popularity contest of sorts. If this authority is God-ordained - and, presumably, a God-enabled anointing - then, how is it that such a person decides he no longer wants the job and "retires"? Did the Apostle Peter retire? Did Paul? If God truly is behind the appointment of every Pope and it has historically been a lifelong anointing, then is God not able to empower such a man and overcome any and all impediments to fulfilling his purpose? This retirement, to me, has the appearance of a man who, as we know never really wanted to be the Pope, now has an "out" so he can spend whatever time he has left in luxurious comfort and ease getting to sleep in every day he wants, never lacking for anything.
As a former Roman Catholic and now a born-again Christian, I don't accept or recognize the Pope's authority over myself or all Christians. It is times like these that only reinforces my sense of the rightness of my decision to come out of Catholicism and into the light of the Gospel of the grace of God.
Committing to a life of prayer is hardly retiring,dear sister. Leading this kind of life is even more daunting then even being Pope.
Those who are infected by modernism have a hard time digesting this reality