Free Republic

ROME, February 14, 2013 – On the evening of an unremarkable Thursday in Lent, at 8 p.m. on February 28, Joseph Ratzinger will take the step that none of his predecessors had dared to take. He will place upon the throne of Peter the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Which another will be called to take up. There is the power of a revolution in this action that has no equal even in centuries long ago. From that point on, the Church enters into unknown territory. It will have to elect a new pope while his predecessor is...

On Feb. 10, the world was shocked to hear that Pope Benedict would step down from his Papal office on Feb. 28, and become the first leader of the Catholic church to resign from office in over 500 years. However, speculation for his replacement is already under way, and the front runner to become the next Pope has strong ties to the creation of a global economic system, as well as being a prime candidate to an ancient Catholic prophecy suggesting he would help lead the world into a new order. “The front runner to be the next pope...

ROME — A day after Pope Benedict XVI stunned Roman Catholics by announcing that he would resign at the end of the month, the Vatican disclosed new details about his physical well-being on Tuesday, saying he had been fitted with a heart pacemaker a decade ago but that had not influenced his decision to become the first pope in almost 600 years to step down. The disclosure about the device, whose existence was not widely known, came as the Vatican grappled with a series of logistical questions raised by a decision that gave Benedict just 17 days to wind up...