8:00 because that's pretty much the end of the liturgical day, time after that is part of the eve of the next day liturgically.

I just hope the new pope will have the discernment to recognize the Neo-Cathechumenate for what it is;professing to be part of the New Evangelization but really being a parallel church within the Church inverting the message and work of the universal Church.

Ho-hum.

Catholics are "STUNED" by THIS but, unmoved/disinterested in institutionalized pedophilia??

Sick sh*t!!

Like someone said on the New York Times website, Dolan must be salivating.

This pope was largely responsible for the cover up of the abuse.

"After his promotion to cardinal, he was put in charge of the so-called 'Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith' (formerly known as the Inquisition). In 2001, Pope John Paul II placed this department in charge of the investigation of child rape and torture by Catholic priests. In May of that year, Ratzinger issued a confidential letter to every bishop. In it, he reminded them of the extreme gravity of a certain crime. But that crime was the reporting of the rape and torture. The accusations, intoned Ratzinger, were only treatable within the church's own exclusive jurisdiction. Any sharing of the evidence with legal authorities or the press was utterly forbidden. Charges were to be investigated 'in the most secretive way ... restrained by a perpetual silence ... and everyone ... is to observe the strictest secret which is commonly regarded as a secret of the Holy Office … under the penalty of excommunication.' Nobody has yet been excommunicated for the rape and torture of children, but exposing the offense could get you into serious trouble." -- http://slate.me/vNwPa1

Question: How many changes can human beings make to a religion before it ceases to be as G-d specified?

When you ask about changes in the Catholic Church, I don't expect too many changes. The changes came about during the Reformation, etc. After that, the changes were so many they evolved into Protestantism. The Vatican serves as the "keeper of the [Catholic] faith," and as such, I don't suppose it will change much at all.

The reason women don't play more of a role in the Catholic Church is that the Apostles were men. As it is the role of the Vatican to preserve the faith and practices as they were originally observed, they could not logically stray from those practices. I don't blame them. If women want to be of more service in the Catholic Church, there are roles for them.

However, once you try to introduce the designated hitter rule into the NFL, you get a whole different animal.

I think this church would be R-o-c-k-e-d to the core if they went with an African Pope. I would love to see it happen - finally.

Remember that the Pope is the Bishop of Rome and Pastor of Rome and as well the Primate of Italy so whomever is chosen has duties to the city of Rome. St. Peter's is not the cathedral seat of Rome, St John Lateran is and the duties of the Pope are between the two. We don't see that here but it's big in Italy.

VOTE CHUCK D for POPE OF THE WORLD!!!!

We have an example in New York - Cardinal Dolan is the archbishop of New York, but Cardinal Egan is the retired Archbishop of New York, and they do fine.

Walter Ellis - but there is now a precedent for resignation. Clear the scandal, look to a more "peacetime" replacement.

Will the new pope have a position on Tu Pac or Biggie?? Like Rubio??

Papacy, long 'a'. If you want to know who the next pope will be, you need to ask God, it's his Church.

I think he might be retiring because he's 85 and it's time. I don't know why anyone would challenge that. How many people commenting on this page are going to work until age 85?

Bob from Brooklyn: All the regulars on this page know that Ed from Larchmont is conservative Catholic and toes the party line, as it were. Don't waste your breath. He can have his views and we can talk around him.

It's time to take away the Church's tax-exempt status.

WOW!! I LOVE this NUT caller, Joe!!

Go, Joe!!

And the reason the Catholic church doesn't elect young Popes is that they'd be stuck with them for decades. Imagine electing a 38-year-old wunderpriest to the top job, then having to listen to him for the next 45 years!

The holy father sees what has to be done around the world, and he knows that he just doesn't have the physical strength to do it now. As he said, things are moving fast now, and time can't be lost.

@ Ed, The Catholic Church "came from Jesus Christ"? Yeah right

Elect a Papess. It's time. Benedict's own resignation letter called on Mary for guidance. Enough old, white men thinking they know what's best for the world. Elect a Papess and I will convert.

The Church is irrelevant. Catholics are rubes.

Ed from Larchmont's favorite pedophile, sex slave mafia chief retires -

WHO THE HELL CARES!?!!?

John Paul II was quite young when he became pope, about 59 I think.

Benedict didn't had the charisma to breathe enthusiasm into this dying empire and he was too dogmatic. Hopefully, a baby boomer with some fresh ideas will take over.

A small point, but it's not nearly 700 years since Gregory XII resigned, it's nearly SIX-hundred. He picked up his pink slip in 1415.

as a politician, ceo or even human rights advocate, popes seem immune from criticism.

so -- to non-catholics, what is the pope's relevance?

How rare was it for a pope to resign the last time it happened?

No - President and Mrs. Obama visited the pope in Rome for a half an hour discussion about two years ago.

@ Ed - your pope worship is creepy.

"The father of the family does not resign." Pope Paul VI, 1975.

We love the pope, a sad day, many are crying. But his physical strength has been declining, trouble walking, and as he said, the pope needs to be fit mentally and physically to address the fast-moving issues of the world today. There isn't time for delay.

A wonderful pontificate - three enyclicals (one on love, one on hope, one on faith) at least, a three part biography of Jesus, restored the Latin Mass. Set up the Anglican Ordinariate, a big success, and a template for future ordinariates. Courageously spoke the truth on the issues of the time. Traveled around the world to strengthen the church, including at World Youth days. And worked since 2001 to cleanse the church of pedophile priests, which has largely been done. He is so brilliant.

Ad multos annos!

When the most powerful person in the world resigns, it's news. And it shows that the papacy isn't about power, but about service. As Pope Benedict said at his election, 'I am just a humble servant working in the vineyard of the Lord'.

Some think the new pope might change doctrine. He can't. It isn't his church, it is the church of Jesus Christ, and the pope hands on the teaching that has been handed on to him, from the apostles, which came from Jesus Christ, and is maintained in the Church by the Holy Spirit and the Jesus himself.

He's going to die a virgin. So sad.

Would be great to have a young vital Pope in office to do all that's necessary to clear out the abuse scandal for once and for all - it's going slowly. Also someone to keep on Obama's extrajudicial killing campaign - that thing has been as unsightly for the USA as abuse has been for the church.

The BBC treated the pope's resignation in a calm and reasoned way, interviewing theologians. I think it was the 9:30am newscast when the WNYC guy announced that the pope had been "forced" to resign. NPR just said the pope "decided" to resign. Yes, Virginia, words are important.

Sometimes it seems that WNYC is the radio version of 24 hour cable news.

I heard he has Parkinson's disease. Maybe now he will change his views on stem cell therapy?

Surprised to hear Dolan was " startled" don't these guys talk? They all seem to certainly talk when it comes to cover ups. Oh well, maybe a pope who can unify the church.....clock ticking on many more defections.

Well, now you get another conservative pope. The process of re-conservatisation of the hierarchy that started with JP II. After John XXIII's--THAT "Venetian" troublemaking "liberal?" from the north--attempt at *aggiornamento* , bringing the church into the twentieth century and out of the 14th, the conservatives in the Vatican and elsewhere in the church had decided to halt the "updating" of a very old and tight-knit old boys club with power found nowhere else except maybe today in the corporations that run not only USA but the world today. At any rate, with Paul VI that didn't work he was less "liberal" than Papa Giovanni but not conservative enough! Then came JP I another "Venetian" (Patriarch of Venice he was) and that was too much for the conservatives to bear. I think I can buy into this conspiracy theory here that he was in fact murdered to avoid more trouble from the North--he uncovered the Vatican Bank scandal and was going to investigate it. Suddenly he died after barely one month plus as pope. So yes JP II has loaded the College of Cardinals with conservatives as had continued B XVI and we can expect more of the same as we've been getting since 1979, lies, denials, and baloney!

Let's get some therapy for the Catholics. They suffer from PTSD.