Alex RennAs many of you are likely already aware, Pope Benedict XVI announced that he will resign on February 28, 2013, citing deteriorating strength. Below is the full statement from Pope Benedict XVI.
I implore you to pray for Pope Benedict XVI and our future pope in this trying time, and to support each other as the media’s speculation turns, as always, to sensationalism. Study the Faith, stand up for the truth, and let us all join in prayer for the future of the Catholic Church.
Dear brothers,
I have convoked you to this consistory, not only for the three canonizations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the Church. After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry. I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering. However, in today’s world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the barque of St. Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which, in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me. For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of St. Peter, entrusted to me by the cardinals on April 19, 2005, in such a way, that as from Feb. 28, 2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of St. Peter, will be vacant and a conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have to be convoked by those whose competence it is.
Dear brothers, I thank you most sincerely for all the love and work with which you have supported me in my ministry, and I ask pardon for all my defects. And now, let us entrust the holy Church to the care of our Supreme Pastor, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and implore his holy Mother Mary, so that she may assist the cardinal fathers with her maternal solicitude in electing a new Supreme Pontiff. With regard to myself, I wish to also devotedly serve the holy Church of God in the future through a life dedicated to prayer.
From the Vatican, February 10, 2013
BENEDICTUS PP XVI
Verbum
Hello Alex,
Yes, this Lent will be marked forever as the one in which nobody will have had any difficulty in finding concrete inspiration for prayer, penitence and charity.
I have a suggestion to Logos: Why not get the chance to offer, for a limited time (say, Feb 28 – the last day of his pontificate), a significant discount (say, 50%) in the purchase of his works? I am aware that this would require negotiations with Ignatius, by I expect this is something you guys do all the time.
The two collections now offered (the published 14-volumes and the pre-order 21-volumes collections) seem to me to be the best choice for such an offer. They are being offered for some $350, which while not “expensive” from a per-volume price tag point of view, are surely “a lot of money”. I’d be willing to have them both, if a very significant discount could be offered for this combined package. After all, we all know that published e-books have zero marginal cost (the 14-volumes collection), and such an offer could boost the 21-volumes collection beyond the “gathering interested” phase.
Atila,
Thank you for your suggestion. There are additional considerations to consider, and an additional discount on a Pre-Pub would undermine the idea that buying early locks in the best price—an idea we consistently promote. However, I do think many people will be more interested in reading his works, now, and I will see what we can do to make that more affordable.
These Pre-Pubs will not receive an additional discount, so I encourage you to buy early to lock in the best price. (See what I did there?)
The Homilies, Audiences, and Other Writings of Pope Benedict XVI in English & Latin (19 vols.)
Select Works of Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI (21 vols.)
Yes I did see what you did there 🙂
The Homilies & al. I had already pre-ordered and, yes, by significantly less than the current price ($29.95).
The other collection (14 vol.), though, is already published, and many of us could use a nice discount. 🙂
Alex, don’t you need to rethink The Homilies, Audiences, and Other Writings of Pope Benedict XVI in English & Latin (19 vols.)? Surely you’re not going to ship it with 2005-2012 included and the last two months left out?
Another prepub people might be interested in is https://www.logos.com/product/22826/the-select-works-of-scott-hahn, which includes Covenant and Communion: The Biblical Theology of Pope Benedict XVI.
And perhaps we could now get a few more bids for the two CP’s on medieval popes? I would presume they tell the stories about the earlier abdications. (A good subject for Andrew to write a blog on, I would think.)
Agreed on all counts. We are in the process of adjusting already.
Thank you for the resource promotion suggestions, as well. Between you and me, Andrew is working on that post as we speak. Keep an eye out for it.
I pretty much thought so. 🙂
How do you make ‘nice looking’ links in comments here? I see you’ve done it, so it must be possible.
You have to use standard HTML tagging like < a href = "https://www.logos.com/product/22826/the-select-works-of-scott-hahn" > The Select Works of Scott Hahn < / a >. Minus all the spaces.
Standard? Standard to you perhaps. I shouldn’t have to waste hours learning something like that just to be able to post a decent looking link, nor should I have to type in something that long. It should be enough to right-click on the link, select Copy link (I presume that’s what it says in English?), and then paste it in the comment box here. Just like I do on the forums.