Pope Emeritus Benedict to Pope Francis: "Your goodness has struck me; it truly carries me. Your goodness is the place where I live."

"My protector"

Earlier this morning, Pope Emeritus Benedict went out of his way to praise his apparent successor Francis, on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of Benedict's ordination:  

“Eucharistomen” says a human thanks, thank you to everyone. Thank you especially, Holy Father! Your goodness, from the first moment of the election, at every moment of my life here, has struck me; it truly carries me, interiorly. More than in the Vatican Gardens with their beauty, your goodness is the place where I live: I feel protected. Thank you also for your word of thanks, for everything. And let us hope that you will be able to go forward with all of us on this way of Divine Mercy, showing the path of Jesus, toward Jesus, toward God.

Who is Benedict? Take your pick:

• The Pope Emeritus
• An ex-Pope
• The true Pope
• A co-Pope
• Half a pope, though at the same time fully Pope
• Quity Quiterson

As Frank Walker of Canon 212 and The Stumbling Block recently asked (though in this case he was referring to the status of Francis), at this point, does it really matter?  

One of the most interesting parts of that rambling Francis plane interview a few days ago, was Francis publicly bragging about people coming to Benedict to complain about him. In response (according to Francis), Benedict had "sent them packing." This raises obvious questions: Who were these people? What precisely were they complaining about? What are they up to now, after Benedict allegedly rejected their entreaties? How does Francis know what happened? And so on.

Francis once implied that his pontificate might only last "two or three years" and that like his predecessor, he might voluntarily step down. More than three years in, it seems increasingly unlikely that this will happen. Though Francis is not in the best of health, Benedict appears far weaker. It seems probable he will die first.

Regardless, if anyone ever thought that Good Pope Benedict would be triumphantly carried back to the Chair of St. Peter by some Catholic traditionalist mob after the election of Francis was thrown out on a technicality or whatever, the chances of that or anything remotely like it happening would now appear to be zero.

Unless it's all an act on Benedict's part (he's waiting for the right time to declare himself), or he's a sedated prisoner, or the true Pope is really John Paul I who didn't really die suddenly in 1978 and has actually been living all this time in a Vatican attic...

Enough.

Christ will strengthen us and has offered to save us. But in terms of earthly help, right now, we appear to be on our own. And as a good priest says to me on a regular basis, "it's going to get worse before it gets better."

Then again, look on the bright side. At least Ramadan is almost over.

[Written immediately before the Istanbul Airport terror attack that now looks to have killed 50 innocents. No doubt Francis is about to blame international finance and admonish Christians to apologize for child labor. Benedict is in his study practicing calligraphy.]