Socialite says Pope must resign

On MSNBC this afternoon, Washington Post blogger, Sally Quinn, compared Pope Benedict to Richard Nixon and said, of the currently raging child abuse scandal, "This is the Vatican's Watergate."  "Barry Goldwater led a group of Republicans and sat down with Nixon and said, 'It's time to go.'"

One must keep in mind, however, that this is the same person who, though not a Catholic, wrote about going forward to receive communion at the funeral of Tim Russert.  She did it for Tim:

Last Wednesday at Tim's funeral mass at [Holy]Trinity Church in Georgetown (Jack Kennedy's church), communion was offered. I had only taken communion once in my life, at an evangelical church. It was soon after I had started "On Faith" and I wanted to see what it was like. Oddly I had a slightly nauseated sensation after I took it, knowing that in some way it represented the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Last Wednesday I was determined to take it for Tim, transubstantiation notwithstanding. I'm so glad I did. It made me feel closer to him.

Digby nailed it by noting that her remarks seemed "a little bit too much like a restaurant review...Tangy yet nauseating?"  So, let's just say, Ms. Quinn's insight into Catholicism seems incomplete.

The incident she refers to did happen.  Barry Goldwater did lead a delegation to Nixon to tell him that his support in the Senate had collapsed.  Nixon's resignation came shortly thereafter.  That was Washington, however, and Rome is not Washington.

Popes have resigned.  One resigned during the Great Schism in the 15th century, Gregory XII.  The other was a hermit named Celestine who was elected Pope in 1294, against his will.  Shortly thereafter, he issued a decree providing for the abdication of the Pope, and then abdicated.  John Paul 2 is known to have considered resigning due to ill health.

So, it's possible, but only under extreme circumstances.  That is not at all likely to happen.  Everything about this Pope says retrenchment, and that is his likely path, no matter what.  It should be added, however, that the current strategy--blaming the media--is not helping smooth that path.  The rough places, so far, have not been made straight.

In any case, there will be better sources for Vatican news than Sally Quinn.

Comments

[Hypatia]

The media bashing is unhelpful, but it seems to me The New York Times articles are indeed heavily slanted to make the Vatican look as bad as possible, admittedly not difficult under the circumstances. I think Benedict should hang in there, if only because any opinion offered by Quinn is likely to be wrong. Nixon he isn't.

[John Petty]

Exactly right on Quinn.