Summary
It has been 10 years since Pope Benedict XVI announced his shock resignation. It was the first time in almost 600 years that a pope had stepped down.
In this programme, we hear stories about the history of the papacy, including how a pope is chosen, the inception of Vatican II and what happens when a pope dies.
Contributors:
Giovanna Chirri - former Ansa journalist Catherine Pepinster - former editor of Catholic newspaper, The Tablet Cormac Murphy-O'Connor - Cardinal John Strynkowski - Monsignor Beniamino Stella - Cardinal Don Davide Tisato - former professional footballer Felice Alborghetti - journalist from the Centro Sportivo Italiano
(Photo: Benedict XVI and Pope Francis. Credit: Getty Images)
Transcript
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| 0:28.8 | Hello and welcome to the History Hour podcast from the BBC World Service with me Max Pearson, the past brought to life by those who were there. |
| 0:37.0 | This week we're marking 10 years since the shock announcement that Pope Benedict was to resign. |
| 0:42.0 | Taking that as our jumping off point, we're looking at other moments related to papal history, |
| 0:46.5 | including the sudden death in 1978 of Pope John Paul I. |
| 0:51.5 | I remember very well the day the news came of his death. |
| 0:56.4 | For me, like so many others, it seemed incredible. |
| 1:00.4 | Well look at how papal actions like Vatican 2 in 1962 have shaped the Catholic Church and choosing a Pope with someone who's been there and done that. |
| 1:11.0 | I remember looking round at the other 114 cardles and thinking to |
| 1:16.1 | myself where one of us were going out with a white Catholic officer. That's all coming up later in the |
| 1:21.5 | podcast but let's begin with the resignation of the late Pope Benedict the 16th 10 years ago, |
| 1:27.0 | news of which shocked the world. |
| 1:29.0 | Catholics represent the largest grouping within Christianity. |
| 1:32.0 | The Pope is the spiritual leader of around 1.3 billion people spread over many continents and regions. |
| 1:38.0 | So a Pope stepping down was big news. Nothing similar had happened for several centuries. |
| 1:44.0 | Matt Pintas has been speaking to the journalist whose adept language skills |
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