Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation was but another example of the problem that the phenomenon of authority is inextricably intertwined with the phenomenon of power. Benedict was crushed by the way in which this problem is theologically, operationally and morally resolved in today’s Petrine Ministry. He was crushed because he saw clearly the inherent dissonance between the authority granted to him and the power he was structured into exercising. He well-knew this was not a mere technical issue, but an issue that directly related to faith and trust in Jesus and the salvation of self and humanity. Without making noise, he tried to communicate during his tenure as the Successor of Peter that the present resolution of this problem in the Petrine Ministry was spiritually and morally unacceptable. But, there were no listeners. So, he was ensnared in a system made to fail Jesus.
