Vale

It was moving to see the coverage today of the Pope's final hours in the Vatican. It is strange to think this is probably his last public appearance, in an age where celebrities do their best to keep themselves permanently in the limelight, and when their long-announced retirement is followed by a rapid comeback, with accompanying memoir and publicity tour, and frequently a slot on a reality TV show involving a jungle and a plateful of insects. Not many celebrities retreat to a life of quiet contemplation. Maybe the world would be a better place if they did.

It is difficult to know whether his decision was the correct one. I rather think it was, though not because I particularly want to see him go. So little is said explicitly that you are tempted to read between the lines of his last few speeches, wondering to what extent his resignation was intended as a public sign of his frustration with the internal disputes at the heart of the Vatican. Or whether, on a personal level, he had simply had enough, and decided to leave the job to someone younger and fitter. I can sympathise with both views. I can imagine, in a similar position, reaching a point where I would run out of patience trying to fix everything broken I see around me, preferring instead to fade away and let others shout it out among themselves.

They say he is very fond of his books and cats. Again I can sympathise, though at the moment I'm thinking one cat is plenty.

For everything there is a season...
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
A time to keep, and a time to throw away;
A time to tear, and a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak.