In 2009 Benedict XVI visited the cathedral in l’Aquila as a follow-up on the horrid earthquake in April, which devastated not only the whole city, but also the cathedral. While there, he took his time to pray at the open glass coffin of one of his forebears, Celestine V, famous for having abdicated as Pope in 1294. At this occasion Benedict left the pallium, which he wore at his coronation, at the grave.
The event was memorable. By honouring Celestine, Benedict anticipated the events yesterday, when he followed in his footsteps and told a congregation of cardinals that he was resigning his office end of February. Hopefully his successor will abstain from incarcerating him, as is what happened to his unfortunate predecessor.
Celestine V was a most curious figure. He was born in 1215. His parents were peasants. Nevertheless, at the age of 17 he became a Benedictine monk. Eventually he was ordained a priest in Rome. His whole life was marked by a distinct love of solitude, which led him to a life in the wilderness of Monte Morone in the Abruzzi. As most hermits, rumours spread and during his active life he gathered a multitude of kindred spirits around him. Before his death there were 36 monasteries following the harsh edition of the Benedictine rule, which he had authored.
The real occasion for his fame was however, that he was elected pope in 1294 at the age of 79 when he became a pawn in the stalemate in the so-called sacred college of cardinals, who may have believed that they acquired a meek and controllable stooge. However, the less worldly parts of the church, the so-called spirituals, warmly welcomed the election. During his very short reign, Pietro di Murone, who took the name Celestino V, it is believed that the pope continued his ascetic lifestyle as well as strove to force it upon his surrounding. At the same time he granted extensive privileges to these circles in the church.
In the end, nothing more than a pawn in the complicated Italian politics at that time, he decided to abdicate, thus pawing the way for Benedict to do the same in 2013.
What happened to Celestine was pitiful. After his abdication, the new Pope Bonifacius VIII, took him into custody. At some point he managed to escape trying to hide himself in the mountainous region of the Abbruzzi. In the end he was captured at Monte Gargano and later confined in a narrow room in the tower of the Castello di Fumone near Agnani. After 9 months Celestine died there. In 1313 his remains were transferred from Ferentiono to Aquila, where he lies in a splendid glass coffin.
Whether Benedict will meet with the same fate as his predecessor is of course highly unlikely. But it remains to be seen what will be done with a resigned Pope. And not least what will be the lasting reputation.
READ MORE:
Coelestin V (1294) Peter vom Morrone: Der Engelpapst
By Peter Herde
Stuttgart 1981
Die ältesten Viten Papst Cölestins V. (Peters vom Morrone).
Ed. by Peter Herde.
In: Monumenta Germaniae Historica. Scriptores rerum Germanicarum, Nova series 23.
Hannover 2008.
ISBN 978-3-7752-0223-7
The Pope Who Quit: A True Medieval Tale of Mystery, Death, and Salvation
By Jon M. Sweeney
Image Books, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-385-53189-4