{"id":278,"date":"2013-03-16T15:57:12","date_gmt":"2013-03-16T20:57:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gregorytracy.com\/?p=278"},"modified":"2014-11-06T17:15:37","modified_gmt":"2014-11-06T22:15:37","slug":"resignation-of-pope-benedict","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/gregorytracy.com\/?p=278","title":{"rendered":"Resignation of Pope Benedict"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In February 2013 Pope Benedict XVI became the first pope to step down from office in centuries.<\/p>\n<p>I was able to accompany Cardinal O\u2019Malley on his journey to Rome to be present for the final gathering with Pope Benedict before his resignation and to begin the process of the electing his successor.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><a href=\"http:\/\/gregorytracy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/2012-02-28-gtracy_003.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"background-image: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border: 0px;\" title=\"2012-02-28-gtracy_003\" src=\"http:\/\/gregorytracy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/2012-02-28-gtracy_003_thumb.jpg\" alt=\"2012-02-28-gtracy_003\" width=\"177\" height=\"240\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/gregorytracy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/2013-03-04-cardinalmeetings_gtracy_01.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"background-image: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border: 0px;\" title=\"2013-03-04-cardinalmeetings_gtracy_01\" src=\"http:\/\/gregorytracy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/2013-03-04-cardinalmeetings_gtracy_01_thumb.jpg\" alt=\"2013-03-04-cardinalmeetings_gtracy_01\" width=\"173\" height=\"240\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/gregorytracy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/2013-03-05-gtracy_28.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"background-image: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border: 0px;\" title=\"2013-03-05-gtracy_28\" src=\"http:\/\/gregorytracy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/2013-03-05-gtracy_28_thumb.jpg\" alt=\"2013-03-05-gtracy_28\" width=\"185\" height=\"240\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>While this was certainly a significant moment for the entire Catholic Church, it certainly took on sense of greater importance once speculation began swirl that Cardinal O\u2019Malley could be the first American pope.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><a href=\"http:\/\/gregorytracy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/OMalley-Rome-Globe.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"background-image: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border: 0px;\" title=\"OMalley-Rome-Globe\" src=\"http:\/\/gregorytracy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/OMalley-Rome-Globe_thumb.jpg\" alt=\"OMalley-Rome-Globe\" width=\"289\" height=\"240\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/gregorytracy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/OMalley-Rome-Herald.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"background-image: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border: 0px;\" title=\"OMalley-Rome-Herald\" src=\"http:\/\/gregorytracy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/OMalley-Rome-Herald_thumb.jpg\" alt=\"OMalley-Rome-Herald\" width=\"201\" height=\"240\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>For ten days I chronicled events from Rome through stories, photos and videos that were posted daily as part of a special report <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thebostonpilot.com\/newsdesk.asp\">Dispatches from Rome<\/a>, undertaken as a collaboration between The Pilot and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thegoodcatholiclife.com\/2013\/02\/28\/sede-vacante\/\">The Good Catholic Life<\/a> radio program.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><a href=\"http:\/\/gregorytracy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/2012-02-28-GTracy_013.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"background-image: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px 8px 0px 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border: 0px;\" title=\"2012-02-28-GTracy_013\" src=\"http:\/\/gregorytracy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/2012-02-28-GTracy_013_thumb.jpg\" alt=\"2012-02-28-GTracy_013\" width=\"185\" height=\"240\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/gregorytracy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/2012-02-28-GTracy_011.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"background-image: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border: 0px;\" title=\"2012-02-28-GTracy_011\" src=\"http:\/\/gregorytracy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/2012-02-28-GTracy_011_thumb.jpg\" alt=\"2012-02-28-GTracy_011\" width=\"367\" height=\"240\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/gregorytracy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/2012-02-28-gtracy_015.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"background-image: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border: 0px;\" title=\"2012-02-28-gtracy_015\" src=\"http:\/\/gregorytracy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/2012-02-28-gtracy_015_thumb.jpg\" alt=\"2012-02-28-gtracy_015\" width=\"205\" height=\"240\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Being present as the helicopter lifted off from the Vatican grounds in the late afternoon and later being present in St. Peter\u2019s Square as the bells tolled that the Chair of St. Peter was now vacant was a truly historic moment to experience.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><a href=\"http:\/\/gregorytracy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/2012-02-28-GTracy_028.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"background-image: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border: 0px;\" title=\"2012-02-28-GTracy_028\" src=\"http:\/\/gregorytracy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/2012-02-28-GTracy_028_thumb.jpg\" alt=\"2012-02-28-GTracy_028\" width=\"240\" height=\"160\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/gregorytracy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/2012-02-28-GTracy_033.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"background-image: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border: 0px;\" title=\"2012-02-28-GTracy_033\" src=\"http:\/\/gregorytracy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/2012-02-28-GTracy_033_thumb.jpg\" alt=\"2012-02-28-GTracy_033\" width=\"183\" height=\"240\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/gregorytracy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/2012-02-28-GTracy_037.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"background-image: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border: 0px;\" title=\"2012-02-28-GTracy_037\" src=\"http:\/\/gregorytracy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/2012-02-28-GTracy_037_thumb.jpg\" alt=\"2012-02-28-GTracy_037\" width=\"240\" height=\"160\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In February 2013 Pope Benedict XVI became the first pope to step down from office in centuries. I was able to accompany Cardinal O\u2019Malley on his journey to Rome to be present for the final gathering with Pope Benedict before his resignation and to begin the process of the electing his successor. &nbsp; While this [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/gregorytracy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/gregorytracy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/gregorytracy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gregorytracy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gregorytracy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=278"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/gregorytracy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":405,"href":"http:\/\/gregorytracy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278\/revisions\/405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/gregorytracy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gregorytracy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=278"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gregorytracy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}