| ROME
(Reuters) - The Vatican Thursday sought to quash speculation
by a leading Roman Catholic cardinal that Pope John Paul may retire after the end of this year.
The
Vatican issued a terse statement in response to reports
based on a newly-published book by Brussels Cardinal Godfried
Danneels who was quoted as saying he would not be surprised
if the Pope opted to retire next year.
``This
is a personal opinion of Cardinal Danneels which finds no
confirmation (in the Vatican),'' chief Vatican spokesman
Joaquin Navarro-Valls said.
Cardinal
Danneels, who is considered a possible successor to the
current Pope, is scheduled to hold a news conference about
his book Monday.
In comments
set to reignite debate over whether the 80-year-old pontiff
should retire, Danneels said it was inevitable that popes
would have to retire at a certain age.
Asked
during interviews about his book published Thursday whether
a retirement age of 75 for bishops should also apply to
pontiffs, Danneels replied:
``The
question will inevitably be posed in the same form to popes.
And it would not surprise me if the Pope were to retire
after 2000. He wanted at all cost to reach the jubilee year
2000, but I consider him capable of retiring afterwards.''
On the
inevitability of a retirement age for popes, he said: ``In
the future, I think, it will have to be like this. One won't
be able to do otherwise.''
Last
January, German bishop Karl Lehmann caused a storm when
he aired the idea that the Pope might one day retire if
he felt he could no longer do his job properly.
Popes
usually remain in their post for life. The last pope to
resign willingly was Celestine V, who stepped down in 1294.
Gregory XII reluctantly abdicated in 1415 in order to resolve
a dispute when there was more than one pope sitting at the
same time.
Speculation
that John Paul, who began the 23rd year of his pontificate
earlier this week, could become the first pontiff in centuries
to retire willingly has surfaced regularly as his health
has failed.
There
has also been speculation that he could choose to retire
as early as 2001 because he believes he was divinely entrusted
at the time of his election in 1978 to lead his church of
one billion members into the new millennium.
According
to Canon 332 of Church Law, a pope can resign but he has
to do it freely and, since he is Supreme Pontiff, no one
has to accept the resignation.
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