(Director Nanni Moretti (L) and cast member Michel Piccoli pose as they arrive on the red carpet for the screening of the film “Habemus Papam” (We Have A Pope) in competition at the 64th Cannes Film Festival, May 13, 2011. REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier )
Pope Benedict’s resignation announcement on Monday shocked many in the Roman Catholic world and beyond, yet for those who know where to look, there were portents aplenty.
Take Nanni Moretti’s 2011 comedy-drama “Habemus Papam” – “We have a pope!” – in which a depressed and panic-stricken newly-elected pope escapes his Vatican minders for a few days before returning to announce, in his first address, that he doesn’t have what it takes for the job.
Benedict, 85, managed almost eight years before citing old age and deteriorating health on Monday to explain his decision to become the first pope in more than 700 years to resign willingly rather than die in office.
For a pope, he said, “both strength of mind and body are necessary”, going on to ask for “pardon for all my defects”.
