On the surface it seems a sensible move: “When a Pope arrives at a clear awareness that he no longer has the physical, mental, or psychological capacity to carry out the task that has been entrusted to him, then he has the right, and in some cases, even the duty to resign.”
Then again there have been other rumours such as the following,
"And the internationally recognised lawyer repeated his recent characterisation of the Vatican as a "rogue state", saying countries like Australia are wasting millions of dollars in maintaining embassies there.
Mr Robertson told ABC News Breakfast the Pope must "do the honourable thing " and resign over the church's ongoing global child sex abuse scandal.
"For 30 years, as Cardinal Ratzinger, from 1981 on, he was in charge of what to do about paedophile priests and he declined on the whole to even defrock them," Mr Robertson said."
"It's been many centuries since a Pope has resigned but it would be a very dignified and honourable action.
"He is 83 after all and it would give victims worldwide - and estimates put them up to 100,000 victims - a chance to feel that something is being done, not mere words.
"We've got to see that tens of thousands of children who have been raped by priests ... as a human rights atrocity. It's gone on throughout the world. Wherever the church is, there have been abusers."
