Pope's resignation was not forced by health issues(CEJ 4)

By Laura Smith-Spark and Hada Messia, CNN
updated 8:20 PM EST, Tue February 12, 2013
http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/12/world/europe/pope-benedict-resignation/index.html
political

Pope Benedict XVI recently announced his resignation.  February 28TH will be

the last of his eight years as the pope of 1.2 billion roman Catholics.  Pope Benedict XVI says that his reason to resign is because his age (85) has caught up to him.  He hasn’t reported of any diseases he might have, but many are unsure of whether that is the truth.  Pope Benedict XVI’s brother told CNN that he was not asked of his opinion, but that he is not upset about his little brothers decision.  Pope Benedict will be the first pope in 600 years to resign.  Italian ireporter Martina Lunardelli say’s that she was surprised to hear the news, but that it was a good choice for Pope Benedict XVI to make.  Now the question is, who will take his place? Regardless of Pope Benedict XVI not being able to directly decide who will take his place, he has chosen 67 of 117 cardinals that will make the decision, but two cardinals will be ineligible to vote after their 80th birthdays arrive in March.   More than two thirds of the cardinals will have to agree on one individual to become the new pope.

In my opinion I think pope Benedict XVI does have some sort of disease.  Why would he want to be the first pope to resign in 600 years.  I don’t think “resign” is the right word in this situation.  To me if you’re the first one to “resign” in 600 years it’s quitting.  I’m not very educated with religion, but it seems likely that pope Benedict XVI wouldn’t want to tell the public he has a disease because if god was really with him he wouldn’t have gotten a sickness.  Perhaps people would believe he was a fake if he has a sickness.  It confuses me how if you're above the age of 80 you are ineligible to vote for the new pope.  If the pope doesn’t have an age limit it seems weird that the voters would.  I wonder how the cardinals chose who they should vote for. Do the contestants have speeches they can base their decision on?  I said before that I’m ignorant when it comes to religion, but the way I understand it is that God talks to the pope.  If so shouldn’t the pope decide who the next pope should be?  I think this system of voting and choosing of the pope is very unprofessional, so it’s interesting to think how this is how some nations were and are being ruled.