From the Editor

From the Editor Uwe Michael Lang On Monday 11 February 2013, at an Ordinary Public Consistory convoked to approve the canonization of new saints, Pope Benedict XVI announced that he would “renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter … in such a way, that as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, would be vacant and a Conclave would then be called to elect the next Pope.”1 Benedict XVI took this grave step, which has no equivalent in the last six hundred years of the Church’s long memory, when he realized that his strength of mind and body was no longer adequate to fulfill the ministry entrusted to him. It should be recognized with gratitude that the almost eight years of his pontificate were marked by a singular attention to liturgical matters. Noted for his own scholarly contributions in the field, the Pope made decisions that are of lasting significance both on a theoretical and on a practical level. The next number of Antiphon will therefore be dedicated to a discussion of the liturgical legacy of the German Pontiff. As this issue goes to press, the Cardinals have assembled in Rome to go into Conclave and elect the next Successor of Peter. 1 Benedict XVI, Declaratio (February 11, 2013): http://www.vatican. va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2013/february/documents/hf_benxvi_spe_20130211_declaratio_en .html (English text; access: 3/10/2013). Antiphon 17.1 (2013): 2 ...