'Jesus was promoted to the Cross . . . to humiliation. That was true promotion'. Pope Francis in his homily on 21 May

Real power is service.

Jesus was 'promoted' to the Cross. He was 'promoted' to humiliation. That is true promotion, that which makes us seem more like Jesus.

Pope Benedict was constantly reminding us that our faith is, above all, in Jesus Christ. Pope Francis is doing the same, with a very different way of communicating. And Pope Benedict's stepping down is an outstanding example of real power as service. Only he had the power to make the decision that he did and he made it out of a real sense of service to the Church and its mission.