教皇本笃十六世退位书

Dear Brothers,

亲爱的弟兄们：

I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonisations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the Church. After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry.

我在此召集你们来到这个枢机主教会议，不只为三位圣灵，也为了向你们传达一个对教会之生命至关重要的一个决定。在上帝面前反复抚心自问，我渐渐明白并确认，由于年岁已高，我已力不迭心，无法继续胜任教宗之使命。

I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering. However, in today’s world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the bark of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognise my incapacity to adequately fulfil the ministry entrusted to me.

作为一名神职人员，我非常清楚，这一职位的精神本质不仅需要通过言行来履行，祈祷与牺牲也不可或缺。然而，在当今世界，遭遇了无数的快速变化，与我们的信仰深深相关的问题撼动了我们虔诚的生命，为了能宣扬福音，身心之力缺一不可。而在过去数月，我体内之力量逐渐消退，使我不得不意识到我已无法继续履行教会赋予我的职责。

For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to me by the Cardinals on 19 April 2005, in such a way, that as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant and a Conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have to be convoked by those whose competence it is.

因此，在清楚该举动的严肃性的情况下，我完全自由地宣布，我将放弃罗马教皇之职位，由枢机们于2005年4月19日赋予我的圣彼得继承人之身份。这意味着，从2013年2月28日20：00起，罗马之守护者，圣彼得的守护者之位将空缺。新的教宗将通过足够权威的枢机主教会议来选出。

Dear Brothers, I thank you most sincerely for all the love and work with which you have supported me in my ministry and I ask pardon for all my defects. And now, let us entrust the Holy Church to the care of Our Supreme Pastor, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and implore his holy Mother Mary, so that she may assist the Cardinal Fathers with her maternal solicitude, in electing a new Supreme Pontiff. With regard to myself, I wish to also devotedly serve the Holy Church of God in the future through a life dedicated to prayer.

亲爱的弟兄们，我衷心地感谢你们对我的爱以及对我工作所付出的支持。我请求你们原谅我所有的不足之处。现在，让我们将崇高的教会交给我们至高无上的牧师，我们的主人耶稣基督来看护。同时也恳求圣母玛利亚，以她母亲般的呵护，来帮助枢机们来选出一名新的教宗。以我自己之名，我希望在未来，以余生的虔诚祈祷来效忠神圣的教会。

From the Vatican, 10 February 2013

自梵蒂冈，2013年2月10日

BENEDICTUS PP XVI

教皇本笃十六世