Pope B16 Resigns

So…it's been 600 years since a Pope has resigned. The last pope to resign, Gregory XII, ended a "church schism" in 1415 by resigning.

The Vatican's PR department says B16 decided to resign many months ago.

Why don't I believe that?

Because, leopards don't change their spots; because megalomaniacs don't quit; because control freaks don't go gentle into the night. Because Pope Benedict XVI, aka Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger--the previous pope's "enforcer"--would never resign unless forced to do so.

What are the possibles here?

It's possible Pope Ratz has Alzheimer's which has become so severe that he cannot continue his duties.

It's possible that Pope Ratz has an incurable and fatal disease, and will be dead before Easter.

It's possible the Vatican's mafia, aka The Curia, is so fed up with their insanely malevolent and inept leader that it has issued a death threat to B16: resign or die and reminding him of the fate of Pope John Paul I in 1978.

But the real likelihood is that some information about the Roman Catholic Church is going to erupt that Ratz would not be able to handle because of his age and infirmities. Ergo, the Curia has forced B16's hand.

Lots of luck to the new guy, who, the Vatican says, will be elected by Easter. If the Curia is so powerful, and it is, that it can force Joseph Ratzinger to resign, the new guy is a sitting duck. One assumes the new Pope believes in God's mercy. He's going to need it.