{"id":2309,"date":"2013-02-14T14:47:00","date_gmt":"2013-02-14T14:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/nun-describes-simplicity-of-popes-retirement-monastery\/"},"modified":"2013-02-14T14:47:00","modified_gmt":"2013-02-14T14:47:00","slug":"nun-describes-simplicity-of-popes-retirement-monastery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2013\/02\/nun-describes-simplicity-of-popes-retirement-monastery\/","title":{"rendered":"Nun describes simplicity of Pope’s retirement monastery"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Madrid, Spain, Feb 14, 2013 \/ 07:47 am (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- One of the nuns that lived in the monastery where the Pope will retire says his choice shows his \u201cgreat simplicity\u201d because it \u201cis not a work of art or comparable with other Vatican buildings.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cHis decision to retire has surprised me, but he is very brave, although he is fragile and elderly,\u201d said the nun from the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary, who requested anonymity because of her cloistered life.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cBut this decision is proof that he has a very lucid mind,\u201d she stated, adding that \u201cour self love does not allow us to see our own limitations, contrary to what Pope Benedict has done.\u201d
\n\t\u00a0
\n\t\u201cIf I loved him before,\u201d she declared, \u201cnow I love him even more.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tThe sisters led a simple life with no staff. They spent their time praying and, for their 400th anniversary, made liturgical vestments for Pope Benedict to donate to poorer churches.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cOne week before we left he asked us: \u2018what will the Pope do without you?\u2019 and he asked us to keep praying for him,\u201d said the nun.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cHis decision has made us cry, but he has been very brave,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

\tThe monastery, called Mater Ecclesiae, is 4,300 square feet and lies just west of St. Peter\u2019s Basilica.<\/p>\n

\tIt contains a chapel, a choir room, a library, a semi-basement, a terrace and a visiting room that was added in 1993.<\/p>\n

\tWhen Pope Benedict XVI announced on Feb. 11 that he was going to resign from the papacy and live in the convent, speculation began to circulate about when he made his decision, since renovations began in Nov. 2012.<\/p>\n

\tAccording to the Spanish nun, who currently resides in a convent in Madrid, the building had not been refurbished in 18 years and needed minor repairs.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cWe had humidity in the basement, the windows needed changing, and the terrace on top needed fixing and painting because of past snow,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cBut the building is very small, so they had to wait for us to leave to begin working on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tReflecting on her experience living in the Vatican convent, the Visitation nun said she and her fellow religious felt intensely that they \u201cwere the heart of the Church.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cIt was an experience that is very hard to put into words.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tTheir mission was to pray for the Pope, for his trips, and accompany him in prayer on a daily basis.<\/p>\n

\tThe Spanish nun recalled how Pope Benedict would often thank them for their prayers and regularly checked up on their general well-being.<\/p>\n

\tHe originally wanted French nuns to live in the monastery, she explained, but due to the small number of vocations in France he decided it would be better to pick them from Spain.<\/p>\n

\tThe monastery was established in 1994 by Blessed John Paul II as a place dedicated solely to prayer for the Pope, his ministry and the cardinals. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\tThe order of the Visitation of St. Mary was picked from among many other religious groups to live in the monastery from Oct. 7, 2009 until Oct. 7, 2012.<\/p>\n

\tTheir stay was extended for 15 days and they left the monastery on Oct. 22, just after Bl. John Paul\u2019s feast day.<\/p>\n

\tThe seven sisters all came from convents in Spain, but one was from Colombia and another from Equatorial Guinea.<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Madrid, Spain, Feb 14, 2013 \/ 07:47 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- One of the nuns that lived in the monastery where the Pope will retire says his choice shows his “great simplicity” because it “is not a work of art or comparable with other Vat…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-vatican"],"yoast_head":"\nNun describes simplicity of Pope's retirement monastery<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Madrid, Spain, Feb 14, 2013 \/ 07:47 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- One of the nuns that lived in the monastery where the Pope will retire says his choice shows his “great simplicity” because it “is not a work of art or comparable with other Vat...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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