Can A Pope Resign His Post?

Because of the obscure and undefined nature of the rule for papal abdication there has been much speculation about documents left by previous popes to allow for their resignations under certain circumstances, particularly ones concerning incapacitation or imprisonment. With the endless politicking in Europe, it was not unusual for high Church officials to be taken hostage. In 1804 Pope Pius VII supposedly left a letter stating that if he were captured during a trip to France it should be considered that he resigned the papacy. Pope Pius XII, famous for being the Vicar of Christ during World War II, also supposedly left behind documents stating that if he were captured by the Nazis the Church should consider his post abandoned and elect a new pope.

If he does decide the best path is to leave his office, Pope Benedict XVI would not be the first pope to step down because of a scandal. In 1046 Pope Gregory VI gave up the papacy when it was revealed he paid the previous Pope, Benedict IX, to resign. During the height of the Western Schism Pope Gregory XII gave up the papacy in an attempt to settle the three-way dispute between himself, Pedro Martínez de Luna (or Pope Benedict XIII, who was elected by Avignon-based conclave) and Baldassarre Cossa (the ultimately declared Antipope John XXIII). Pope Gregory XII charged the Council of Constance to find a new pope, which they did in which they did in 1417 with the election of Pope Martin V.