On Monday, Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation from the position of the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. He will officially step down on February 28. He has been the main figure of papal authority since April of 2005.
“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 recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me,” Benedict said in a video announcing his resignation featured on the CNN website.
Usually the end of a pope’s leadership is marked by their death; the resignation of a pope is rare. Benedict is the first pope in 500 years to resign. The last pope to resign was Pope Gregory XII in 1415.
“He is setting a precedent in retiring, and the reasons he gives are very valuable: it is not what he wants as much as what the Church needs. This will encourage a renewal of leadership in the future. But he is drawing a sort of line, indicating that his administration ends here and that the Holy Spirit will now call for someone else to take over,” Rev. Charles Kestermeier, S.J., said.
Benedict’s announcement to resign shocked many people, one of those being Arts & Sciences sophomore Nicole Boyle.
“I think there have been a lot of rumors and scrutinization about the Catholic Church from many people who are ignorant of the situation or who disagree with the teachings of the church, but I’m a believer that things happen for a reason and this decision was for the best interest for Pope Benedict and the entire church community,” she said.
Arts and Sciences sophomore Anna Ferguson agrees that the decision was made with the Church’s betterment in mind.
“Pope Benedict the XVI has humbly served the Church for eight years and in an act of extreme humility, has realized that he is no longer fit for the demanding role of the Papacy, for the leadership our Church needs in such perilous times, she said. “I commend his decision and recognize that it is not a decision he made on his own, but one made with God.”
A decision will be made by the cardinals of the Church who the next leader of the Church will be. According to CBS News, there are four cardinals who are rumored to be potential candidates: Cardinal Peter Turkson from Ghana, Cardinal Odilo Pedro Scherer from South America, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the current archbishop of New York, and Cardinal Angelo Scola, the archbishop of Milan.
“I would say that there is some small chance that the cardinals will elect an Italian but that there is virtually no chance at all that they will elect a native speaker of English, American or otherwise. I would look more to someone from South America or maybe Japan or the Philippines, “ Rev. Kestermeier predicts.