By Nate West
News Editor
On Monday, Feb. 11, Pope Benedict XVI announced he would be resigning as pope on Feb. 28, 2013, making him the first pope to do so voluntarily since Pope Celestine V in 1294.
“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,” Benedict said on Monday from the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City.
Benedict, born Joseph Ratzinger, cited his age as his reason for stepping down, according to a Feb. 12 CNN article.
Brother Kevin Kriso, O.F.M., said he agrees with the pope’s decision.
“I think it’s a good thing,” Brother Kevin said. “I think he realized that physically he wasn’t up to it anymore and emotionally he wasn’t up to it anymore, and rather than just following an old tradition, where you have to be in it until you die, he made a new tradition.”
Benedict opened up the door for future popes to resign if they feel they can no longer carry out the duties of the complicated position at the proper level, Brother Kevin said.
Josh Maxey, a junior political science major, agrees.
“I was shocked that the Pope resigned. However, I do respect his decision,” Maxey said. “Popes are human just like everyone else, and he was humble enough to step aside when he knew that he could no longer perform the great task of leading over 1 billion Catholics in the world.”
Benedict’s resignation won’t affect Bonaventure directly, but it’s still important for Bona’s students to pay attention to the papal selection process, Brother Kevin said.
“(It’s important) if only because the last time a pope was elected you were probably pretty young and you weren’t around for the guy before,” he said. “It’s good to know how it is. There’s a lot of tradition behind it. It’s interesting.”
Maxey hopes students will follow the upcoming selection process.
“I certainly do hope that students pay attention to the selection process,” he said. “Although we can’t vote as if it was an election, the best thing for us to do as a Catholic community is to pray for a pope that will inspire our generation, the generation that will soon lead the world and our Church.”
Students should be aware the selection could take some time, Brother Kevin said. There could be several votes before a real candidate comes forward, he said.
Pope Benedict XVI did a great job reaching out to younger generations, Maxey said.
“Pope Benedict, in my opinion, did an excellent job,” he said. “I would hope that the next pope would go even higher at trying to connect with our generation.”
Brother Kevin hopes the next pope can help the church recover from the controversies it’s been involved in, like the child sex abuse scandals.
“The next pope will really have to take a look at the prestige of the Church that’s been hurt so much by all of the scandals that went on,” he said. “We’re going to need somebody who can bring healing to that, and find out what kind of man is needed at the head of this thing.”
