The Saint Anselm community was blindsided when Pope Benedict XVI announced he would be resigning from the papacy as of February 28. No one has stepped down from the papacy in over 600 years, leaving many unanswered questions for Roman Catholics around the world.
Father Jonathan DeFelice, O.S.B., president of the college said, “When someone told me before breakfast, I didn’t believe it. But it is true and it is in many ways an unexpected turn of events.”
Sister Maureen Sullivan, O.P., theology professor, and Vatican scholar was also surprised.
She said, “My first reaction was total surprise. I never expected Benedict to make the decision to resign.”
Many people feel that the pope’s decision was an honorable one. It was widely reported that Pope John Paul II, Benedict XVI predecessor, suffered from serious medical issues in the last years of his life. Instead of choosing a similar path, Benedict decided to step down.
Abbot Mark Cooper, O.S.B., said, “His decision to resign, while surprising, also recognizes the demands of the papal office and the needs of the Church.”
Susan Gabert ’91, director of campus ministry, said, “The Pope has committed a very selfless act, choosing what is best for the people.”
Theology professor Ahida Pilarski, said, “I believe the Pope’s decision was an honorable one.”
She continued to say, “The pope must feel prepared to fulfill his role to the fullest capacity, mentally and physically. It [the resignation] says a lot about Pope Benedict as a leader.”
Some have already begun to question the pope’s reasoning for stepping down. Although he cited health reason, there are some people wondering if his role in the church abuse scandal that was a factor in his decision.
Sister Maureen believes it was a possible factor.
“As for the impact of the clergy sexual abuse scandal…of course I cannot say for sure if this was a factor but I would think this terrible scandal has weighed heavily on Benedict’s mind…there has been world-wide outrage over the church’s handling of this topic overall and some have even tried to lay the blame on the Vatican, e.g., claiming that the Vatican should have known what was going on – so there is the possibility that this was a factor,” she said.
Father Peter Guerin, O.S.B., theology professor, said the believes the papacy will have a link to the crimes for some time, but was unsure whether that played a factor in the pope’s decision.
He said, “The New York Times thinks that his papacy will be linked with the horrendous crimes against children that psychiatrists and doctors advising the Pope and bishops said a villainous priest was safe to return to the parish.”
This is unprecedented in modern church history, so no one is clear what role Benedict will have in the future of the church.
Sister Maureen believes the pope will live as more of a scholar than an active member of the church.
“According to everything I have heard so far, after Benedict steps down he plans to live in a monastery near the Vatican. He is a theological scholar at heart and he would probably prefer to be studying/writing about theology and will probably do so after he resigns. Some say he will be referred to the Bishop Emeritus of Rome,” she said.
Father Jonathan was unsure what role the pope may, or may not, have in the church’s future.
He said, “I think that beyond the ministry of quiet prayer for the Church, it is too early to say if there will be a more public role. This move is really unprecedented so I think that he and the new Holy Father will be breaking new ground as his role of service is played out.”
Father Jerome Day, associate professor of English, O.S.B., said, “The Benedictine monastery might actually provide a helpful model. Abbots in our communities serve for many years, then step down, and return to the ranks of the community members. Nevertheless, their title and their dignity, and especially their prayer and wisdom is available to help nurture and inspire the community.”
Since this is an unprecedented event, however, no one really knows how to proceed.
Professor Sean Perrone, history, adds, “No pope has resigned since the 15th century, so Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation is big—in some ways unprecedented in recent history. It’s a very uncommon occurrence in the church.”
Professor Silvia Shannon, history, said the last papal resignation was interpreted as a sign of weakness.
She said, “The last real resignation of a pope was that of Pope Celestine V in 1294. He was pope during a very turbulent time in Italian history and some Italians felt that he had abandoned them. While we are not sure of the real reason for his resignation, it was seen as a sign of weakness by his contemporaries.”
Sister Maureen thinks that this could influence future popes when faced with medical problems, or issues with fulfilling their leadership.
“I do think his resignation will set a precedent for popes in the future. After all, the last pope to resign was over six centuries ago…with Benedict choosing to resign, this sets up the possibility of future popes needing to consider such an option should they find that illness or some other condition prevents them from fulfilling their duties as pope,” she said.
Father Jonathan agrees retirement is a possible new option for popes.
He said, “I think that given the expectations in the 21st Century for the work of the Holy Father, his appearances, his travel, instant communication 24/7, it is likely that once someone begins to really experience declining strength from ill-health or age, Popes may realize that retirement is an option and will have the precedent of Pope Benedict XVI to point to. He has certainly done a favor in that regard to his successors.”
Looking forward to the next leader of the church, many expressed qualities they would like to see in moving forward.
Kelly Spoerl, theology professor, said, “I pray that the coming conclave will bring the Church an inspired spiritual leader who can help the Church correct the mistakes of the past, for example, the abuse scandal, and present the Gospel persuasively to the contemporary world.”
Father Peter said “A saint! A saint with the gifts of the Holy Spirit to understand our times, to have fortitude to preach the Gospel in season and out of season, and to guide the Church in praise of the God whom we worship, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.”
Sister Maureen said she would like a pope that is friendly to Vatican II.
“As for the next pope, obviously I hope it will be someone who is Vatican II friendly, someone who is linguistically capable (for the universal church), a pastoral man who understands the questions and concerns of the men and women of the 21st century,” she said.
Father Anselm Smedile, O.S.B, assistant director of campus ministry, looks forward to the election process.
“It’ll be intriguing to see how it all works out. He [the pope] usually has no role in the election, all have been dead… It’ll be interesting,” he said.
Benedict XVI’s legacy is still unknown, but many at Saint Anselm believe it will be a positive one.
Father Jonathan believes Benedict will be remembered as one of our greatest popes.
“I think he will be remembered as one of our great popes who, though his positions may not have always been widely applauded, had the intellectual and spiritual capacity to be model teacher for his flock,” he said.
Abbot Mark said that the Benedictine community especially has been honored having Benedict XVI as their pope.
“Benedictines have been honored by the Pope’s decision to adopt the name of the founder of Western monasticism, and he has demonstrated often how important are the lessons of Saint Benedict for him and for all of us: prayer, love of the liturgy, compassion for those in need, and fidelity to Christ,” said the Abbot.