Pope’s resignation is an admirable move – Guyana’s Bishop Alleyne

By Leana Bradshaw –

Head of the Catholic diocese in Guyana, Bishop Francis Alleyne has hailed the resignation of ailing Pope Benedict XVI, saying that it is an admirable move in the best interest of the global Catholic community.

Benedict shocked the world on Monday when he announced that he was retiring.
Bishop Alleyne told Guyana Times International that he believes someone who is more physically able should be chosen to replace Benedict.
“Well, his predecessor Pope John Paul II started at the age of 58 which is considerably young and he certainly at the time, was very energetic and able. But the best combination you want is somebody with good experience and yet somebody who would have the energy and health to sustain and carry that post nobly,” he noted.
He added that the duties of the pope are demanding, since it calls for a lot of travelling and pronouncements on realities of society in relation to Catholic traditions. “For the church to give a response from the faith perspective, it is quite demanding on anyone holding that leadership post,” the bishop stated.
Pope Benedict will resign on February 28, setting the stage for a conclave to elect a new pope before the end of March, which Bishop Alleyne is confident will be an easy and quick process. The 85-year-old pope, who announced his decision in Latin during a meeting of Vatican cardinals Monday morning, has said that carrying out the post of pope requires both strength of mind and body.
He was quoted as saying: “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… I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only by words and deeds but no less with prayer and suffering.”
The Roman Catholic leader added: “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 barque of St 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 recognise my incapacity to adequately fulfil the ministry entrusted to me.”
Meanwhile, MSNBC reported on Monday that when the next Papal Conclave meets behind closed doors to replace the retiring Pope Benedict XVI, the United States will have an unprecedented voice in the process. Eleven cardinal electors, almost 10 per cent of the conclave, will be Americans – the largest share the country has ever had, even though it has historically had a large Catholic population.
Last year, he named three new American cardinals, increasing the U. S. total to 19. Only 11 will be electors because in order to vote in the papal election, the cardinals must be under 80 when the pope being replaced dies or leaves his seat.
With 11 votes, the U. S. is now the second-largest bloc, behind only Italy, which has 28 electors, according to the Holy See press office at the Vatican.
Germany is third, with six. The new pontiff is expected to be elected by the end of March, according to Vatican officials.
The archbishop of New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, explains the “mixed emotions” he feels about the news that Pope Benedict XVI will resign on February 28, saying he feels a “special bond” with the pope. When asked about the qualities necessary for the next pope, Dolan told TODAY that “a good place to start would be to look at Pope Benedict.”
He added: “There’s a learning, a savviness about the world, there’s a theological depth, there’s an unquestionably personal piety and holiness, there’s a linguistic talent, there’s a knowledge of the church universal.” When asked whether he would be allowed to vote for himself, Dolan laughed. “Crazy people cannot enter the conclave,” he joked.
Pope Benedict XVI is the first to resign in some 600 years, with the last being Pope Gregory XII IN 1415. Contenders to be his successor include Cardinal Angelo Scola, archbishop of Milan, Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, the archbishop of Vienna, and Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the Canadian head of the Vatican’s office for bishops.