Arkansans understanding of Benedict XVI’s decision

LITTLE ROCK — The surprising resignation of Pope Benedict XVI was the talk of the day at Mass at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Rogers on Monday morning.

“It was really abuzz,” said parishioner Patti Brunner. “And we certainly prayed for the pope.”

Brunner, 61, said the timing of the announcement so close to Lent and Easter doesn’t worry her. Instead, she sees it as a time of renewal.

“Our whole liturgical year centers on Easter, so it’s the most important feast of the year, and it will be exciting to have Easter with a new pope,” she said.

The announcement caught Bishop Anthony B. Taylor by surprise.

“Completely,” Taylor said. “I had no idea this would be happening.”

Taylor said Benedict seemed older, but not ill, the last time he saw him during a visit to Rome in October.

“For 85, I was impressed by what he was doing,” Taylor said.

Taylor said Benedict is a brilliant theologian who sought to keep the world from straying further from the teachings of Jesus Christ.

In a statement issued by the Diocese of Little Rock, Taylor wrote that the pope “proclaimed the gospel of life eloquently and insistently and warned us of the dictatorship of relativism in which eternal truths are rejected as being just one opinion among many.”

Monsignor David LeSieur, priest at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Rogers, heard the news as his radio alarm clock went off at 4 a.m.

“I heard, ‘News out of the Vatican,’ and I said, ‘Oh, no what’s next.’”

LeSieur said he was not thrilled when Benedict was elected pope in 2005. As Cardinal Ratzinger, the new pope had been head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and had a reputation as a stern defender of the faith - so much so that he earned the nickname “God’s Rottweiler.”

“He had a reputation for being a strong watchdog regarding the true teaching of the Catholic faith, and when he was elected pope, I was not terribly excited about that,” LeSieur said, citing concerns about Benedict’s manner. “But as pope, he had a totally different demeanor. He was more pastoral and seemed to reach out to more people. I was pleasantly surprised.”

LeSieur said no one expected Benedict’s papacy to last very long, given that he was 78 when elected.

The Rev. Jerome Kodell, the abbot at Subicao Abbey, said Benedict’s resignation was a courageous act.

“[It] sets a precedent which will liberate his successors for centuries from feeling required to carry the burden of office in spite of age and failing health,” he said.

John Michael Talbot, spiritual leader of the Catholic lay community The Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage near Eureka Springs, said that while the announcement was a surprise, it wasn’t entirely unexpected.

“The pope has said ever since he was elected that this day would come,” Talbot said. “He dropped all kinds of hints for many years. What’s surprising is its historical precedence. It’s been 600 years since the last resignation.”

Most popes have been popes for life, dying while still serving the church. The last papal resignation was in 1415 when Pope Gregory XII stepped down to avoid a schism, Talbot said. By stepping down, Gregory cleared the way for the Council of Constance to elect a new pope and bring an end to the “Great Western Schism,” during which three popes were vying for control of the church.

When Benedict was elected as pope, he stepped into the shadow cast by John Paul II, who was beloved by Catholics worldwide. Talbot said it’s hard to compare the two men - one outgoing and the other more reserved.

“The world loved John Paul II because he was so charismatic, and I think Benedict is more misunderstood on a popular level because he is a scholar,” Talbot said.

Talbot has high praise for Benedict and respects his decision to retire.

“I think it’s very cool,” he said. “I think the pope is being humble. If cardinals and bishops are asked to step down at a certain age, I don’t think it’s wrong of him at all to resign because of health or age.

...It’s an exciting time. We are living history right now.”

Former Arkansas Democrat-Gazette religion editor Nancy Jeffery was in Rome for the papal election in 2005. She recalled the scene - of St. Peter’s Square filled shoulder-to-shoulder with thousands of people, all looking toward the chimney over the Sistine Chapel, waiting for the first sight of the white smoke that would signal a new pope had been chosen.

“It’s hard to imagine that many people all holding their breath, but every time smoke began to drift from the chimney the crowd grew very quiet,” she said. “The overcast sky made it hard to see if the smoke was black or white.”

When white smoke finally floated up into the air, the crowd was a little hesitant to believe it, Jeffery said.

“But the moment I’ll always remember is when we looked over at the Angelus Bell to the left of the basilica as it began to slowly sway. That was the reveal. The bell would not ring until a pope had been chosen, and when the crowd saw the movement - even before they heard the peals - the shouting, crying and hugging began.”