Bishop Thomas Tobin speaks Monday at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. Photo by WPRO's Carolyn Cronin.
WPRO Newsroom
"I was certainly stunned by the news," Bishop Thomas Tobin of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence said Monday morning in regards to Pope Benedict XVI's resignation.
The Pope announced Monday that he would resign; his last day will be Feb. 28.
Tobin called Pope Benedict's resignation "an act of great humility."
"We're going to miss his leadership," he said.
Tobin announced that the Diocese will hold a Solemn Mass of Thanksgiving for the Ministry of Pope Benedict XVI at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul on Feb. 28 at noon.
Tobin said he had met Pope Benedict XVI two times, calling him a "wise" and "very humble" man.
The Pope cited personal health and age as the reason for his resignation. Tobin said he believes other issues, like the "burdens of office" of the Pope, also factored into his decision.
"The Pope understands that the needs of the Church are greater than his own," he said.
"There's been a number of problems," James Keating, theology professor at Providence College told WPRO Monday, adding "this has been a terrible couple of years for the Pope."
Keating said the idea of the Pope's resignation had been mentioned, but nonetheless said today's news was "unexpected" and a "very big deal."
"What I've heard from people in Rome is that almost no one was expecting this," he said. "On the whole, people who normally know things did not know this."
The last time a Pope resigned was in 1415; even Tobin said he never expected to see a papal resignation in his lifetime.
"There were hints, but nonetheless it's quite shocking," said Keating.
Keating said Catholics were becoming aware of the Pope's ill-health and failure to execute particular duties.
"I think there were people who had been getting increasingly embarrassed by…some of the problems in the curia [administration of the Church]; the idea that there wasn't really anyone with a firm hand on the wheel," said Keating.
The Papal Conclave is expected to meet to appoint a new Pope at the end of the month, though who will succeed Benedict XVI is anyone's guess.
"It's unlikely to be an Italian," said Keating, explaining that Italians are blamed for some of the problems in the Vatican administration. He also said it was "hard to imagine" they'd appoint a European Pope, and thinks the Papal Conclave will instead look to the developing world.
So could the next Pope be an American? It's "not likely" according to Keating.
"At this point the only one who knows who the next Pope will be is God, and he hasn't told us yet," said Tobin.
Tobin said a new Pope is expected to be chosen and inaugurated before Easter.
