B16 Resigns

A couple of people at work asked me about it, even saying they were sorry.  Not sure why.  Like a lot of people, I was surprised by the news yesterday.  Kind of sad but not despondent or heartbroken.  Just a tinge of loss.  A number of the reactions have welcomed his departure while others -- particularly from my side, the orthodox -- were disheartened.  My colleague who I ride in with met him and had her marriage blessed by him in '05.  She was pretty bummed.  Ross Douthat had good points from both sides.  My only main thought was how tough it was for B16 to replace one of the greatest pontiffs there ever was, John Paul II.  Talk about big shoes.  No matter what Benedict did he would be seen within that very large shadow.

Not looking forward to the press coverage of the upcoming election, which will treat it like a US presidential contest as much as a horserace.  It's not conservatives vs. liberals vying in some type of political match; it's the Holy Spirit acting through men of God to find the Servant of the Servants of God.