HIS Holiness, Pope Benedict stunned the Roman Catholic Church when he announced he would stand down – the first pope to do so in almost 700 years – saying he no longer had the mental and physical strength to carry on.

In an announcement read to cardinals in Latin, the universal language of the Church, the 85-year-old said: “Well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of St. Peter .

“As from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours (1900 GMT) the See of Rome, the See of St. Peter will be vacant and a conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have to be convoked by those whose competence it is.”

His last day as pope, February 28, coincidentally is the feast day of a revered fifth century pope, Saint Hilarius.

Reacting to the development, the United States President, Barack Obama said he had “appreciated our work together over these last four years”, with the pope.

“The Church plays a critical role in the United States and the world, and I wish the best to those who will soon gather to choose His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI’s successor,” he added.

German Chancellor, Angela Merkel believes “the Pope’s decision must be respected if he feels he is too weak to carry out his duties”.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said: “He will be missed as a spiritual leader to millions”.

Our own President Goodluck Jonathan lauded the Pope’s “exemplary wisdom and courage” for voluntarily relinquishing power.

The Archbishop of Canterbury and leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion said he had learned of the Pope’s decision with a “heavy heart but complete understanding”.

The Catholic Archbishop of Ibadan Archdiocese, Felix Alaba Job, and former President, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, CBCN, said although it is “very sad” news, the decision by the Pope to step aside was a reality the Church must contend with.

The Anglican Bishop of Enugu, Emmanuel Chukwuma “praised the courage of the Pope to step down”, as he applauded his dedication to promoting Ecumenical relations between the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church during his papacy, saying this had made it possible for followers of both faiths to relate well through the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission, ARCIC.

Just as the case of Pope Benedict, the Code of Canon Law states that a resignation must be made freely and properly manifested and that the Pope resigning must be of sound mind.

Other popes known to have resigned include Pope Celestine V, who only reluctantly accepted his election in 1294 and fled the Vatican after just three months to ‘wander in the mountains’.

The bishop who became his successor, Boniface VIII, was intent on ensuring that Celestine V did not become an example for future popes, and ordered him seized and imprisoned as he was about to sail to Greece. He eventually died in custody in 1296 at the age of 81, and was declared a saint in 1313.

The last Pope to resign was Pope Gregory XII in 1415. He stepped down to end the “Great Western Schism”, during which there were rival claims to the papacy.

Of what could be the fate of the Church after such resignations, it is widely believed that modern popes felt that resignation is unacceptable as it could encourage factions within the Church (Schism) to pressure pontiffs to step down.

Therefore, several popes in the past, including Benedict’s predecessor John Paul, have refrained from stepping down over their health, because of the division that could arise therefrom by having an “ex-Pope” and of course, a reigning Pope alive altogether.

Despite that, Pope Benedict has decided to do the ‘right thing’ by stepping down when he knew he will not be capable of effectively administering the Church.

No doubt, he will be remembered for his unblemished leadership, selfless service, frankness, tolerance, humility and large heart that endeared him to many faithful, as well as people of other faiths and religions.

At a time, he confronted his own country’s past when he visited the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz. Calling himself “a son of Germany”, he prayed and asked why God was silent when 1.5 million victims, most of them Jews, were massacred.

The pontiff, who always maintained that he never wanted to be Pope, was an uncompromising conservative on social and theological issues, fighting what he regarded as the increasing secularization of society, which theologians believe contributed immensely to the moral decadence bedeviling us today.

In a rare show of sincerity, he has repeatedly apologised for the Church’s failure to root out child abuse by some priests, but critics said he did too little as such efforts failed to stop a rapid decline in Church attendance in the West, especially in his native Europe.

On the other hand, like every mortal he battled with, the child abuse scandals hounded most of his eight-year-old papacy.

At a time, he allegedly ordered an official inquiry into abuse in Ireland, which led to the resignation of several bishops.

During a scandal over the Church’s business dealings, his butler was accused of leaking his private papers. The pontiff’s butler – responsible for dressing him and bringing him meals – was found to be the source of leaked documents alleging corruption in the Vatican’s business dealings.

Despite his firm opposition to tolerance of homosexual acts, his reign saw gay marriage accepted in many countries. He has staunchly resisted allowing women to be ordained as priests, and opposed embryonic stem cell research, although he is said to have retreated slightly from the hardline stance that condoms could never be used to fight AIDS.

The Pope was criticised to have ordered attacks by the Vatican on the American nuns who have committed their lives to working with and for the poor – not only in direct service but in advocating public policy- the Vatican has condemned them (nuns) for not doing enough in criminalizing abortion and opposing contraception.

Now that the world eagerly awaits what comes up the next few days, by virtue of the Church’s law, the conclave is expected to begin in the Sistine Chapel.

On that morning, the cardinals will celebrate the Votive Mass, “Pro Eligendo Papa” and in the afternoon, the prince of the church will begin the election process.

Mr.  KADEWALE KUPOLUYI wrote from the Federal University of Agric., Abeokuta, Ogun State.