Pope Benedict XVI resigns.

I was as suprised as anyone to hear that Pope Benedict XVI is resigning.  The pope resigning  has not happened in about 600 years.  So, what's next for the Catholic Church?

Well, I thought about that .......... and here's what I'm thinking.  

The average age for a pope at election for the years 1700 to 2005 is 65 years.  That makes Benedict a little on the older side when elected.  He was 78.  He is probably a fill in pope.  Some one to reign for a short period until someone younger comes along.   So, I'm looking for a younger new pope who will have more time to direct the Church into the 21st century.

Benedict dedicated  his pontificate to stemming the the spread of secularism, especially in Europe, where church attendance has dwindled.  He wanted to restore Catholic traditions mostly abandoned during the modernizing changes of the Second Vatican Council.   The pope relaxed restrictions on celebrating the old Latin Mass.  Benedict was the first pope to meet with victims of clergy sex abuse.  He stopped short of disciplining cardinals and bishops who kept guilty priests in ministry or hid claims from parents and police.  Benedict's first official act as pope was a letter to Rome's Jewish community.  In his 2011 book "Jesus of Nazareth" he made a sweeping exoneration of the Jewish people for the death of Christ.

Technically to be elected pope you need to be a baptized Roman Catholic male.  That's it!   Don't get too excited though.  Only cardinals have been selected since 1378.  Among the cardinals who are considered contenders for next pope are Cardinal  Scola, archbishop of Milan; Cardinal Schoenborn,  archbishop of Vienna; Cardinal Ouellet, the Canadian head of the Vatican's office for bishops;  Cardinal Dolan, archbishop of New York; Cardinal Tagle, archbishop of Manilla; Cardinal Turkson of Ghana who heads the Vatican's office for justice and peace.    Perhaps the Cardinals will choose someone from Latin America  given the large number of Catholics in that part of the world.   The College of Cardinals  will meet within 15-20 days after Benedicts's Feb. 28th resignation.  A new  pope is expected by Easter. 

Whoever is elected pope do not look for any sweeping changes.   The truths of faith which the Church has held through the centuries will not change.  We hope for changes in traditions which the Church has established and therefore  can change.  Perhaps we will see married priests.  Maybe a broader stance on the dissolution of marriage or birth control.  Only time will tell.