(SIOUX CITY, IA) - Catholics and others around the world are wondering who will be the next pope. Pope Benedict XVI made a surprise announcement Monday morning at a meeting of Vatican Cardinals that he'll resign at the end of the month.
The Diocese of Sioux City, parishioners and a religion professor talked with Siouxland News. All were taken aback at the Pope's decision to step down, but Catholics said they're behind his decision 100 percent.
"I was half asleep and I actually checked to make sure it wasn't April Fools Day," said Tucker Lutter, a parishioner at Cathedral of the Epiphany.
"I was just kind of shocked. There wasn't any inclination that he was going to do that. You think he's going to stay there until he dies," said Charlotte Thoma, another parishioner.
That has been the tradition since St. Peter with only four exceptions. Even though a Pope hasn't resigned for nearly 600 years, it's perfectly acceptable, according to the church.
"The Pope doesn't really have to submit anything except to say at some point that he's going to resign. It's not like there's an authority beyond the Pope that he has to resign, too," said Jessica Tinklenberg DeVega, an associate professor of Religion at Morningside College.
Bishop Walker Nickless visited the Pope just a year ago. He believes the Pope's resignation is a gift to the Catholic church.
"He knows that he is an old man and he's tired and this world needs a young, energetic leader, in terms of the Roman Catholic Church, help the world understand these complex issues that we live in," said Bishop Nickless.
"On the Catholic Radio this morning, they said that there is like a rule that if you don't feel like you're not well enough to do the job, then you should quit. And that's what he did," said Thoma.
It goes without saying, Pope Benedict made an impact on the Catholic world.
"He will be missed. I mean he brought a lot to the church. He brought a lot to the liturgy and he did a lot of wonderful work."
"I'm going to remember him for his great intelligence and for the wisdom that he shared with the church," said Bishop Nickless.
Sioux city's former Bishop, Daniel DiNardo, will be among the select few to elect the new Pope. He is considered to be a long-shot candidate. Cardinal DiNardo now oversees the Houston-Galveston Diocese. The 62-year-old DiNardo is one of 188 cardinals who are just one step below the Pope.
