I would have preferred the Pope calling Vatican Council III instead of abdicating, while I might admit that abdication needed a lot of courage on his part. The effect of such an abdication on the Church remains to be seen. Since it is not in the tradition of the Church of Rome, at the moment it is anybody’s guess what type of Church will come out of all this.

The calling of Vatican III would not have shocked anybody. On the contrary it would have been received and filled the faithful and people of goodwill with hope. Spiritually and intellectually, Pope Benedict has the health and all the qualities need for such a Vatican III.

For the immediate future, my bet is that it is bound to be a rather longish consistory; that the cardinals will eventually give us the right Pope for our times – a Pope who strongly believes in collegiality as emphasised by Vatican II, and who will follow in the footsteps of Pope John XXIII, calling an ecumenical council.

I would not be surprised if the eventual elected candidate makes this clear to the cardinals before finally accepting the onus of the Petrine office.

The writing is on the wall. It is a sign of the times.