KARACHI: Members of the Catholic community in the city expressed surprise over the news of Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation as leader of the Roman Catholic Church on Monday.

“I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry,” the 85-year-old pope said in a speech delivered in Latin at a meeting of cardinals in the Vatican, according to AFP.

Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi told reporters that a conclave to choose a successor could be held within 15 or 20 days of the resignation on Feb 28.

He is the first pontiff in almost 600 years to be stepping down.

“The announcement is a shock for the whole Church,” said Father Mario Rodrigues, Parish Priest of St Anthony’s Church. “But we think that it is a wise decision, which he must have taken after giving it a lot of thought. He is a holy, prayerful man so I believe that he has the Lord’s approval, too,” he added.

“You see, he is getting old now and if he feels he cannot continue then we have to respect his decision. He is setting a good precedent, too,” Father Rodrigues added.

Mariana Croning, a housewife, who is very active at the St Anthony’s Parish, said that she supported the decision.

“First of all no one just comes to head the Church just like that. I truly believe that he had been chosen for duty by the Holy Spirit. So the decision to step down, though shocking, too, must carry divine inspiration,” she said.

“We were just planning a visit to Rome earlier and after learning about this I told my daughter that it will be our last chance of seeing him,” she added.

Maria Soares, another frequent churchgoer, said that there were two billion Catholics all over the world and the Pope might have only decided to step down after realising that he could not lead them at this age.

“It must be taking a heavy toll on his health. He is 85 years old. At that age, we even keep our parents at home to care for them. He also needs to be cared for. And if he feels he cannot do justice to the position, we respect his decision to step down,” she said.

Meanwhile, St Joseph’s College principal Prof Dr Bernadette L. Dean said that she was pleased with the decision. “I do think he is old. If he sees he cannot do the job, it is big of him to be stepping down. I know it is not usual for a pope to be doing this so the decision is also very important,” she said. “Personally, I think Pope Benedict XVI is a bit conservative so I hope they will vote for someone more liberal this time, who is more in sync with the current times,” she added.

Finally, chairman of the Standing Committee on Minorities Affairs of the Sindh Assembly MPA Saleem Khursheed Khokhar said that it was clear that the Pope only wanted to serve the church.

“He is our leader and we respect whatever he says. But by taking this decision he has also shown that he is not in love with this position of importance as when he felt that he could not serve the Vatican, he decided to move aside to let someone more able-minded and able-bodied to take his place,” he concluded.