Pope Benedict XVI Resignation: Local Catholic Leaders Surprised

Pope Benedict XVI's announcement that he plans to retire at the end of the month surprised local Catholics.

The Pope, who is 85 and has had health issues, cited his advanced age as a reason he can no longer lead the world's Catholics, according to a report in the New York Times. He said he planned to retire by the end of the month.

Rev. Jon Seda of the St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church and Student Center told the Ames Tribune that he didn't see it coming.

And John McCully, a deacon at St. Cecilia Catholic Church, also told the Tribune that he was surprised.

“I remember how Pope John Paul suffered through the last years of his own pontificate,” McCully said. “I guess the surprise is that someone who had been so close to Pope John Paul would step down.”

The Pope is typically a role the person appointed keeps until death. Benedict would be the first pope to resign since 1412.