The Rev. Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, said that the pope would continue to carry out his duties until Feb. 28 and that a successor could be elected by Easter, which falls on March 31. But, he added, the timing for the election of a new pope is “not an announcement, it’s a hypothesis.”
While there had been questions about Benedict’s health, the timing of his announcement sent shock waves around the world, even though he had in the past endorsed the notion that an incapacitated pope could resign.
“The pope took us by surprise,” said Father Lombardi, who explained that many cardinals were in Rome on Monday for a ceremony at the Vatican and heard the pope’s address. Italy’s prime minister, Mario Monti, said he was “very shaken by the unexpected news.”
The announcement plunged the Roman Catholic world into intense speculation about who will succeed him, and seemed likely to inspire many contrasting evaluations of a papacy that was seen as both conservative and contentious — though perhaps not so confrontational as many had feared of the man they called “God’s Rottweiler” for his tenacious defense of church doctrine.
Although this pope generated some criticism, I haven't noticed he was all that controversial. He was the typical conservative pope not unlike his predecessor John Paul II. It seemed he was more of a caretaker pope than anything else. He was probably surprised he had been in office longer than he had expected--eight years.
There is a lot of stupid speculation from nonbelievers that the pedophilia scandals had something to do with this, but I seriously doubt it. That's reading something into an action which is actually a refreshing decision for future popes to decide if they want.
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