History was made recently when Pope Benedict XVI became the first pope in over 600 years to resign. In his comments after the announcement, he identified old age and declining strength as reasons for his decision. How will this unusual predicament affect the St. Teresa’s community?
Religion teachers including Mary Jo Coughlin, Matthew Bertalott and Betsy Hansbrough, took a few minutes out of class to explain the resignation of the pope and answer questions from the students. Coughlin and Bertalott are responsible for teaching Catholicism to freshman, so it only makes sense for them to incorporate information about the selection of a pope into their curriculum.
“I think it is really important to talk it over and take questions,” Coughlin said. “” It’s always important to remember that not everyone has the same level of knowledge about the process.”
President of Academic Affairs, Barbara McCormick sat in on Coughlin’s class when she had this discussion. She said that most of the students’ questions revolved around the process of what happens next and how a new pope it chosen.
“We’ll be discussing it for a few minutes each day, especially when they go into the conclave,” Hansbrough said.
Teachers plan to take more time out of class as the process moves forward so that students understand what happens in this situation.
“I think knowledge is what [St. Teresa’s] is about and any opportunity to learn more and become more knowledgeable should be acted upon,” President Nan Bone said when asked if it is important for teachers to explain the resignation of the pope.
Hansbrough and Coughlin said they see some students getting more interested in the process of choosing a new pope by these class discussions.
Mary Jo Coughlin
“All of a sudden, people all over the world are paying attention to this unusual event and wondering how does the Catholic Church choose a pope?”
An exact date has yet to be determined, but sometime this March, a group of 118 cardinals under the age of 80 will gather in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. Here the cardinals stay until a decision is made. To do that, two votes are held each morning and each afternoon and any cardinal can vote for any other cardinal. The number is narrowed down bit by bit and finally a two-thirds vote decides the pope.
Hansbrough said that for anyone in the Catholic atmosphere, this process is something they need to know about, and for anyone in general it is a significant event.
“It’s going to have a big effect on people’s lives whether they know it or not,” Hansbrough said.
