There is a lot of shock this morning, but it’s the kind of shock that comes from habitual insensitivity. That may seem like an odd accusation for the legions of pope—watching journalists and bloggers, both within and outside the Church. But all their antennae are tuned politically, to catch the slightest nuance of discord and other such backstairs mumblings.

Cardinal Ratzinger spent a great deal of time with Blessed John Paul II; they were very close friends. And even as he watched the physical deterioration of his friend, he must have had an opinion on the advisability of the Pope’s decision not to resign. And it is not difficult to imagine what that opinion might have been—because as Pope John Paul concerned himself with love for the flock he shepherded, Cardinal Ratzinger would have concerned himself even then with the administration and care of the Church he had loved and served with that powerful gift of the intellect God had bestowed on him for that purpose.

It is said that he did not hesitate to accept election. That lack of hesitation indicates that the decision announced this morning was already made even then. Some Vatican interviewee a few months ago commented on the Holy Father’s careful watch on his health, remarking that he was scrupulously careful to monitor and maintain his physical welfare. One suspects that he suspected….that this time was near. Not all of us are shocked.

Pope Benedict XVI has ever loved the Church with all his heart, mind, and strength. Everything he ever did was an expression of that love, including his resignation this morning. I know his decision is wise, and in all ways, good, though I weep now like an abandoned child.

May God bless your so well-deserved rest, Holy Father. We pray that our gratitude for your time with us will triumph over our present feeling of abandonment, for even as we weep, we trust your wisdom still.

Dena Hunt