Thursday, October 1, 2026
On Feb. 11, Pope Benedict XVI announced that he would be stepping down from his position as leader of the Roman Catholic Church at the end of the month. It was the first time in centuries that a pope has stepped down from his position.
People all over the world were shocked to hear the news. Following the near 30-year term of Pope John Paul II, Benedict XVI served from 2005. The pope made his announcement after announcing the canonization of new saints during the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.
“At this time I ask all the faithful, consecrated men and women, deacons, priests and bishops of this diocese to join me in prayer for this extraordinary Pontiff,” said Bishop William Murphy of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, “a holy and wise man who with great sacrifice gave himself totally to the Church which has benefited mightily from his many human gifts of intelligence and wisdom and even more from his spiritual gifts of faith and hope and love as he taught, governed and prayed for the Church showing us always the face of God who is love.”
Many who know the pope were surprised by his sudden announcement.
“I got a call from Europe at about 4 a.m. to alert me to this. And we were all quite shocked,” said Gary Krupp, a former Rockville Centre resident and president of the Pave the Way Foundation. “Nobody really expected it. It was a very sad thing for us, because he is a friend.”
Krupp had worked with the Vatican and had visited on many occasions. During Pope Benedict XVI’s tenure, Krupp met with him 19 times. He was even knighted by the pope and his predecessor.
“There were hints about it, because we were at the Vatican about 10 times a year,” Krupp said. “And when you talk to different people, people start saying things and hint, ‘well, he’s not feeling as strong as he used to be.’ So there were hints, but just to take this position at this point was quite remarkable.”
Many local Catholics were surprised by the news, but supportive of the pope’s decision.
“The affects of his time as pope will endure long after all of us have passed, such as his efforts to help Anglicans reunite with the Catholic Church, his gestures of unity towards the Orthodox Churches and other peoples throughout the world, his work on the celebration of the Holy Mass (both in the New Translation and in the Latin Extraordinary Form), his crystal clear writings and teachings, and his efforts to address the scandalous crises that have so hurt the Church in recent years,” said Father Eric Fasano of Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Inwood. “Though we are deeply saddened to see him leave the Chair of Saint Peter, our prayers and loving gratitude should be with our Holy Father as he continues to serve God courageously.”
Fasano said that stepping down as he did — admitting he was not well enough to serve his position — took courage and honesty on the pope’s part. “Such honesty and self-awareness is rare, especially among those with earthly power,” he said.
“I admire and respect him for whatever his reason for stepping down as Pope is,” said Valley Stream resident Ann Massa-Garofalo. “He felt he could no longer carry out his responsibilities for the benefit of the Catholic Church and Catholics all over the world and we would be much better with someone healthier and stronger to oversee the church. It took a lot of strength for him to do this.”
