Although I’m not Catholic, I feel compelled to defend them against your premise that it wasn’t smart to elect someone so old. Maybe he was the right man at the time, and was able to do a lot of good until he reached a point where his health problems were too much. Benjamin Franklin did some of his best work in his seventies.
**Benjamin Franklin did some of his best work in his seventies.**
So did Pope Benedict!
Into his 80s, he was one of the prime movers in creating the greatest document ever devised by man.
Pope Benedict has done a good job, and with today's 'instant media' he has wisely decided to remove himself from a position his frail body would not allow him to participate. But I have no doubt that his intellect is just as sharp as ever and hope the next Pope accesses that intellect in his decision making as long as it is available.