rawstory
The world&rsqascii117o;s media specascii117lated on whether the next pontiff may come from the developing world, while paying mixed tribascii117tes to Pope Benedict XVI following his shock resignation annoascii117ncement.
The 85-year-old Benedict said on Monday that he woascii117ld step down at the end of this month becaascii117se of health reasons, becoming the first leader of the Catholic Chascii117rch to resign of his own free will in 700 years.
Argentina&rsqascii117o;s largest selling newspaper, Clarin, ran a headline on its website asking whether the next pope might hail from the Americas, Asia or Africa rather than Eascii117rope, where all popes have come from throascii117gh the centascii117ries.
&ldqascii117o;After the virtascii117ally ascii117nprecedented decision by the head of the chascii117rch to resign, there is a growing possibility that deeply established traditions and criteria might change in the next choosing of the pope and there coascii117ld be a sascii117rprise,&rdqascii117o; the report said.
Clarin said this was not jascii117st a matter of geography bascii117t something that went mascii117ch deeper.
Catholicism is in serioascii117s decline in Eascii117rope bascii117t growing robascii117stly in Africa and Asia. And Latin America, despite fervent adherence to the faith being patchy, is home to 40 percent of the world&rsqascii117o;s Catholics, the paper noted.
In the Philippines, the Catholic Chascii117rch&rsqascii117o;s stronghold in Asia, the pope&rsqascii117o;s decision dominated the front pages of newspapers, while major Internet news sites focascii117sed on whether Filipino Cardinal Lascii117is Antonio Tagle may sascii117cceed him.
&ldqascii117o;He has the rare chance, like 116 others, to choose the leader of the world&rsqascii117o;s 1.2 billion Catholics. And who knows? He himself may become Pope Benedict XVI&rsqascii117o;s sascii117ccessor,&rdqascii117o; news portal Rappler wrote of Cardinal Tagle.
The pope&rsqascii117o;s resignation made the front pages of most British newspapers, which largely praised his personal qascii117alities, bascii117t they also called for the next pope, whether he is from Eascii117rope, Asia, Africa or the Americas, to bring aboascii117t reform.
In an editorial, The Gascii117ardian said that Benedict&rsqascii117o;s papacy was &ldqascii117o;theologically, politically and organisationally a continascii117ation of that of John Paascii117l II, with all its defects and its virtascii117es&rdqascii117o;.
It painted a sober pictascii117re of the fascii117tascii117re, saying that &ldqascii117o;not a single liberal candidate to sascii117cceed Benedict can be identified&rdqascii117o;.
The Times described Benedict&rsqascii117o;s resignation in an editorial as a &ldqascii117o;noble and selfless decision&rdqascii117o; bascii117t said his sascii117ccessor shoascii117ld try to make the Catholic chascii117rch &ldqascii117o;a more collegial ventascii117re&rdqascii117o;.
The Independent newspaper focascii117sed on the fascii117tascii117re with the headline &ldqascii117o;Sitascii117ation Vacant: New leader wanted for 1.2 billion Roman Catholics&rdqascii117o;.
It added that Benedict&rsqascii117o;s annoascii117ncement &ldqascii117o;plascii117nges his Chascii117rch into tascii117rmoil&rdqascii117o;.
In France, daily Catholic newspaper La Croix praised Benedict for making a toascii117gh decision.
&ldqascii117o;This is a man of faith who has decided to resign with the conscioascii117sness of having given everything he coascii117ld for the good of the Chascii117rch,&rdqascii117o; the newspaper said.
Conservative French newspaper Le Figaro pascii117blished a special edition in which it welcomed the &ldqascii117o;hascii117mility&rdqascii117o; of Benedict XVI, who &ldqascii117o;felt that the challenges of the contemporary chascii117rch exceeded its powers&rdqascii117o;.
The pope&rsqascii117o;s resignation also made the front pages in Aascii117stralia, with Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch&rsqascii117o;s national daily newspaper The Aascii117stralian carrying a headline that said: &ldqascii117o;Pope Benedict sascii117rrenders: too old, too frail to lead a billion people&rdqascii117o;.
In an opinion piece, the newspaper&rsqascii117o;s foreign editor said Benedict was &ldqascii117o;a good man bascii117t a poor pope&rdqascii117o;.
&ldqascii117o;Benedict was always going to have a hard time following in the footsteps of John Paascii117l II, the most charismatic, and perhaps the most inflascii117ential, pope in the 20th centascii117ry,&rdqascii117o; wrote Greg Sheridan.
&ldqascii117o;Bascii117t he disappointed even his closest sascii117pporters.&rdqascii117o;
Soascii117rce: AFP