Pope Benedict XVI’s surprise announcement that he will be resigning on Feb. 28 has left some people baffled as the leadership of the Catholic Church will soon change hands. It’s the first time a pope has resigned in hundreds of years as usually a pope is not replaced until he dies.  Here on campus, there is a mixed bag of reactions towards the news.

“I did not know that he was resigning until now, but I think that, obviously, he’s getting a lot of bad publicity for resigning, but it’s probably a good decision for the Catholic Church as a whole,” senior Julia Belk said. “Now somebody who is more able to fill the duties of the Pope will be in that position.”

Pope Benedict stated in his resignation that his declining health prevents him from performing his papal tasks.

“I think that if his health interferes with him carrying out his duties, then it’s probably for the best,” senior Trey Casali said.

Although news outlets have been covering the story since it broke, a lot of teenagers are not keeping up with the news.

“I’ve not even heard about anyone talk about the fact that he’s resigning,” sophomore Caroline Brugge said. “Can’t someone else just take the position?”

Most students do not have a complete understanding of the resignation, but both Catholic and non, there is an understanding of a major change in the church.

“It’s different, it hasn’t happened in a long time,” senior Mykaela Rogers said. “It will be different for people, but I don’t know how it will affect them.”