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PA Reactions to Pope’s Impending Resignation
Elected at the age of 78 in 2005, Pope Benedict XVI was the oldest pope to be chosen in nearly 300-years. Today’s announcement from the 85-year-old pontiff will make him the first pope to resign in nearly 600-years.
Harrisburg Bishop Joseph McFadden
Diocese of Harrisburg Bishop Joseph McFadden says the news brings a mix of sadness and gratitude. Like most people, Bishop McFadden was initially surprised when he heard the news this morning, but notes that it’s not out of character for Pope Benedict. “His first and foremost love is for Jesus Christ and his Church. So, if he feels that he’s not able to carry out the responsibilities as effectively as he feels that he would need to do, I think he feels that – out of love for the Church – that he should step down,” Bishop McFadden tells reporters.
Pope Benedict made the announcement at a meeting of Vatican Cardinals, telling them he lacked the strength to fulfill his duties.
Governor Tom Corbett – a Roman Catholic himself – was shocked to hear the news this morning. “I was listening on the radio coming over here, and some people are already pushing the Cardinal of New York [to be Pope Benedict’s successor],” Corbett said on Radio PA’s Ask the Governor program. “Whether a North American Cardinal can ever become pope, who knows.”
A conclave to elect a new pope will likely be called for next month.
The announcement from the Vatican comes as the Lenten season is about to begin, and Bishop McFadden suggests the timing is good. “Lent calls us to a period of renewal… perhaps in many ways it is a blessing that during the Season of Lent the whole Church now can be focused on renewal.”
Opinions Shift on Same-Sex Marriage
Public opinion is changing when it comes to same-sex marriage in Pennsylvania. Today’s Franklin & Marshall College Poll finds that 52% of Pennsylvania voters now favor legal marriage for gay and lesbian couples, compared to 41% who oppose it.
Terry Madonna
Poll Director Terry Madonna believes this is the first poll to show majority support for the issue in PA. “Some polls gave gotten up to 47, 49, even 50% support – depending on how the question was worded – but not a majority support for gay marriage,” Madonna tells Radio PA, “heavily driven by young voters whose attitudes on gay marriage are very different from seniors who oppose gay marriage.”
Just seven years ago, in May 2006, Madonna’s poll found just 33% support for same-sex marriage in the Keystone State.
Democratic state Senator Daylin Leach (D-Montgomery) has long been pushing marriage equality legislation, and is already circulating a co-sponsorship memo this session, which would legalize same-sex marriage in Pennsylvania. However, while public opinion may be changing, Madonna believes the Republican-controlled General Assembly is still many years away from changing state law.
The F&M Poll provides a number of compelling results aside from the same-sex marriage issue. Here’s a sampling:
– Governor Tom Corbett’s job performance rating has hit a new low, as just 26% indicate that he’s doing a “good” or “excellent” job.
– 64% oppose plans to put Pennsylvania Lottery operations in the hands of a private manager.
– 82% want more money being spent on transportation infrastructure, but only 47% support the main recommendations of the TFAC report.
– 53% support privatizing state-run liquor stores.