On February 11, Pope Benedict XVI stepped down from one of the most powerful posts in the world. The Holy See, who is 85, said he could continue no longer due to declining health.
The pope is a wise man. He has done his best in his time and now he is moving on, allowing another more able person to take his place. Despite all the power of being pontiff and all the wealth of the church, he has said he can do no more. Pope Benedict XVI is the first pope in 600-plus years to resign his post.
Here in The Bahamas, Prime Minister Perry Christie needs to reflect on the pope’s move.
Christie has been in frontline politics since the 1970s. He had a stroke that nearly killed him during his first term in office. These are difficult times in The Bahamas will all of the killings and the unemployment problem. The PLP needs a new leader who can take it further. The country needs a man who can take it further.
The pope did the right thing. Our prime minister, who will be 70 in August, should also do the right thing and prepare to step aside. We as a country need new ideas to take us further. The PLP has several other capable people who can lead The Bahamas with more vigor, energy and creativity than an exhausted Christie. It should now be their time.
– Martha S. Greene