Locally, the news that Pope Benedict XVI will step down at the end of February is seen as an unselfish act.

Benedict XVI, 85, announced Monday he will resign Feb. 28, citing ill health. He was elevated to pope in 2005.

“”¦ In order to govern the barque of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me,” the pontiff said, in part, in an announcement to cardinals Monday.

“This is a real test of where the Holy Father’s heart is,” said the Rev. Phil Tracy, priest at St. Thérèse of Lisieux Parish in Sanford. “He realizes the importance of putting the needs of the Church first. It is a courageous step.”

“It’s a big job for a man in his mid-80s,” said Monsignor René Mathieu of Good Shepherd Parish, which serves the Catholic community in Biddeford, Lyman, Old Orchard Beach and Saco. “I’m sure he’s made this decision after much thought and reflection.”

Both Tracy and Mathieu expressed surprise at the news.

“There was no build up” to Monday’s announcement, said Tracy, who said he first learned of the resignation on Facebook Monday morning. At first, he thought it might be a hoax, but verified the social media posting with several news sites.

Tracy said by resigning, the pope is acknowledging the church needs a leader who is physically stronger.

“This is a hopeful time for us,” said Tracy. He said he’s humbled the example Benedict is making by resigning. “(He is) setting a good tone in a time when people try to hold on to power and the past.”

“Like everybody, we’re very surprised,” said Mathieu about his own reaction and that of other local Catholics with whom he’s spoken about Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation.

Richard Malone, the apostolic administrator of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, said when he met with the pope in November 2011 at the Vatican, he seemed rather frail.

“I cherish the pectoral cross he gave to me and other bishops who met with him during our visit,” said Malone, who was made bishop of the Maine diocese in 2004. Malone was installed as bishop of Buffalo, N.Y. in 2012.

 ”One of the hallmarks of Pope Benedict XVI is his humility and pastoral concern in putting the good of the Church first in his discernment,” said Malone in a prepared statement.

While Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict’s immediate predecessor, was a great communicator, said Mathieu, one of the current pope’s greatest contributions to the church is that he is “a great teacher. He writes really interesting material.”

Another of his most significant actions, said the monsignor, is that Pope Benedict reached out to Muslim and Orthodox faiths.

Cardinals will gather at a conclave at the Vatican in March to select a new pope. The world will know a selection has been made when white smoke emanates from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel.

The Catholic pope carries a big burden, said Mathieu, not just for all the members of the church across the globe, but also in his work to create “a more just and peaceful world.”

An interesting question, the monsignor said, is, “What do you do with an ex-pope?” The last Catholic pope to resign was Gregory XII in 1415. At that time, three men were all claiming to be the head of Catholic Church and all were asked to step down.

According to Mathieu, his understanding is that when pope’s retirement takes effect, he will first move to a summer residence and then a section of the Vatican for priests and nuns who seek seclusion from the rest of the outside world.

The monsignor laughingly spoke about his one chance encounter with the pope when the pontiff was still Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.

Mathieu said he was visiting the Vatican in Rome, “I was in motion, going down the steps. I almost ran into him.”

Luckily for both, the then-cardinal moved out of the way. The cardinal then stopped to talk to the monsignor’s friend.

“I was so embarrassed, I stepped into the shadows,” said Mathieu.

A decision that is apparently still to be made is who will be chosen to succeed Malone as bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland. Announcements of such decisions are made on Tuesdays, said Tracy. A decision could come during the next two weeks or may be delayed until a new pope is named.

“I ask all Catholics in the Diocese of Portland to join me in prayer for Pope Benedict XVI, giving thanks to our Heavenly Father for the pope’s lifetime of dedicated, selfless service to the church,” concluded Malone.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, Ext. 327 or [email protected]. Staff Writer Dina Mendros may be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 324 or [email protected].