The Vatican Press Office made an announcement this morning that has shocked the world: the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI will resign at the end of February.

Clearly, the Church is entering waters now that are as perilous as they are unknown. Let us presume the best of our Holy Father's decision to resign, citing a lack of strength at 85 years old to carry out his papal duties.

Before commenting further, we believe further prayer and reflection are in order. This much is obvious, however--the wolves inside the Vatican and out have been circling our ageing pontiff ever since he was elected to Peter's chair. At the very beginning of his reign Benedict asked us to pray for him that he would not flee for fear of the wolves.

And now the whole world is confronted with a question that may never be answered, even by history itself: Is Pope Benedict resigning because the wolves all around him have achieved their diabolical objective, or has he found a way of circumventing their evil designs by removing himself from their gullets? We believe it to be the latter. Pope Benedict XVI will not allow the wolves to act in his name to the detriment of the Church any longer. Vatileaks alone has shown this to be more than a mere wild conspiracy theory.

What now? Pray incessantly for a younger but still tradition-minded successor who will attempt to carry on the reforms Pope Benedict was quite obviously prevented from continuing.

May God help us all, and may He bless and protect his Church under siege from the world and in near total chaos internally. We pray for Pope Benedict, and ask our merciful God to watch over and protect him now and always.