By nightfall those closest to Fr Georg had thrown a protective shield around
him. But many expressed their surprise at the decision.

Frau Agnes Heindl, his housekeeper of more than 20 years, said she was shocked
and thought the news to be “completely impossible” when she first
heard it.

Another priest at the diocesan house round the corner said that Fr Georg, who
is almost blind and ailing, was fatigued by a momentous day. He said: “He
is resting. Today has been a big shock.”

Like the world at large, residents of the city were also caught off guard by
the sudden announcement.

“No. This is impossible. He was loved here,” said Christine
Fleischman, 60, a housewife waiting for the bus to return home. We all wish
him well.”

Others said that after such a long career they could not begrudge the Pope the
freedom to walk away from the burden of the papacy.

“It is a modern decision that may be very surprising but it is a very
human decision,” said Michael Reisz, 49, a marketing executive. “Why
should he be trapped in his job as he gets older and sicker. It is this
quality that we remember. People here remember his wisdom as a professor and
human qualities as a priest.”

Among the younger generation in the town, there were those who took issue with
the Pope’s reputation as a rigid ideologue though. One student walking in
the town centre last night said she hoped the church would adapt more
readily to social change under the Pope’s successor.

“I don’t like his position on issues that face my generation like
abortion and using condoms,” said Katherine Mayer, 27. “I hope the
new pope is younger and provides some new inspiration to us.”

Horst Seehofer, the prime minister of Bavaria, meanwhile said the decision
would be respected but regretted by locals.

“With his charisma and his tireless work for the good of the Church, the
Pope from Bavaria has inspired people all over the world,” he said.