BOSTON (MA)
WGBH

By Ibby Caputo

This week, Pope Benedict XVI joins a handful of his predecessors who resigned as leader of the Catholic Church. In Boston, and around the world, the Pope’s startling decision has prompted weeks of reaction, reflection and curiosity.

There are 1.8 million Roman Catholics in the Boston area. They range from the devout to Catholic “in name only.”

I asked a few local people, “Are you Catholic?”

“Um, Kind of yes,” one young woman replied. “I was raised Catholic.”

“I do go to church on Easter, that’s about it,” a man said.

“I am a practicing Catholic,” an older woman said. “I go to church every Sunday and I’m delighted to do so to praise and thank God.”

For both the devout and the dubious, the Pope’s resignation has caused a stir, especially for Catholics here in Boston.

Because we’ve been immersed in it,…