YAKIMA - The announcement that Pope Benedict XVI will retire from his office had a special resonance for Joseph Tyson, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Yakima.

"I feel a special connection to the Holy Father, having been among the very first bishops named just days after his election in 2005," Tyson stated Monday, a few hours after Pope Benedict announced his retirement. Benedict, 85, cited advancing age and its effect on his ability to carry out the responsibilities of his office as why he is retiring. He is the first Pope to retire since 1415.

Benedict also appointed Tyson to his position as Bishop of the Yakima Diocese. And "I had the chance to see him with my brother bishops almost a year ago when the bishops from the Pacific Northwest had their 'ad limina' visit - 'ad limina' meaning in Latin, 'to the boundary or the limit.'  Those visits are times when we personally meet the Holy Father, reviewing with him the graces and challenges in our local diocese. I was struck by the manner in which he so intently listened," Tyson wrote.

The Pope retires on Feb. 28. The group designated to elect a new Pope is the College of Cardinals, which will meet in Rome after Benedict retires. While all cardinals have a voice in the decision, only cardinals under 80 will actually vote, Tyson said. There are 117 voting cardinals, he said.

"I'm sure by Easter we'll have a new Pope," he said.

Catholics believe the decision on a new pope is not a worldly one, Tyson said. "We really believe the church is guided by the Holy Spirit," he said. But the cardinals do have some things to consider.

The Catholic Church has about 1.2 billion members, is the biggest educator in the world, has more hospitals than any other organization in the world, the world's biggest provider of "charity and care" for the indigent, Tyson said.

"We are in places where not even the UN goes." Under those circumstances it will be important for the new pope to understand the realities of a church that works all over the planet, he said.

Because it's a global church, it's good when the pope is fluent in languages, he said. And it's good when the pope is comfortable with the media and all its manifestations.

But the pope's main job is to be a pastor to all Catholics, so he must be able to fill that pastoral role, Tyson said. "Piety and prayerfulness," he said.