Knowing when to step down

In "L’Osservatore Romano", the deputy director of Vatican media, Alessandro Gisotti, writes on Joe Biden and the value of saying farewell. The decision by the American president recalls the decision made by Nelson Mandela in 1999 when he chose not to run for a second term as South Africa’s president.

Stepping back has a cost – a great cost. You don’t necessarily have to hold a position of power or a high-profile office. Sometimes even giving up our established work habits or a hard-won position can be very difficult. That is why whenever a prominent public figure chooses to step back, to take a leave of absence, he or she immediately captures public sympathy and esteem. We experienced this in a striking way on February 11, 2013, with Benedict XVI’s historic renunciation of the Petrine ministry. We grasp it - albeit in a different sphere - just as evidently in these last 24 hours after U.S. President Joe Biden announced that he will give up his run for a second term in the White House, leaving it to his party to choose a new candidate to challenge Donald Trump (Biden has, however, already indicated Vice President Kamala Harris as his preference to succeed him in the Oval Office).

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