COMMENT Murphy Nicholas Xavier Pakiam, the third Catholic Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur, tendered his resignation as required by church law on Dec 6 when he turned 75, the mandatory retirement age for prelates.

The usually long drawn out process of electing a successor has not been completed in Pakiam's case, which is why the alacrity with which the Vatican accepted his resignation has given rise to speculation that Rome is glad to see him go.

The Vatican posted news of its acceptance of his resignation within days of receiving Pakiam's letter although the election process for a successor has a long way to go.

If a successor has not been firmed up, Rome has been known to take its time about acceptance, in which case the incumbent will continue until news of acceptance of resignation is simultaneously announced with the name of the successor.