The Legacy of Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

By Erick Meszaros-Jones, Global Paradigm Fellow in Germany

February 23, 2026

Pope Benedict XVI's resignation has been a bombshell of a news story across Europe, but nowhere more than in Germany.  Pope Benedict XVI was the first German pope since Pope Clement XII in 1623, and he is the first pope to resign since Pope Gregory XII in 1415. Benedict XVI was originally from Bavaria, where he served as Archbishop from 1977 to 1981. He was elected pope at age 78, the oldest pope since Benedict XIII.  Now, only 8 years into his time of service as Pope, he has declared that his advanced age has rendered him no longer able to exercise his duties as the head of the Catholic Church. Across the world, news of his sudden resignation has been received with disbelief, particularly in Germany, though several members of the Church who served with Benedict XVI in his days before pope say they are not surprised by the nature of his resignation, claiming he has always been a surprising and unpredictable member.

The German people hold a tremendous amount of pride in their native son, with Chancellor Merkel declaring that the pope had earned her "very highest respect."  Even Franz Beckenbauer, Germany's largest soccer celebrity, weighed in, acknowledging the resigning pope as the best pope in his opinion.  Native Bavarians are especially sad to see Benedict leave. The governor of Bavaria, Hurst Seehofer, declared that Bavaria and Germany have an endless amount of thanks to bestow on the leader of the Catholic Church. However, Pope Benedict XVI's impact on the church is being regarded as a mixed bag.

Many have emphasized Benedict's openness with other religions, specifically Judaism, with which he has worked to build a significantly more positive image than has been known of the Catholic Church. Benedict has also worked to bridge the divide between the Catholic Church and the religion of Islam. At the beginning of his time as pope, a controversy sprung from some of his comments about Islam, however he later worked to remedy relations through visits to the Islamic world and supportive remarks of the religion. There is still much daylight between Islam and Catholicism, and a new pope could hinder or advance the resolution of these two religious entities.

Not all of the declarations concerning Pope Benedict XVI's time as pope were positive. Several gay rights supporters, including those within Germany, have claimed that under his leadership the Catholic church has slid backward on it's endorsement of human rights, rather than forward. Benedict also allowed for the Society of St. Pius X, noted Holocaust deniers, to be let back into the Church and drew criticism from even the Merkel administration, which demanded a justification for such an action.

The biggest question of the Pope Benedict XVI's resignation is the legacy of the decision itself, as well as it's impact on his own legacy. Some have acknowledged that advanced age is a direct hindrance to the work of the pope, which means that in an age of increased life expectancy, more papal resignations can be expected, now that the established, but unwritten, taboo on the idea has been broken. There is also a question of who will be the next pope, a position which will be highly influential on how the Church meets the demands and changes of the 21st century. Though unlikely, the next pope could be willing to upend established church doctrines such as reversing the Church’s long-standing stance on gay marriage, albeit probably not as radically as some members hope. The new pope will also affect whether or not the continued reconciliation with Islam and Judaism continues, as well as whether the Church challenges other, smaller doctrinal traditions, which may lead to more gradual change. Ultimately, the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI opens up the future of the Catholic Church and how it will operate in the new century.