Pope Benedict left us a lot of thinking to do

It is no easy feat to summarize the life of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who died on Saturday at age 95. His life spanned some of the most significant events of the Catholic world.

Even Benedict’s detractors will concede (if only begrudgingly) that his was one of the great minds of our era. FILE PHOTO: Pope Francis greets Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI during a mass to create 20 new cardinals during a ceremony in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican Feb. 14, 2015. (REUTERS/Tony Gentile/File Photo) Pope Benedict ( ) In this photo provided by The White House, U.S. President Barack Obama meets with Pope Benedict XVI on July 10, 2009 in the Vatican City, Italy. (Photo by Pete Souza/The White House via Getty Images) Pope Benedict XVI at his Vatican residence in November 1985, Italy. (Gianni GIANSANTI/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)  It is difficult to sum up a life that spanned some of the most significant events of the Catholic world in the last 600 hundred years. Rev. Robert Sirico, author of The Economics of the Parables and of Defending the Free Market: The Moral Case for a Free Economy, is co-founder and president emeritus of the Acton Institute.

Admittedly, it is difficult to sum up a life that spanned some of the most significant events of the Catholic world in the last 600 hundred years; and it is sad to think that he will be remembered mostly as the only pope in that timeframe to resign the pontificate.