Pope Benedict’s most important legacy is Francis

It may seem counterintuitive, but the defining legacy of Pope Benedict XVI is that he gave the Church Pope Francis.

Following the death of Pope Benedict XVI, the tributes and testimonies to his life have flowed, offering different accounts of an extraordinary life of study and service to the Church.

Joseph Ratzinger, ordained a priest in 1951 and a bishop in 1977, was a prolific theologian and author. A major force in the post conciliar decades, his academic and theol…