How should history judge Pope Benedict's legacy?

When Pope Benedict XVI formally becomes an ex-pope on Thursday, he will be the first to have retired in 600 years.

It has been repeatedly pointed out, since it was announced earlier this month, how momentous this is. I disagree that it indicates change within the church or its doctrine, and the idea of someone retiring is not that unusual.

While the Pope has said he is unable to continue leading the 1.2 billion Catholics around the world, it is clear how deeply felt his faith remains, as well as the admiration of his flock.

In his final address to an enthusiastic crowd at the Vatican on Wednesday , the Pope said: “I took this step [resignation> in full awareness of its gravity and novelty but with profound serenity of spirit. I’m really moved. You keep the church alive. Right now, my soul is open to embrace the entire church and I would like to thank everybody for the help I have received.”

It is doubtful that even Benedict would argue that he was infallible. He acknowledged that the papacy had been “a heavy burden”. Critics would argue, at best, that was because he did nothing to right the churches wrongs, or worse, even propagated “evil” deeds.

But under those burdens and wrongs lies faith, a very difficult thing to challenge.

Many in the Vatican can’t separate dogma and corrupted power from the more pure concepts of faith. And for many of those watching the Pope’s final speech, what they felt was faith, not a discourse of dogma running through their heads. For those who feel faith so deeply, it lasts long beyond retirement. Does it require a younger body as a vessel though?

There’s plenty of examples in society of elder individuals being put out to pasture by their employers, abandoned by their families and ignored by society. Pope Benedict will suffer none of those ills, certainly, as the BBC pointed out .

It may be that the Pope is now freer to consider faith, its manifestation and its practice in retirement. To cease galavanting around the world is a perfectly logical decision. When the flock is so large and so diverse, it may be that the Catholic Church requires a younger shepherd. That person may have the energy of youth, in turn, but lack the wisdom afforded by age.

Whether you agreed with it or not, Pope Benedict certainly had/has wisdom. It is a wisdom based on his personal faith and conviction, and that’s important to understand. This particular individual’s faith was elevated to a position of profound power, whether through political machinations of an out-of-date organisation or by the will of a bunch of old, overwhelmingly white men.

There’s two sides of that religious coin: internal and external. The external is what is retiring; it is what we see, interact with, and disagree with. We see glimpses of the internal, but may never truly “know” it. I could never pretend to understand the faith in any person’s heart, or the convictions many feel. I can try, but it is as unique and individual as any fingerprint, however much it is curated by family, friends, religious institution or civil society.

In the King James translation of the Bible (James 2:18), it states, “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.”

I would argue the Catholic Church is now too large, too complex, to judge Pope Benedict’s faith based purely on his “works”. When the new Pope is installed next month, people will judge the “works”, the external, the dogma, the political and even the financial.

That is right, and the church will have to answer many of those criticisms and questions.

But what may be more interesting is what writings may come from the Pope emeritus, free from the external pressures to, potentially, explore the basis of his faith. It will be a more effective way for history to judge the conflict between the internal and external, and Pope Benedict’s legacy.