I think most namiacs like me followed story after story (after story …) of how and why Pope Francis chose his name (I have a pretty good round-up of them here; and I just came across this one: The Vision and Name of Pope Francis), but I only recently came across this treat, in which our Holy Father Emeritus explains why he chose Benedict: Pope tells why he chose the name of “Benedict XVI”. Reading it of course in hindsight, knowing the course of BXVI’s papacy, I was most struck by this bit:

“I chose to call myself Benedict XVI ideally as a link to the venerated Pontiff, Benedict XV, who guided the Church through the turbulent times of the First World War. He was a true and courageous prophet of peace who struggled strenuously and bravely …”

There’s more to his choice than that, but I thought it summed up so well how I see him. ❤