For local Catholic school students, the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI is not only historically significant, but educationally and faithfully relevant.

Benedict last week shocked the world: The 85-year-old pope announced he would step down at the end of the month – the first pope to resign since 1415, when Pope Gregory XII abdicated to end a schism in the church.

The elderly Benedict admitted he no longer had the mental and physical stamina to effectively shepherd the church of more than 1 billion Catholics around the world.