Heavy is the Head that wears the Mitre

So Benedict XVI is going back to being just plain old Joseph Ratzinger.  The Bishop of Rome is resigning, which hasn't happened much and hasn't happened at all in a very long time.  I don't know why, as a protestant, I care about this, but I do.
Maybe it's because I'm a Church history geek.  Maybe it's because no matter whether we are Catholic, Orthodox or protestant, Calvinist, Anabaptist or Arminian, we are all part of the Body of Christ.  Maybe it's just because I hate to see a pastor get burnt out, no matter how big his hat is.
Benedict was filling some big shoes.  John Paul II was a beloved figure, even as a protestant, I liked him.  He preached and worked for justice in the world, and he walked the walk, he forgave a man who shot him.  Karol Wojtyla faithfully occupied the Holy See until he went to be part of the church triumphant.
It seemed to me that Ratzinger was a substantial change in direction from his predecessor.  He was known as a conservative, a rigorous theologian and defender of the faith.  Even physically he did not appear as benevolent as JPII.
It is interesting that this man, who had a reputation for being carved out of rock, is the first Pope to resign in over half a millennium.  Reading his statement, I think he's doing the right thing.  He's doing something that takes guts: walking away because you know you can't cut it.  Knowing your weaknesses is a sign of a really mature personality.  For someone with the drive and determination to climb the hierarchy and become the successor of St. Peter, walking away can't have been easy.
It seems to me that Benedict's biggest problem, other than not being cute and cuddly like JPII, was that he is a symbol of a way of being church that has long since passed and gone.  The Roman Catholic church still moves vitally in the world, but it doesn't seem to be because of the institution with it's pomp and circumstance.  Rather, it seems that the grass roots of the church are managing to go on into the future, despite the aging, gold encrusted white males that come and go as Bishops, Cardinals and Pope.
We protestants, particularly American Protestants should take heed.  We have become a little too dependent on figureheads of late, whether it is Billy Graham or Rick Warren, Jerry Falwell or Rob Bell, Christianity does not thrive well with anyone at the head other than Christ himself.
Benedict was far less of a cult of personality than his predecessor, but maybe that is a fairly good legacy to leave with.  Maybe he clears the way for the Church to recover it's mission and do something really radical, like pick a non-European or maybe even someone who isn't going to be ready for a nursing home in five years.  Big dreams, I know.
All the same best wishes and prayers go out to @pontifex, for the ministry he did with the time he was given.