Pope Benedict XVI

About Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI (born Joseph Ratzinger) was a pivotal religious figure who served as the 265th Pope from 2005 until his historic resignation in 2013. His scholarly background as a respected theologian and his role as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith cemented his influence, leading to his high ranking at #30 by the MIT Pantheon project for global cultural impact across history. His tenure was marked by efforts to address internal church issues and to engage with the modern secular world through encyclicals and other writings.

Despite this substantial historical importance, Benedict XVI's current online attention suggests a significant gap. In 2025, he accrued 5.9 million annualized Wikipedia views. To put this in context, Pope Leo XIV, ranked #127, received 18.7 million views, indicating a substantial overattention—a factor of 7x relative to historical importance—for the contemporary pontiff compared to a less historically ranked predecessor.

Furthermore, while his overall view count is high, the year-over-year change shows a massive +270.3% surge in views, likely related to events in 2024 or early 2025, juxtaposed against a sharp -80% drop in momentum from Q1 to Q3 of 2025, suggesting that while his passing generated a significant spike, sustained modern interest is quickly waning compared to his historical standing.