“Someone please tell me again why this pope had to resign?”
Maybe someday the true story will be known. For all we know, it was at gunpoint.
I don’t believe for a second Benedict stepped down on his own accord.
The conspiracy theory is that a cabal of leftists within the Vatican hierarchy plotted to get rid of Benedict because he stood firmly against their agenda. They plotted to get the current Pope to replace him because he is a radical leftist who will further their agenda.
Pretty sure this has been documented and is the conventional wisdom.