The Pope Benedict XVI's Resignation meme stems from the historic 2013 announcement when Benedict became the first pope to step down in nearly 600 years. While the event was a major religious milestone, the internet quickly repurposed his often-stern facial expressions and the sheer shock of the news into various reaction templates. It is most commonly used to represent the feeling of being completely 'done' with a situation or to humorously announce one's exit from a stressful environment. Additionally, certain photos of Benedict have been famously compared to Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars, adding a layer of pop-culture irony to the meme's usage across social media.