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This Pope strikes me as more a "placeholder" than anything.

Coattail (robe-tail) election. He had a relatively high position in JPII's Vatican.

Mark wrote:This Pope strikes me as more a "placeholder" than anything.

He is. There's an old adage: after a fat Pope, a lean Pope. In other words, after a long Papal reign (and JPII's was longer than any except Pius IX and St Peter himself) the College of Cardinals tends to elect an old Pope in the mould of his predecessor, so as not to rock the boat while the church decides what direction it wants to go in next.

Interesting. I admit, I'm rather rusty on church history.

Mark wrote:Interesting. I admit, I'm rather rusty on church history.

Yeah, I haven't been a Catholic for 13 years now. I must admit, I've forgotten a lot of it. G.I.G.O., you know?

That's been my philosiphy with it, too.

Captain Seafort wrote:in the mould of his predecessor

That didn't turn out so well, huh? JPII was all about inclusion and breaking down barriers and modernizing the Church, while Bennie's first act was allowing (and advising) parishes to return to a Latin liturgy which includes expressly anti-Semitic language - in complete disregard of JP the First's efforts.