Benedict and Francis

I’m a Pope Benedict XVI fan. I wasn’t always. In fact, I was dead set against Cardinal Ratzinger becoming Pope. However, when I started to read the writings of the man I discovered a loving, shy academic who never wanted to be Pope.

There’s a lot I love about Pope Francis too, not least of which is his connection to the Eastern Church. However, I have to admit I get really irritated when I hear Pope Benedict negatively contrasted to his successor. Pope Francis is an extrovert, Benedict is not, so it’s inevitable that their styles will be different. However, where it counts…