A pontiff with personality

For everyday folks, there's always a twinge of satisfaction when the experts are shown to know less than they think they do. Such seems to be the case with the papacy of Pope Benedict XVI. When the new pope was chosen, the chattering classes feared he'd be aloof, rigid, distant and doctrinaire. From all reports, however, he is proving to be just the opposite.

Last Thursday, the pope met with the Rev. Samuel Kobia, head of The World Council of Churches. Rev. Kobia was pleased to learn that the pope plans to make healing the 1,000-year-old rift with the Orthodox Church a "primary" task. The smiles, warm greetings and speeches by Pope Benedict in recent weeks have also shown him to be a man of compassion and concern — a leader with his ear to the heart of humanity. And his candid comments have been refreshing. When asked if the Catholic Church may shrink in size because of the rigorous demands on its members, he let on that such may well be the case. Then, with the winking optimism one associates with his predecessor, he said a smaller church wouldn't be all bad — that the church, even in ancient days, was always seen as "leaven" for the world, not the driving force in it.

Indeed, many pundits took their cues for their predictions of a stark, new papacy from Benedict XVI when he was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. But Cardinal Ratzinger served at the pleasure of John Paul II. If his writings seemed especially strict and strong, it's because John Paul II was strict and strong. And Cardinal Ratzinger, like most great leaders, has always known the vital importance of being obedient and true to those at the head table.

To be a successful leader, one must first learn to be a successful follower. To be a sterling shepherd, one must first understand life as a sheep. Pope Benedict XVI appears to be a wise and thoughtful man who has ingested such lessons. Certainly, there will come times when the pope and the populations of the world and even the members of the Catholic Church will stand at odds. But for now, it has been a pleasant development to learn that the man the experts were painting as tough as nails has turned out to have a side that is soft and pastoral. With luck — or God's blessing, if you will — that ability of Benedict XVI to bridge the divide between "high church" and "low church" in the Catholic faith will serve the institution — and its members — well.