Even in the first weeks, it was clear that he was not a chilly and unbending bureaucrat, but a basically gentle man with excellent listening skills and a gift with words.
From Me:
I reject those (like George Weigel) who say that the crowds coming to St. Peter's for this pope are coming not to see him but to listen to him. As one of those who has come to St. Peter's since his election, I came not to hear him teach in Italian but to see him in person and I dare say that the mass of people that surrounded me were there for the same reason.
What I agree with Weigel on is that this Pope is very readable and I do visit the Vatican website to read all of his addresses which are like attending a great class on the Christian faith...he can communicate through the written word in a way that wasn't true for Pope John Paul II...but he also comes across great in person in a dignified way.
He has been a surprise, because a year later while John Paul the Great is still thought of in that way, Benedict is on his way to leaving what I predict will be a suprisingly great mark on the Church as well.
