Sounds like my kind of guy...

Benedict XVI must be exceptional. The media is describing him with terms usually reserved for W, Rumsfeld and Ashcroft.

It amazes me that people seem surprised that the Pope is, wait for it, Catholic.

I had the misfortune of reading a letter to the editor of the Hartford Currant yesterday. From a girl debating whether to continue with her confirmation because the new Pope would probably not elevate women to the priesthood or recognize homosexuality as anything but an abomination. She even went so far as to state that the inability of priests to marry was the root cause of the sexual abuse scandals within the church. (I didn't think homosexuals could marry legally anywhere, so how allowing priests to marry would reduce the homosexual abuse within the church is beyond me.) I've got some advice for her. You want wed queer female clergy? Join the Episcopalians.

Here's how to tell if Benedict XVI is doing an appropriate job. If I start returning to the Church, he's on the right track. Let's wait and see, shall we?