Pope's 1st Year Lacks An Ideological Edge(?)

Alan Cooperman of the Washington Post wrote today about Pope Benedict's "Centrist Approach" in the first year of his pontificate. Suprisingly, on the whole, Cooperman seems to at least know what the issues are and (less so) which people's opinion are worth listening to (he does of course cite the hobbyhorses of married priesthood and a couple other topics).

Anyway, I think the article is fairly representational of what the nominally clued-in reporter on the street thinks about Benedict's papacy thus far, namely, that it is suprisingly mild, thankfully un-challenging and happily uneventful.

The article ends with a quote from Fr. Fessio, who says "... on the surface it [the Encyclical Deus Caritas Est] was non-controversial -- but underneath he was laying the groundwork, the principles, for conclusions [about homosexuality and the permanance of marriage] that are controversial. I think this second year is going to be the one to look it."

Well, that sure would be nice, but may God grant him the time and energy to continue his plans.

Don't get me wrong - I think Pope Benedict's papacy has been far from uneventful; he has highlighted so-called "serene" truths that are in actuality radically challenging, and he has had the wisdom, experience and grace to make the papacy truly "his own" in a year's timespan. Remember, things have always move slow in the Vatican, and people have always felt that they move slower than they actully do. And how much of what does occur fails to even generate a whisper in the loggia?

In any case, for those of you who want my take on what the weather vane is saying, I noticed that Benedict is resting in his summer residence of Castel Gandalfo this week - and the calm always proceeds the storm, right?