surprise #1; be prepared for more

By Phil Lawler ( bio - articles - email ) | Apr 20, 2005

Let's say you're in a crowded urban area. You're at Point A, and you want to get to Point B, which is just a few hundred yards away. What do you do.

You walk, obviously.

But what do you did if you're the Vicar of Christ, Patriarch of Rome, Successor to St. Peter, and (let's not forget) target of countless terrorist threats?

You walk, obviously.

As anyone who has met him could have testified, the simplicity of the man is striking; it's unmistakable to anyone who meets him. And now the world is meeting him.

Pope Benedict will be-- already is-- has been for years-- the object of a concerted hate-campaign by the liberal media. But it's hard to whip up hatred for a likeable man, once the public gets to know him. And the public is going to get to know him.