POPE-POURRI: 'Light' news items, anecdotes about Pope Benedict now

*GASP!!!!!!!!!!!!*

[Modificato da PhoenixRising 23/09/2006 15.38]

Clare the pictures in those articles are... amazing! Imagine a time when Georg was more well know... well with his music and the choir, yes. But look who is shining now!!!

The following was posted by Palma as a new thread, so I have transferred it here, where we also post items about Georg Ratzinger, as well as other persons who have a personal relationship to the Pope, and of course, his close associates.

Palma, I hope you don't mind. The English section is, in effect, only a thread in the entire forum, so we cannot have too many sub-threads. Therefore, we have tried to group our posts under specific topics which are self-explanatory, and try not to open any new sub-threads unless there is a consensus or an urgent need. For instance, we did not see fit to open a sub-thread just on Regensburg and its aftermath because in the way of things, this will turn out to be a nine-day wonder, and the Pope is very much at the center of it all, anyway, so any new development is always bound to be NEWS ABOUT BENEDICT.

I will also transfer your 'good morning' greeting to The "Hurray! I logged in" sub-thread, OK? Once I have effected the transfer, the 'new' sub-thread will be eliminated.
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Posted on:
01/10/2006 10.02
=Palma=
Post: 3
Registrato il: 25/07/2006
Membro Junior

I posted this in www.ratzingerfanclub.com too

These are biographical aspects gleaned by Panorama during a meeting in Munich with journalist Peter Seewald, co-author of two famous interview-books with the present Pope: (Salt of the Earth, 1996, and God and the World, 2000). Seewald continued to research on the Pope’s past, speaking to his old friends and ex-students, gaining the confidence of his brother Georg, and has come out with a new biography of the Pope, “Benedict XVI: A Close-up Portait.”

The two women who played a key role in Joseph Ratzinger’s life were, of course, his mother and his sister, both named Maria. His mother, a deeply religious woman, helped the little Joseph discover and appreciate the beauty of liturgy. His sister left everything to follow him, first through his various posts in Germany’s leading universities, then to Munich, and finally to Rome, where she kept house for him until she died in 1991.

“With her death, Ratzinger lost an irreplaceable point of reference. She was the person who had never left him. And who, through her love and simplicity, always knew how to help him keep his feet firmly on the ground,” Seewald says.


And also I will post some fragment from different memory, some people who worked whit him.
.

The years of teaching in Bonn and Münster by Gianni Valente
…
He would read the lectures in the kitchen to his sister Maria, who was an intelligent person but hadn’t studied theology. And if the sister showed she liked them, it was the sign for him that the lectures were all right». Ninety-two year old Professor Alfred Läpple, who was Ratzinger’s prefect of studies at the seminary in Freising, adds: «Joseph always said: when you’re lecturing, the great thing is when the students put down their pens and listen to you.
…

The years of teaching in Tuebingen

Once again, from Ratzigirl's forum, an Italian newspaper published an interview given by Kueng after his ex-colleague had become pope. It is quite interesting... Here's a translation:
…

In Tuebingen, their relationhip became a little bit more personal , and they would hold joint meetings with the students.
"Even if we never really had a true personal friendship, we saw each other quite often, after classes, over a drink. Or we would dine in each other's house. He lived with his sister Maria, an exquisite lady who was always very kind. But she was very protective of him. For example, she would put a tablecloth over the books on his desk, so that visitors would not see what he was working on."

Was Joseph Ratzinger distrustful of others?
"I think it was his sister who was. Ratzinger was always very courteous, but in a discreet and reserved manner."
…


I think in Tuebingen his sister Maria have opened his eyes, at his dangerous friendship with Kueng.



From another article about Ingrid Stampa;
….
While Ingrid Stampa has served as Ratzinger’s domestic–a role which she took up on the death of his sister and trusted counsel Maria.
…

From his memory from Milestones (1998) :
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… my sister who was occupied at this time as a secretary in a solicitor's office procured in her spare time in exemplary way the pure writing of the manuscript which could be delivered so just within the put appointment.
…

From a TV interview :
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The conversation turns again and again to the Pope’s sister: Maria Ratzinger. That woman “was highly intelligent,” says Wolfgang Beinert, who has known Joseph Ratzinger for a long time. He was his university assistant and later successor as professor. The sister promised her parents to take care of the brothers. So she managed Joseph’s office at the university during his time as professor and also kept house. The sister was also a clever advisor, tells Beinert and she shared Joseph’s love for cats. …

From another article:
In the Regensburger suburb of Pentling theology professor Joseph Ratzinger let after his change of Tübingen in the Danube city in 1969 build a small house in which he lived from 1970 with his sister and secretary Maria.
…
Sister regulated finances
The picture, 30 times 40 centimetres, originated with oil tempera on wooden chalk reason. Well the artist still remembers the payment of the picture: " From Rome came a letter in which cardinal Ratzinger apologised for the non-appearance of the payment. His sister Maria who does the financial things for him is on vacation. One week later the sister was there again - and the cheque in the mailbox.

…
When Joseph Ratzinger began his career as a university teacher, his sister Maria gave up her occupation as a secretary in a solicitor's office to lead the household to her brother. She accompanied him to Bonn, Münster, Tübingen and Regensburg. Also when Ratzinger became an archbishop in Munich and in Rome prefect of the religious congregation, she was on his side. …
From another article:
… When her sister Maria still lived, she also belonged to this unusual circle which had completely made a mistake to the church: two brothers as a priest, Maria late in 1991 as a household and important help to Joseph Ratzinger. Georg does not see himself in the classical role of the older brother. " I cannot be a counsellor to him, he knows even more than me. "
....
In 1991, Cardinal Ratzinger lost one of his main companions: his sister, Maria, an intellectually accomplished and strong-minded woman who had devoted much of her life to caring for him, died fairly suddenly, acquaintances said.
…


So for Joseph his sister was not just a household and she never was. She was a very import and trusted person to him, whit who he could work . Probable he always told everything to his dear sister otherwise they ( Joseph and Maria ) can’t never were so close and probable they always spoke to each other before make any decision.

So his sister Maria never left him, she was always with him .
I think she was a more important than his brother Georg to Joseph, but that is life you always lose what is mort precious, important to you, that is from my experience.

[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 12/10/2006 5.33]

CASTEL GANDOLFO - Benedict XVI is an ideal passenger: "He is precise, he is always on time, he is never demanding, he is humble, and he does not get airsick."

So says Col. Antonio Berardo, crew chief of the 31st Squadron of the Italian air force, who is in charge of the Pope's helicopter trips.

Before leaving Castel Gandolfo where he spent most of the summer, the Pope yesterday met with the civic and religious officails of Castel Gandolfo, members of the various security forces that helped with security and crowd control during his stay in Castel Gandolfo, and others who provide support services when the Pope is in residence here.

Among those he thanked were "the officials and aviators of the 31st Squadron who have kindly assured my movements by helicopter."

He told everyone "To each and everyone goes my sincere thanks and my assurance that I will always remember you in my prayers, dear friends, for yourselves, your families and others dear to you."

Berardo has been a papal pilot for more than 20 years, starting with John Paul II. Besides the Popes, he has also flown Mitterand of France, the late Arafat, and the King and Queen of Belgium.

That's because the helicopter he flies is assigned to the Prime Minister's office to transport guests of state as well as Italian VIPs on official government business.

What kind of passenger is the Pope?
He has exemplary precision - he is always on time according to the schedule of departure or arrival. During the trip, he is calm and does not have any fears. But what is most surprising is his humility and simplicity.

How would you compare the two Popes as passengers?
They are both exceptional personalities, but in different ways. Benedict comes across as a very humble man, easy-going, always on schedule, very methodical. John Paul II was less predictable. I remember once he wanted to see a solar eclipse, and as soon as we had landed in Castel Gandolfo, he asked us to stay and watch it with him. He liked to improvise."

Just out of curiosity, what's the helicopter like?
It has two cabins, a small restroom,and a kitchenette. But the Pope does not usually take a meal, usually coffee or a cold drink. Those who always travel with him are Don Georg, his personal secretary; Mons. Harvey, who is prefect of the pontifical household; Dr. Renato Buzzonetti and phohographer Arturo Mari.

[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 05/10/2006 15.10]

Pontiff Bids Farewell to Castel Gandolfo

Will Return to Rome This Week

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, OCT. 1, 2006 (Zenit.org).- After his two month stay at the papal summer residence of Castel Gandolfo, Benedict XVI will return to the Vatican early this week.

"Next Sunday we will see one another in Rome!" said the Holy Father spontaneously to the crowds gathered today to pray the Angelus in the courtyard of the palace.

"Today is the last Sunday of my summer stay in Castel Gandolfo. To the bishop of Albano, to the mayor, to the parish priests and to you all, dear residents of this beautiful city, I renew my affectionate greeting with a cordial 'au revoir,'" said the Pope amid loud applause.

On Saturday Benedict XVI received in audience Bishop Marcello Semeraro of Albano and more than 100 others of the local community.

"I wish to thank cordially all those who in different ways contributed to make my stay beneficial and serene," said the Pope during the audience, as reported by the Vatican press office.

The Pontiff said to the local religious and lay communities that over "these months I have felt your spiritual closeness and I give you my heartfelt thanks, hoping that all will correspond with renewed generosity to God's call, using their energies at the service of the Gospel."

The Holy Father also mentioned the "courtesy and hospitality" of the residents of Castel Gandolfo to his person and to "the numerous pilgrims and visitors who come to visit the Pope, especially for the Sunday Angelus meeting."

Benedict said: "My most sincere thanks to each and every one, which I confirm assuring you of a constant remembrance in prayer," "dear friends, for your families and loved ones."

And upon each one the Holy Father invoked the maternal protection of the Virgin Mary, and imparted his apostolic blessing.

Castel Gandolfo is located some 30 kilometers (18 miles) from Rome.

Next Wednesday he will hold the general audience in St. Peter's Square.

Pope meets delegation from Aschau am Inn, recalls childhood memories

By Carol Glatz
Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI relived some of his most precious childhood memories, such as his first Communion, bike rides with his mother, and helping neighbors herd cows, when a delegation from Aschau am Inn, Germany, made the pope an honorary citizen.

The pope held a private audience Oct. 4 in a meeting room inside the Vatican's Paul VI hall with a delegation of nearly 40 residents of the small Bavarian town east of Munich, where the pontiff spent his elementary school years.

The Ratzinger family moved to Aschau am Inn in 1932, when the pope was 5 years old, and stayed there until the pope's father retired in 1937.

Pope Benedict told the delegation, which included the town's mayor and some of the pope's former classmates and friends, that he was greatly honored to receive the special recognition from a town he still considers home.

Speaking off the cuff in German, the pope said some of his most important and beautiful memories are set in Aschau. He spoke of how his family and the town celebrated Christmas and Easter.

"I think of Christmas in the room with the bay window, where the Christmas tree stood, and then going to church through the light snowfall," he said.

It was while all the lights in the church were blazing as the congregation sang "Silent Night" that "we knew the Lord was truly born and that it was good to be alive," he said.

The pope said that of all the towns in which he has lived none compared to Aschau in having given him a sense of experiencing Christ's resurrection.

At the time, the church there began Easter celebrations "the old-fashioned way," he said, with heavy black cloths draped over all the windows so the church was "totally in the dark."

The priest would loudly sing "Christus resurrexit" ("Christ is risen") and "suddenly the black drapes fell to the ground and the light flooded the church and we knew ... that Christ is risen," the pope said.

Pope Benedict said by making his first confession and receiving his first Communion in Aschau he was introduced into the world, the faith and the life of the church.

He recalled the many friendships he made at school and admitted that students' joking around "sometimes got the teacher angry, but I think all in all we weren't that bad."

"In Aschau I experienced the beauty of creation," he said, detailing the many hills and mountains he and his mother hiked or biked and the many animals his neighbors kept.

"I even herded cows," said the pope, adding with a chuckle that even though he didn't think he had ever been much help "it brought me closer to nature, and it was important for me to have had this first experience with God's creatures and to bond with animals."

It was in Aschau, he said, that "we made our first friendships with dogs and cats."

Pope to visit, open academic year at Lateran University

Oct. 04 (CWNews.com) - Pope Benedict XVI will visit the Lateran University on October 21, for the opening of the academic year there, university officials have revealed.

The Pope will preside at ceremonies opening sections of the Lateran that have been expanded and extensively remodeled. He will be on hand to bless a new library named for Blessed Pius IX, a lecture hall dedicated to Pope John Paul II (bio - news), and an auditorium that bears his own name.

Pope Benedict has already visited the basilica of St. John Lateran on several occasions since his election. He "took possession" of the basilica, which is Rome's cathedral church, on May 7, 2005. He also celebrated Mass there on Holy Thursday, opened a diocesan conference on June 5, and presided at Corpus Christi ceremonies at the basilica on June 15. However, this will be the Pope's first visit to the pontifical university attached to the Lateran basilica.

The Holy Father will travel across Rome on Saturday morning, to be greeted at the Lateran University by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the grand chancellor, and Bishop Rino Fisichella, the rector.

Traunstein: Pope Benedict's Real Hometown

By Ann M. Augherton
ARLINGTON CATHOLIC HERALD Managing Editor
(From the Issue of 10/5/06)

If you look at a map of Bavaria and chart Pope Benedict XVI’s life, you’ll find several places where he lived but only one place he calls his “hometown” — Traunstein.

Though Joseph Ratzinger was born in Markt am Inn in 1927, his police investigator father and mother moved often. In 1933, they bought an old farmhouse just outside Traunstein.

Six years later, Joseph was sent to the local boarding school, called St. Michael’s Archiespiscopal Seminary. His older brother, Georg, had been there for four years. They attended the nearby school, called Traunstein Gymnasium.

St. Michael’s Seminary Director Father Markus Moderegger gave a glimpse of what life was like for the future pope.

He said Joseph didn’t think he was suited to life in the seminary. “He missed his family and the farmhouse, which he called a paradise. He wasn’t used to living with a lot of boys, but he did make new friendships and learned something important while living here,” he said. “He learned to accept others and their otherness.”

He said the future pope gradually liked it, “except for sports, which was torture for him. He received his lowest marks in sports. He was extremely intelligent.”

Life at the seminary “strengthened the faith he already had,” Father Moderegger said, adding that 15 percent of the young boys at the boarding house go on to become priests, a number that is on the rise since a native Bavarian became pope.

The seminary was a financial burden for the Ratzinger family, Father Moderegger said. Joseph’s sister also worked to help support the family.

According to Father Moderegger, today people send their children to the seminary because both parents are working and they want their gifted children to have access to a good education.

Although heavily subsidized by the Church, the students don’t have to be Catholic. Currently there are two Protestants and one with no religion, he said.

Joseph would walk past St. Oswald Church on his way to school, often stopping in for a visit. It was in this church that the brothers were altar boys and together celebrated their first Mass as priests on July 8, 1951.

The church is the centerpiece of Traunstein’s Italian-looking town square, but just across from a maypole.

Although its date of origin is not known, the church as it appears today dates back to a significant restoration in 1877, following two fires.

The Ratzinger brothers remained at the seminary until 1941, when it was closed and turned into a military hospital. Joseph entered the seminary in Freising for his priestly studies in 1945 and was ordained June 29, 1951.

Years later, the brothers spent many vacations at the boarding house. Father Moderegger refers to the community as “their substitute home.”

In the mornings, the brothers would celebrate Mass in the chapel, have breakfast together, and Joseph would read the paper to Georg, who has vision problems. Then Joseph would work on papers and Georg would play the piano.

It was a “place of peace, a sanctuary,” he said. On the last day of their holiday, the brothers would walk to town and buy gifts for the sisters at the seminary. The last time they came was January 2005. The pope’s desk always has a rose on it, something the nuns do to remember the Holy Father who will likely never return because of what they refer to as “protocol.” In 1982, then Cardinal Ratzinger gave the seminary status as a foundation to ensure its continued existence.

During the pope’s recent trip to Bavaria, the people of Traunstein gave him the “Benedict Bell,” which he gave to St. Michael’s. It was rung for the first time during his trip to the region. Sadly the pope was unable to visit his hometown, but he reportedly told Traunstein Mayor Fritz Stahl, “I’m in Traunstein at least once a week in my thoughts.”

Here is a photo which clearly shows the cuffs of Papa's white sweatshirt [the one matching his black one of April 19th?]. It was taken in the Aula Paolo VI yesterday [Oct 7th] during a meeting with groups from Emilia-Romagna. Now - why was he wearing the white sweatshirt instead of his usual shirt with beautiful cuffs and cuff links????????????? Was it because he wanted to wear something warm, bearing in mind he had a cold and bad throat? But, this event was indoors, plus he wore his usual shirt on Wednesday, outside and when there were showers and when his throat was really bad.
Please, someone put forward a reason for all this! I've been perplexed by it ever since the Audience of Sept.28th 2005 when I saw him and he was wearing the white sweatshirt [OK - I know it could have been because he knew I was there and he didn't want to lose a cufflink as a souvenir to me!!!!!!]
I really do want to know. That day was hot, yet it appears that he wears the sweatshirt when he feels the cold............
I know little details bother me, but I can't help it...it's the way I am!
Luff to you all! Mary x

[Modificato da maryjos 08/10/2006 14.01]

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Scritto da: maryjos 08/10/2006 13.58


Here is a photo which clearly shows the cuffs of Papa's white sweatshirt [the one matching his black one of April 19th?]. It was taken in the Aula Paolo VI yesterday [Oct 7th] during a meeting with groups from Emilia-Romagna. Now - why was he wearing the white sweatshirt instead of his usual shirt with beautiful cuffs and cuff links????????????? Was it because he wanted to wear something warm, bearing in mind he had a cold and bad throat? But, this event was indoors, plus he wore his usual shirt on Wednesday, outside and when there were showers and when his throat was really bad.
Please, someone put forward a reason for all this! I've been perplexed by it ever since the Audience of Sept.28th 2005 when I saw him and he was wearing the white sweatshirt [OK - I know it could have been because he knew I was there and he didn't want to lose a cufflink as a souvenir to me!!!!!!]
I really do want to know. That day was hot, yet it appears that he wears the sweatshirt when he feels the cold............
I know little details bother me, but I can't help it...it's the way I am!
Luff to you all! Mary x

[Modificato da maryjos 08/10/2006 14.01]

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Teresa, if you look carefully, you will see that (even at today's Angelus) the pope is wearing his usual white shirt under the white sweater...Believe me everything is all right, if you stay at home reading or writing (as the pope is supposed to do)you really need a (cotton) sweater on in Rome during these days!!!

Thanks for the reassurance, stupor-mundi. I hope MaryJos feels better...

As someone who is quite cold-sensitive myself (having grown up in a country where the mean temperature year-round is 90 degrees Fahrenheit and the coolest it gets in the lowlands is perhaps 80 degrees!), I can understand why the Pope - who obviously looks after his health, and admits to being cold-sensitive as well as heat-sensitive, where John Paul II was particularly heat-sensitive - would wear a sweater for the Aula Paolo VI audience soon after getting over a cold that gave him that hoarse voice at last Wednesday's audience.

The hall would still be air-conditioned at full blast for those thousands of pilgrims from Emilia-Romagna. And I don't know about England, but I can't go out of the house in New York any more without a sweater or a jacket - autumn is here!
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P.S. Very apropos, Josie in the main forum just posted this article by Vatican correspondent Andrea Tornielli written for one of Italy's PEOPLE-style weekly magazines, DIPIU, to reassure the world about the state of Benedict's health. Here is a translation -

THE POPE'S HEALTH IS FINE!
By Andrea Tornielli

"I am an old man and I do not know how much more time the Lord will give me."

Benedict XVI said this simply and with a smile, answering a question from a newsman on the plane carrying him to Munich last month - his fourth international trip as Pope.

But those words unleashed headlines and a cacophony of voices in Italy that raised alarm over his health. An alarm that was disturbing to many of the faithful who have come to love him, after he stepped into the shoes of a predecessor who was there for very long.

First of all, what were his exact words? Soon after the plane had taken off from Rome, the Pope - following a custom begun by John Paul - went to the back of the plane where the media representatives were.

A German journalist asked him if he also planned to travel to Berlin in the future. The Pope answered:

"I am very happy to be returning home. It's certainly good to see my homeland at least one more time. But I am also Pope of the universal Church, and already I am thinking of my trip to Istanbul and my trip to Brazil next year.

"I am an old man, and I do not know how much more time the Lord will give me. I do not know if I can come back to Germany after this, but if I do, I would be very happy and would consider it a gift from God."

It is clear that these statements, said very naturally by a smiling Pope, do not contain anything alarming. It is a sensible answer given by a man of 79 going on 80 who was suddenly forced in April 2005 to change his life radically by taking on an enormous responsibility.

Benedict XVI also expressed himself in similar terms in the interview for German TV that he gave in August. He said then:

"I must say that I do not feel so strong that I can plan many long trips, but wherever such a trip will allow me to send a message, where such a trip responds to a true desire, I would go, to the degree that I am able to."

Instead, the words the Pope said on the plane were interpreted by many as a farewell to Germany and almost a direct announcement of poor health!

What is the state of the Pope's health, in fact? Does he really have serious problems? Whoever followed his schedule in Bavaria would have seen him able to endure fatigue, heat, long ceremonies, even delivering long homilies on his feet (instead of sitting, as he usually can when in the Vatican).

We do know that in the early 90s, the then Prefect of the CDF had one serious health episode. During a summer holiday in Bressanone, he apparently fainted and hit his head on a radiator, lying there for some time before someone got to him. He was treated for a circulatory problem [others have said it was a mild stroke] which was fortunately resolved by timely intervention and since then, he has been on blood-thinning medication [baby aspirin once a day, the usual clot preventive advised for most adults - his brother referred to the aspirin once in one of the many interviews he has given. A recent meta-study I had occasion to report on found that 2 baby aspirins a day will prevent primary or secondary stroke as well as myocardial infarction, or death of some heart tissue, in most adults. ]

But from that time, that problem has been well-controlled.

It must be understood that becoming Pope meant a sudden change in his daily routine and greater demands on him, even physically.

But he has known how to adapt himself and has tried to keep certain healthful habits from before, such as his daily walk. He used to do that in his Borgo Pio neighborhood, but now he does it in the Vatican gardens or on the roof garden installed by Paul VI in the Apostolic Palace.

Papa Ratzinger cannot stand very warm temperatures (so he cuts down the length of his messages during his weekly audience at St. Peter's when there is a heat wave) nor biting cold.

Having been accustomed all the years before he became Pope to wear a warm beret in winter, now that he can no longer do that as Pope, he has replaced it with traditional Papal headgear like the camauro, which covers his ears in winter, or the saturno, which protects his head from the hot sun. [Not to mention the very practical white parasol that an aide can hold out over him, against the sun or against the rain].

When the open-air ceremonies are very long, we have seen him drink some water at some point during the rites.*

He also has to watch himself when he is in a high altitude. When he went up Mont Blanc last year, it was said he felt momentary dizziness.

Likewise, he must be careful about long airplane rides. But despite this natural precaution for a man his age, the plan to go to Brazil [a trip of at least eight hours from Rome] indicates that his state of health is satisfactory. Otherwise, the Vatican doctors would have advised against it.

We have the words, for example, of Burkhard Pfaff, the Pope's private doctor on the trip to Bavaria: "It is a minor medical miracle to see how well the Holy Father is."

TV viewers see how briskly and easily he goes up and down airplane steps. And when he was in Altoetting, he gave up his midday nap to walk in the gardens with his brother Georg.

So there are no health alarms at all. The Pope is well. Of course, this is a man who will be turning 80 in April, and who reasonably assumes that he will not have a very long Pontificate.

The statement he made on the plane, "I am an old man, I do not know if I will be able to come back", should not be interpreted as a warning bell, but as the simple statement of a man of faith, a Christian, a believer. Of someone, therefore, who is used to thinking everyday about meeting His Lord, knowing that for him as for everyone, the final call can come at any time.

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*I don't know if anyone has given some thought to it, but having worked at one time for a public official whose daily schedule meant being in public view for hours at a time, I appreciate the 'preparation' it requires.

It means, among other things, that one must avoid eating or drinking anything that might force you to make a sudden trip to the bathroom in the middle of a public ceremony! It means emptying yourself literally before you start your public schedule. Minor but routine inconveniences for very public figures....

So when Papino takes a drink in public, we know he needs it!

[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 09/10/2006 0.14]

Thank you, Teresa, for this re-assuring and interesting article. As well as my general prayers for our Papa, I pray for his health so much. Several of the books mentioned the accident when he fell and knocked himself out, but it's all very vague. No book has much detail about his private life and I suppose that's the way he wanted it.
As soon as I read about the trip to Brazil I started to worry. And then there's the possibility that he'll go to Sydney for WYD in 2008 ! Now, that really is a long plane journey.
But I do feel that he is much livelier since his election. I noticed the difference between the interview he did for EWTN in July 2003 and the one for German television at Castel Gandolfo this August - he seemed so much more relaxed and happy in the more recent one. It could be that his interview with Raymond Arroyo was so serious all the way through, plus it had to be conducted in English, apart from at one point where he lapsed into Italian. I don't think English is one of his favourite languages.
Love, Peace and Choy! Mary x