Benedict, Where Did Our Love Go?

Only a year ago, after Pope Benedict XVI's first visit as pope to American soil, what had originally looked like a bad blind date had blossomed into love at first sight. In New York and D.C., where one regularly sees dignitaries at Starbucks and on street corners, crowds took the day off and cheered themselves hoarse for the little German guy in the long white gown. Rating 80 percent approval among Catholics, and 70 percent among others, it looked like a love match.

In the intervening year, however, Benedict has gone from dashing suitor to inept husband, at least if the media are to be believed. The honeymoon over, he can now do no right and gets attention only when he commits some gaffe. The last couple months have seen two noteworthy examples of this: The Williamson case -- where he lifted a sentence of excommunication on four bishops, one of whom questioned the Holocaust -- and his comment, en route to Africa, that condoms will not solve the continent's AIDS problem.

As the Pope continues his eight-day trip to the Holy Land, one can almost hear the media knives being sharpened, with journalists anxiously waiting for the next misstep. (In a recent AP piece, for instance, Steven Gutkin trots out the usual shibboleths, such as B16's erstwhile membership in Hitler Youth and retrograde attachment to the Latin Mass.) So, where did the love go? Did Benedict betray us? Or have we perhaps become fickle lovers? Could we at least try a little marriage counseling?

By his own admission, Benedict isn't very media-savvy. As a theologian and academic, his thoughts aren't easily reduced to sound bites. When he speaks, it isn't to fill a few minutes of airtime and then be forgotten; his words become part of a 2,000-year body of teaching. He's less worried about being misquoted on the evening news than he is about misrepresenting the doctrine of the church.

It's a bit like finding out your husband has lousy taste in clothes, but diligently saves for the future. Benedict thinks in terms of the long haul, so sometimes he may seem out of fashion.

So Benedict thinks that condoms don't solve the AIDS problem in Africa, and this is news? John Paul II said the same thing over and over during his pontificate and was never vilified the way Benedict was last month. And Benedict lost more than face on this one: Handing the media the condom bone to gnaw on at the beginning of his trip obscured the whole motivation of his visit to Africa: a heartfelt commitment to the dignity of the suffering continent. By focusing on the more titillating AIDS, sex and condom question, the media neatly sidestepped Benedict's challenges both to Africa's leadership and to the wealthy West.

Similarly, Benedict's attempt to heal a Church schism turned into a fiasco because of Bishop Williamson's ridiculous historical revisionism. Benedict's response was a graceful and sincere apology, along with measures to make certain this hurtful event would never be repeated. How many have longed in vain for such sensitivity from their spouses?

It seems that the media still pines for a former love -- John Paul II -- and are unwilling to fully accept these second nuptials. This is understandable, but unfortunate.

All media outlets knew John Paul II was news. For 10 years, they rented every rooftop near the Vatican, waiting to cash in on his death. When a Turkish assassin shot John Paul at the beginning of the pontificate, his dramatic rush to the hospital, the mysterious connections of his aggressor, and his miraculous recovery provided news fodder for months.

But more than that, John Paul II was a man of images and gestures, a showman. Everyone has a favorite photo of JPII, swinging a cane Charlie Chaplin style or my personal favorite, clasping his balsa wood cross as he watches the last Good Friday procession of his life. He was trained as an actor, and in a world where actors are the new divinities, he was able to command his audience.

Pope Benedict, who from the outset had been dubbed by the media a "transitional Pope," remains strong, healthy and coherent, so there's not much news there. And after spending millions awaiting the death of JPII, the media are not so inclined to throw the same kind of money into waiting for Pope Benedict's funeral.

It has been said that people came to see John Paul, whereas they come to listen to Benedict, and there is some truth to that. Those who take the time to absorb his message will come to realize that Benedict is also a magnificent communicator, but in words, not pictures.