He is gone.
Pope Benedict XVI hopped on a jet plane in Aparecida yesterday and made a bee line for the Vatican. For being 80 years-old, the man gets around like no other.
During his four and a half day excursion in Brazil, Pope Benedict brought the house down in a packed stadium of 40,000 youth with that creepy smile of his, canonized the first Brazilian saint (We knew you had it in you friar Antonio.) and slammed the media for being immoral (Yeah, he was probably talking about your favorite TV show.). The guy was like a rock star with better hygiene.
Still, Catholicism in this country is not what it used to be. The percentage of people who say they are Catholic in Brazil has declined nearly 20 percent in the last 25 years. And it ain't getting better anytime soon.
With God's permission (Thanks Big Guy.), I decided to grade Pope Benedict on his visit to Brazil - just for the heck of it.
Security - A+
I may not have laid eyes on the big papa, but I did see plenty of his bodyguards. Outside of the thousands of the policia militar, the Pope is protected by the Swiss Guard and helicopters follow him wherever he goes. I bet his personal assistant knows Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu too.
Transportation - A
Like I said, the guy gets around like no other. Of course, having those thousands of policemen clear the streets for you kind of helps. A quirky thing about the Pope is the papamovel or popemobile in which he travels around. It has a bullet-proof carriage in the back where the Pope can sit and wave to the crowd as he passes by. There's also the helicopters and personal jet. I wonder what opera music he enjoyed on his return flight.
Message - C
Don't do drugs. Don't have sex outside of marriage. And the E! channel is the devil. Have you been talking to my mother, papa? Oh, and something about finding fulfillment through the Church. No, he said some good things. And he said them in good Portuguese. Just for that I'm tacking on a + to that C.
Popularity - B
It's tough following in the footsteps of a legend like John Paul II, so I'll take it easy on him in this respect. Still, about half the number of people came to mass in Campo de Marte this year than in 1980 when John Paully Be Good presided. Then again, 800,000 ain't bad. And it was kind of cold outside.
Public Persona - B+
He looks pretty good for going through eight decades of life. He still has a twinkle in his eye and that sly grin. I was actually disappointed when I heard him speak on TV. He didn't sound anything like the emperor in Star Wars like I had hoped.
Overall - B+
The Pope coming to Brazil was quite a phenomenom to witness. Catholics from all over Latin America (and beyond) flock to see this guy. But I don't see any mass conversions taking place because of this visit. A lot of changes on both sides need to take place before Catholicism makes a rebound in this world.
Pope Benedict XVI hopped on a jet plane in Aparecida yesterday and made a bee line for the Vatican. For being 80 years-old, the man gets around like no other.
During his four and a half day excursion in Brazil, Pope Benedict brought the house down in a packed stadium of 40,000 youth with that creepy smile of his, canonized the first Brazilian saint (We knew you had it in you friar Antonio.) and slammed the media for being immoral (Yeah, he was probably talking about your favorite TV show.). The guy was like a rock star with better hygiene.
Still, Catholicism in this country is not what it used to be. The percentage of people who say they are Catholic in Brazil has declined nearly 20 percent in the last 25 years. And it ain't getting better anytime soon.
With God's permission (Thanks Big Guy.), I decided to grade Pope Benedict on his visit to Brazil - just for the heck of it.
Security - A+
I may not have laid eyes on the big papa, but I did see plenty of his bodyguards. Outside of the thousands of the policia militar, the Pope is protected by the Swiss Guard and helicopters follow him wherever he goes. I bet his personal assistant knows Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu too.
Transportation - A
Like I said, the guy gets around like no other. Of course, having those thousands of policemen clear the streets for you kind of helps. A quirky thing about the Pope is the papamovel or popemobile in which he travels around. It has a bullet-proof carriage in the back where the Pope can sit and wave to the crowd as he passes by. There's also the helicopters and personal jet. I wonder what opera music he enjoyed on his return flight.
Message - C
Don't do drugs. Don't have sex outside of marriage. And the E! channel is the devil. Have you been talking to my mother, papa? Oh, and something about finding fulfillment through the Church. No, he said some good things. And he said them in good Portuguese. Just for that I'm tacking on a + to that C.
Popularity - B
It's tough following in the footsteps of a legend like John Paul II, so I'll take it easy on him in this respect. Still, about half the number of people came to mass in Campo de Marte this year than in 1980 when John Paully Be Good presided. Then again, 800,000 ain't bad. And it was kind of cold outside.
Public Persona - B+
He looks pretty good for going through eight decades of life. He still has a twinkle in his eye and that sly grin. I was actually disappointed when I heard him speak on TV. He didn't sound anything like the emperor in Star Wars like I had hoped.
Overall - B+
The Pope coming to Brazil was quite a phenomenom to witness. Catholics from all over Latin America (and beyond) flock to see this guy. But I don't see any mass conversions taking place because of this visit. A lot of changes on both sides need to take place before Catholicism makes a rebound in this world.
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