I agree with that, sciencegeek. But by his fruits shall you know him, not by the little crumb-like seeds of niceness he's throwing at the moment. I hate to sound cynical, but I can't help thinking there's a fair bit of spin going on here. After the lamentable years of the last two popes, who did nothing to stem the Church's imploding from within, it could be that someone has decided that a more folksy and chummy image is needed. Let's see what he does for the women of Africa and Latin America, eh?