I don't respect the pope, any more than I respect Tony Blair. Both are Catholic political leaders. People "respect" the position of authority because that is what they are taught to do, so they "respect" the people that fill those positions by default, really. It has to do with the reptilean brain. Once it's programmed to think a certain way, that's it.

Hence, the pope is "respected" by millions of people who's lives he never touches. Go figure.