I am not a Roman Catholic so my opinion doesn't matter much one way or the other. However, I think Joe Offer is right. Give the man a chance to perform before hanging him.

As to the church changing it's attitude on birth control, women priests, or priests marrying, I seriously doubt those changes will take place, and doubt another choice would have resulted in anything different along those lines. Those are among the backbone issues in the church and I just don't see them changing. I can understand some catholics wanting to see a change in those areas, and I guess it sort of presents a dilema for them. Stay in the church, but only observe those practices that you approve of, or leave the church.

I do think assigning the terms Liberal and Conservative to describe a Pope's beliefs is a bit far fetched though. Those terms should be reserved for politics I believe.

DougR