He's an old Catholic man, so obviously I disagree with him on a lot of issues, but he seems intelligent with more emphasis on education and anti-poverty initiatives than many others.
He also has that cute old grandpa Pope feel that made John Paul II so charming, which Benedict lacked.
These were my exact thoughts about him as well. I do hope he will focus more on economic issues and social justice as opposed to the traditional social issues (of course, I expect nothing less than staunch social conservatism from the Pope). Given his past, there looks to be good cause for optimism.
My first impression of him during his first appearance yesterday was very good. I did like what I saw. He seems to have a good personality and his humility is admirable.
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