By Delia Gallagher, David Gibson and John Thavis

Journalists compare Pope Benedict with predecessor

Pope's words say it all

It is more difficult to cover Pope Benedict because an image-hungry media cannot capture the richness of his thought. The physical presence of Pope John Paul II, the changing scenery of his travels and the improvised twirls of a walking cane on the stage, fed the media's need for movement. Pope Benedict's light is interior; it shies away from the neon glare of the secular media. Pope Benedict says that belief is "standing still and understanding," two things much of the press does not do very well.

Unlike Pope John Paul, Pope Benedict was already well-known when elected. He had spent 23 years as the object of media incomprehension. The place to encounter Pope Benedict is in his talks, which reward those who take the time to read them. They are easily accessible thanks to the Internet and the Catholic press. His words speak directly to those who want to understand. Pope John Paul II's charisma opened hearts; Pope Benedict's words fill them.

Delia Gallagher is the former CNN Faith and Values correspondent.

Pontifex Minimus

The shift in tone from Pope John Paul II to Pope Benedict XVI was evident from the start, when the new pope greeted the media in an almost perfunctory meeting that contrasted with John Paul's own animated inaugural press conference -- a foretaste of what would become a media-friendly pontificate.

Part of the change is due to Pope Benedict's personality; he is more restrained in public, more comfortable in small groups. But the difference goes deeper, to Joseph Ratzinger's longstanding conviction that a priest not divert the faithful's gaze from Jesus. As he said the morning after his election, his task was to make shine "not his own light, but that of Christ."

This Christological orientation is the hallmark of Pope Benedict's papacy. He is not shortchanging the primacy of the pope at all. Nor is he repudiating Pope John Paul's style. Rather, it's a case of two popes and two roads to the same destination -- one, a pastor who drew people to himself in order to introduce them to Christ, and the other, a theologian who wants to let the faith speak for itself.

As one of Cardinal Ratzinger's longtime collaborators, Father Augustine DiNoia, has put it, Benedict believes that "once the tradition is exhibited like a great painting or work of art, it doesn't need explanation. Once it's presented, people see it and love it."

A former Vatican Radio reporter, David Gibson's latest book is "The Rule of Benedict: Pope Benedict XVI and His Battle with the Modern World" (Harper, $14.95).

Verbal eloquence

Pope Benedict is essentially a teacher of the faith and, compared to Pope John Paul II, is less likely to address the wide gamut of international social issues in his public appearances. Pope Benedict has a more "religious" focus, and for secular media that's a bit of a problem.

Most media tend to ignore talks about early saints and Church Fathers. And when the pope argues that there must be a space for God in modern society, it's unlikely to make headlines -- unless there's a specific controversy involved, like abortion or gay marriage.

The U.S. trip could see a breakthrough in reporting on this pontificate, because the gavel-to-gavel coverage will mean his message will be less filtered than usual. I think people will discover that although he doesn't have his predecessor's stage presence, Pope Benedict has verbal eloquence and a dynamism of ideas.

John Thavis is Rome bureau chief for Catholic News Service.