Has Duffy just dropped in from Mars? Where was he in the past five years, when Benedict XVI quickly eclipsed John Paul II's audience figures at the Vatican, scored a number of impressive foreign trips, wrote 3 landmark encyclicals and an even more landmark book on Jesus, to mention just a few concrete facts? And where was he in the 25 years before that, when Joseph Ratzinger was arguably the most prolific and best-selling Catholic theologian of the second half of the 20th century? And that Joseph Ratzinger had all these solid theological achievements independent of his function in the Roman Curia. Everyone seems to forget that he came to the Papacy better known internationally before he became Pope than any new Pope in the entire 20th century (Pius XII maybe, but he was Secretary of State in the 1930s long before communications technology made the world a global village)! And by virtue of having presided at John Paul II's funeral Mass, he was also the first potential Pope in history to be seen 'in action' by the largest worldwide TV audience so far. I really do not understand why so many Catholic prelates and academics like Duffy appear to forget - conveniently and unpardonably - the extraordinary biography of Joseph Ratzinger before he became Pope, and continue treating him as almost 'unworthy' to be wearing the Shoes of the Fisherman after someone like John Paul II. Especially since from all accounts, he was elected Pope precisely because there was no one else who could conceivably step into the shoes of the late Pope with the same authoritativeness and personal holiness!