Well, many of you have seen the cover, but here’s Teresa Benedetto’s translation of the article about the Pope in this month’s German edition of Vanity Fair written by Peter Seewald. (Oh..one more prepositional phrase in that sentence! Come on!)

(Seewald is the journalist who interviewed then-Cardinal Ratzinger for two books, Salt of the Earth and God and The World.)

Meanwhile, the new style of this Papacy is quite clear. First he discarded the obligatory hand-kissing that was a carryover of courtly practice, although people may and do kiss the Papal ring. He replaced the papal tiara on the Papal coat of arms with the bishop’s miter.

Wojtyla usually used the first-pronoun ‘I’ when speaking, but Ratzinger has chosen to use the papal ‚we’ in order to project not himself but the office and all the bishops supporting the office.

Vatican personnel note that things are more disciplined, efficient and transparent. Benedict shortened the first Bishops Synod under him from 4 weeks to 3, and made it more collegial, also introducing a daily hour of free discussion.

„His strength is amazing,“ says someone who works with him. „He does nto seem to feel the burden of the office.“ They find it puzzling how he can manage, despite all the work required even just by daily routine how he can still manage to write.

At the start, what helped Benedict to deal with his predecessor’s legacy was a more effective use of time and the customary hard work in which he had trained himself since youth. But he has also reduced the number of audiences and public events by about 50 percent.

The Vatican apparatus, which is well able to prevent the Pope from leading the Church effectivly by filling up his calendar with eventes they recommend, had to yield to Benedict. He has chosen to intensify his meetings with bishops and priests in order to be better acquainted with the problems of the Church. Ratzinger studies previously available reports intensively before each of these meetings

Benedict generally works fast, but he allows matters which need clarification to reach an appropriate maturation before making a decision.

Critics point out that Ratzinger has been too slow in filling up important positions as they become free. But personnel matters are not his strong suit. Even in his immediate environment, he is more likely to let unresolved personnel problems drag on or ignores them completely.

That he can’t be brilliant in all things is also evident in his TV interviews so far. His answers are often involved and hardly original, too standard.

"Thank God that is over,“ he was heard to say in relief right after finishing the TV itnerview for German networks before his visit to Bavaria