John Paul II was the the master of the policy of quietly moving priests who had the slightest whiff of impropriety (including the pædophiles) to parishes far from the scene of the crime rather than dealing with the problem, and Benedict was one of his most important generals in that endeavour. On the face of it, Francis seems like a massive improvement, but during his recent visit here to the Phillipines, the press reported that when asked by a young girl why God lets kids be abandoned and hungry, "The pope was gracious enough not to criticise the government or the Catholic church". Gracious? The government and church in the two most corrupt institutions in this country and he is the ONE person they might take notice of, the ONE person who might have a fighting chance of making a difference. So he, like predecessors, is a politician hiding behind a priest's (admittedly less luxurious) gowns after all; graciously shitting on the little guy to protect those in power.