Benedict the Unexpected.

This article discusses the changes in the outlook and theology of Joseph Ratzinger in the year since he became Pope Benedict XVI in 2005. As a cardinal Ratzinger was feared and reviled by more liberal wings of the Catholic Church and his election brought widespread expectation that he would continue his disciplining of dissident elements. Instead, Benedict has shown himself, to the chagrin of Catholic conservatives, to be tolerant of questions of faith, theology and the role of women in the church. INSET: What I Believe.