So that has certainly caused some confusion over the years, especially given the personality of the present Pope.

This, he said, "puts them radically out of step with the present Pope."

Should there be some change of tone in the way the doctrinal issues are presented and on which the present Pope has allowed so little change?

Be that as it may, would the cardinals seek someone less confrontational than the present Pope?

And the decline in the number of sisters has been much sharper under the present Pope than the earlier one.

Finally, the new encyclical is characteristic of the present Pope in its distinct theological tone.

It is inconceivable that the popularity of the present Pope is exclusively the result of the position he occupies.

Furthermore, the present Pope, an amateur actor in his student days, is a published playwright and poet.

But I am also a good friend of the present Pope.

Although only 1,357 of its members are priests, it now has 10 bishops, 6 of whom were named by the present Pope.