Why Are Liberal Priests Always "Pleasantly Surpised" At Pope Benedict XVI?

I pass along this item from the MidHudson News:

Pope Benedict XVI’s first 100 days subject of panel in Putnam.

Pope Benedict XVI’s Papacy has reached a milestone, his first 100 days. That will be the topic of a panel discussion tonight at the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement at Graymoor in Putnam County.

Fr. James Gardiner, director of the Graymoor Spiritual Life Center, said he was “pleasantly surprised” at Benedict XVI’s early days as Pope. The priest said the Pope continued the Pope John Paul II’s legacy of reaching out to other faiths.

“To have early on in the Papacy having statements about, ‘look, we’re going to not only continue, but strengthen our relationships with the Jewish community. I’m going to continue reaching out to the Orthodox Christian community’,” he said. “I think those are hopeful signs.”

A panel of Catholics and non-Catholics will participate in tonight’s discussion.

Gee, I wonder where Fr. Gardiner falls in the spectrum of Catholic orthodoxy? For the sake of clarity, perhaps all such priests  should be formed into a new religious order called the Condescending Fathers of the Pleasantly Surprised.

I Googled around and found the info on the panel held earlier tonight:

BENEDICT XVI: The First Hundred Days

Monday, August 1st, at 7:30 PM

To mark the first hundred days of Benedict XVI's papacy, four distinguished guests

• John Allen, Vatican correspondent, National Catholic Reporter;     Rome, Italy,
• William R. Burrows, managing editor, Orbis Books, Maryknoll,     NY;
• Dale T. Irvin, dean, New York Theological Seminary, New York, NY;     and
• Susan A. Farrell, associate professor of sociology, Kingsborough Community College, Brooklyn, NY               

I wonder how much "pleasant surprise" was expressed among the panelists.

Comments

[Robert]

Yes, they must be using their "touchy-feelies" to handle the fact that BXVI was elected.