Pope Benedict never garnered the media savvy of his predecessor John Paul II, a former actor with a knack for defusing controversy with one-liners.

WSJ: Pope Defended Church Teachings

Despite becoming the first pope to use Twitter, Pope Benedict never garnered the media savvy of his predecessor John Paul II, a former actor with a knack for defusing controversy with one liners.

WSJ: Pope Moved to Build Church's Spiritual Life

Crowds accustomed to a quarter-century of superstar John Paul II, grew to embrace the soft-spoken, scholarly Benedict, who had an uncanny knack for being able to absorb different points of view and pull them together in a coherent whole.

NPR: Pope Legacy: Teacher Who Returned To Church Roots