Pope ad-libs, tosses texts to communicate, engage crowds

Published: 2006-01-11

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- As he develops his own style of communicating, Pope Benedict XVI has found a way to engage crowds and unsettle his aides: ad-libbing. Increasingly, the pope has been putting down his prepared text -- or sometimes just tossing it altogether -- in favor of extemporaneous remarks. What his audiences find amazing is how easily the 78-year-old pope can stand and deliver an impromptu talk or sermon that ranges over Scripture, patristic writings, social ethics and pastoral policies. "He's using a fluid form of speaking to deliver a content that is very pastoral. It's on a high level, but you can see that his audience follows it," said Joaquin Navarro-Valls, Vatican spokesman. As one longtime Vatican observer commented, "Even in his spontaneous talks, the flow of argument and the citing of sources is impressive. It's as if he can reference 2,000 years of Christian thought in his head."

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