Someone's Noticed

I was wondering when someone would comment on how often Benedict XVI ad libs his remarks. If not entirely, than at least partly --and often.

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."At his weekly general audience, the pope now regularly punctuates his prepared remarks with explanatory asides. The off-the-cuff comments are typically more direct and succinct than the written reflections.