Apparently the papal visit was a failure...

At least that's what Mathew N. Schmalz, Professor of Religious Studies at the College of the Holy Cross, thinks:

Now that Pope Benedict XVI has returned from the UK, most commentators will surely label the trip a failure, in spite of Vatican characterizations to the contrary. Preceded by a major gaffe by a highly placed cardinal and by rumors that charges would be brought against the pontiff himself, the trip seemed to confirm the depth of negative reactions that Benedict has evoked since his election. To be sure, the trip perhaps did not fulfill the gloomiest forecasts: there was an apparently cordial meeting with the Archbishop of Canterbury and attendance at papal events was greater than had been predicted. But overall, the impression was one of humiliation. Benedict himself acknowledged this humiliation and did so in a surprising and compelling way.

Dude - what were you doing between the 16th and the 19th of September?!? Didn't you catch a glimpse of the news on TV? It sounds like you were unconscious or something! Did you finish this article before the Pope even landed in the UK?

Carl Olson has more.