Pope deserves privacy

Beginning with his first-line description of the Vatican as a “master of smokescreens,” Victor Simpson’s Feb. 15 article “Secrets emerge after pope announces his retirement” struck me as heavily biased. He seemed to be looking for excuses, no matter how flimsy, to criticize the Catholic Church.

Far from respecting the Pope’s privacy or his desire to keep his personal health information confidential, Simpson seems to expect the Pope to bare his entire life for us. If the Pope should have announced that he bumped his head in March, perhaps the Vatican should call a news conference the first time the new Pope stubs his toe!

Andrew French, Wake Forest