But when asked why, I've never heard: "Because he helped me be more patient with my husband." More often then not they liked his smile or humor or any other of his human qualities, but not because he was a holier pope than Benedict XVI or Francis ... or Paul VI, etc.

   And what does it mean to be holy? It means that the person is an effective bridge to God; is a pane of glass that is so clean that you do not even notice it while you contemplate the landscape; is a cable that connects your computer to power without getting any attention.

The Church is like a Hospital:

Everyone in it is sick! The point of the hospital is to give you medicine so that you heal. What matters is that the doctors give you the right medicine, not that they themselves look beautiful. When we take our eyes off of the medicine to focus on the doctor, then we have forgotten why the hospital exists. And yes, all the doctors are to some degree sick too; they also need medicine.

   There is nothing wrong with liking the Pope or your doctor, but if the likes or dislikes based on their qualities and defects outshines your appreciation for the medicine they bring you, then you have missed the point.