I still haven't gotten around to referring to Marvin Hagler as "Marvelous" even though he changed his name much longer ago.

Who?

I still haven't gotten around to referring to Marvin Hagler as "Marvelous" even though he changed his name much longer ago. Call me a creature of habit.

Also, speaking as a (displaced) Texan, it's kinda ingrained in us that the affirmative response to a question from a man is "yessir." This is the first time I've ever heard of that response being considered anything but respectful.

But hell, I'm just one of those unintelligent, tactless Texans, so I have more opportunities to learn and improve than all those other smart, tactful folks.

If I declare I am to be addressed as "Your Supremest Holiness, Pope-above-Popes", is Ratzinger going to comply? If not, why should I play his silly games, either? (Note that "because he's [gasp, swoon] the Pope" is no answer. I'm the Supremest Holiness Pope-above-Popes, and on just as much authority.)

Those kinds of gestures are especially inappropriate for members of other religions. There are at least some gestures of submission that Bush, as a Methodist or whatever, is prohibited from making to the Catholic Pope; granting the Pope a title more exalted than the ones claimed by his own religious leaders is understandably objectionable on the same grounds. Even though it was probably just cluelessness on his part, in this case, and possibly for the first time, I have to say that Bush did the right thing.

At least he didn't try to give the Pope a shoulder rub.

As long as he followed official Catholic shoulder rubbing protocol, I think that would have been fine.

I understand your reasoning but I think that your two commenters Kenny and Ten Jones explained it quite well: in this particular surrounding Bush should refer to the Pope as Your Holiness, not "sir." Again, whether or not Bush considers the Pope to be holy is quite irrelevant.

In a situation where they're representing their respective countries/churches ? Of course they do and they'd expect the same courtesy back.

So the pope calls (for example) the Head of the Syrian Orthodox Church "Your Holiness" and the pope is in return called 'Your Holiness'.

In this case Bush wasn't meeting the Pope as a private citizen, but as Head of State was meeting another Head of State (and as a guest).

Now in this case , no breach of protocol was meant (nor i think would it have been perceived as such). However the point remains , that it is good manners to follow protocol.

It's a measure of George Bush's impact and visibility that every little action gets wide exposure and viewed outside of context. It's also a measure of his low popularity that some of these get used to paint him in the......