Yes, I suspect B16 is a rather sweet fellow, whom I probably would be happy to meet, unlike either his formidable predecessor or his formidable successor, even though there's not much about his decisions I could support. (Same thing with George W. Bush: Though I happily voted for Bill and Hillary and Barack, and never ever for W, I get the feeling a calm lunch with W and Laura would be more pleasant than with any of those Democrats.)

"Loyal Dissent" makes for a great read: quick, incisive, clear. But Curran does not go into depth regarding his more controversial opinions, which perhaps is fitting, given the kind of book he wrote, but still is a bit frustrating.

Re patristic Greek: Yes, I've read some, but don't make a practice of it. The volumes of Apostolic Fathers in the Loeb series, now edited by the excellent Bart Ehrman, are good; the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is gorgeous; but the Cappadocians are a bit too mannered for my taste.