On December 31st, the media was reporting that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI had passed away. The Associated Press reported that at least 25-30,000 would come on Monday, but by the end of the evening, Fox News reported that 65,000 had passed through St. Peter's Basilica. Tomorrow will be the funeral mass, presided over by Pope Francis.--Why are so many people fascinated by the pope and the Catholic religion itself-- Returning to Crosstalk to deal with these and other related issues was Mike Gendron. Mike is founder and director of Proclaiming the Gospel Ministry. Mike was a devout Roman Catholic for over 3 decades and was taught to rely upon the authority of the church above all else. Mike searched the Scriptures and was amazed to find that what he read in Scripture contradicted the teachings and traditions of the church he had been a part of for so long. He trusted Jesus as his Savior and now the Bible has become his sole authority in all matters of faith. Mike is the author of the books, Preparing for Eternity and Contending for the Gospel and has produced numerous videos with warnings concerning false teachings vs. the truth of the Scriptures.--According to Mike, Catholics will say that Pope Benedict was the 265th leader of their religion and the first German pope in over a years. That's interesting when you consider that Germany is a nation that was at the center of 16th Century reformation.--Pope Benedict was ultra conservative and considered to be the doctrinal guru of the Roman Catholic religion. Before being elected pope in 1994, he co-authored the Catechism of the Catholic Church which has become the doctrinal authority of the church ever since.