Some mixed messages as plucky pontiff bids to take on all comers

HE came, he toured, he failed to conquer.

But for an 83-year-old prone to afternoon naps Pope Benedict — the plucky pontiff — has certainly shown himself determined to take on all comers.

After denouncing atheism and secularism in Scotland — with a drive-by swipe at sex, booze and money for good measure — Benedict headed south to London to launch fresh attacks on science and celebrity.