It's really funny that I grew up as a Roman Catholic and was never aware of the deep, dark, Godzilla-like nefariousness of that creature called the Pope. I mean, I always thought of him as an old man who liked to travel and talk about world peace. How did I miss all his super powers? It's like you need a decoder ring...
Perception is a tricky business, isn't it?
I'm thinking you missed all his nefarious super-powers simply because you weren't HyperDox (or Protestant)

. He keeps them well-hidden from his own flock, to use on them when they're least suspecting and after he's pulled the wool over their eyes again so they won't actually see what horrible things he's done to them (and the rest of the world, to boot)

. It's a well-known (non) fact that only HyperDox and some Protestants can actually see him for the Godzilla-like evil creature he really is

.