It's my opinion that that is a large factor in Pope Benedict's decision to do this now. There is a lot riding on how well this goes over the next 3 years or so. I hope he lives long enough to see it through. There is going to be a lot of opposition building in both the Catholic Church and among the Orthodox Churches. He will have to do this carefully.
I think Benedict is one of the greatest minds the papacy has ever seen. We will have to wait and see how good a diplomat he is.
I agree, but remember it was Cardinal Ratzinger that in 1981 was appointed to head the “Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith”. This is when Anglo-Catholics were looking to Rome for an answer to female priests and he was the gate keeper.
The fact that this is not the work of papal whim, but the compilation of 30 years of dialogue gives us hope.