1. I don't know, wow! I am so skewed on this. At first I only associated it with Benedict Arnold, and thought of it as some kind of a title. Then when the pope was poped, I thought "Ew, what a lame name when he could have chosen so many cool ones." Now I adore it, but I do associate it strongly with the pope, because the papal vibes are one of the main reasons I like it so much. So. I don't know.
2. I think Ben is really really boring, which is why I like Benedict as a middle name. But it's fine as a nickname for Benedict
3. Um. Hm. Benedict Joseph. Benedict William. Benedict Henry. Benedict Walter.