Hope he lives to be a hundred
I don't think I'll ever understand the workings of the Catholic Church, and that's probably just as well. They've chosen Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (whose name loosely translated from German means "Slinger of Rats") to be the new pope. He combines the last pope's unbending conservatism with a demeanor that suggests he would like to bring back some good, old-fashioned Catholic traditions -- such as burning heretics at the stake, or at least smacking young children on the knuckles with a ruler.
In a spirit of ecumenism, he's reached out to other religions by calling them "deficient" -- except, of course, for catholicism which has no problem covering up for its child-molesting priests. In a TV interview, he even went to far as to say that sex abuse scandals were the result of "normal temptations" and were essentially inevitable. By contrast, he thinks all (other) gays are doomed to hell fire and damnation, he's opposed to any type of contraception (even in areas infested by HIV/AIDS), opposes abortion, and can't stomach any "liberal reforms" such as treating women equally, or allowing priests to marry. For a guy who's supposed to be the guardian of church doctrine, he's quite a piece of work.
I'm always amazed by the Vatican's public relations machine, which is working overtime to try to convince everyone that Ratzinger is such a sweet, mild guy. Nevermind the more liberal Catholic theologians he's persecuted, or the outrageous views he's expressed while being the pope's enforcer. We're supposed to believe he's a kind, gentle lover of Mozart who wouldn't hurt a fly. Let's just forget this guy's record, which tells a very different story.
So what's going to happen under Rat-slinger's pontificate? Catholicism will continue its slow death in the western developing countries, and I don't see it doing much to halt the growth of Protestantism in Latin America. He doesn't have the charisma of the last pope, so it will be harder for him to dupe young people into thinking it's cool to align themselves with right-wing theology they wouldn't otherwise agree with. Ratzinger is supposed to be an "interim pope," which I guess means he was the best they could come up with while trying to find someone more appealing. As far as I'm concerned, it would be true justice if this guy occupies the papal throne for the next 20 years or so.
In a spirit of ecumenism, he's reached out to other religions by calling them "deficient" -- except, of course, for catholicism which has no problem covering up for its child-molesting priests. In a TV interview, he even went to far as to say that sex abuse scandals were the result of "normal temptations" and were essentially inevitable. By contrast, he thinks all (other) gays are doomed to hell fire and damnation, he's opposed to any type of contraception (even in areas infested by HIV/AIDS), opposes abortion, and can't stomach any "liberal reforms" such as treating women equally, or allowing priests to marry. For a guy who's supposed to be the guardian of church doctrine, he's quite a piece of work.
I'm always amazed by the Vatican's public relations machine, which is working overtime to try to convince everyone that Ratzinger is such a sweet, mild guy. Nevermind the more liberal Catholic theologians he's persecuted, or the outrageous views he's expressed while being the pope's enforcer. We're supposed to believe he's a kind, gentle lover of Mozart who wouldn't hurt a fly. Let's just forget this guy's record, which tells a very different story.
So what's going to happen under Rat-slinger's pontificate? Catholicism will continue its slow death in the western developing countries, and I don't see it doing much to halt the growth of Protestantism in Latin America. He doesn't have the charisma of the last pope, so it will be harder for him to dupe young people into thinking it's cool to align themselves with right-wing theology they wouldn't otherwise agree with. Ratzinger is supposed to be an "interim pope," which I guess means he was the best they could come up with while trying to find someone more appealing. As far as I'm concerned, it would be true justice if this guy occupies the papal throne for the next 20 years or so.