Hmm. Not good.

Source: http://www.cnn.com



Yeah, I read some stuff too. He sounds really conservative. But, that probably gives a bunch of hardcore fundamentalist Catholics a real boner. Good news is that he's 78, so he'll be dead soon and maybe I'll be able to be in Rome to see this event all over again. It'd be neat.

Yeah, great. I'm not real thrilled with their pick but hey, it's their religion. I just find it interesting that with everything that John Paul did, they fell back on this guy as a successor.

i was just thinking the exact same thing..he looks like he has one foot in the grave already!

Yep. I give him 6 years, tops.

Worst choice possible; he is the Antiprogress. Luckily, he's 78

He's a damn Nazi, too.

and to top it off..."Ratz Inger"... this man injures rats! What a cruel bastard! Boo!

funny how according to scripture he is the last Pope before the next great war. That and his death is slated in scripture as well to be in either 2009 or 2010. Oh and he has already pissed people of taking the name Benedict XVI instead of John Paul III as he was supposed to

It should have been a Latin American pope or that Cardinal Arinze dude.

dammit.

People shouldn't take this to seriously,the church has less or no power anymore since the early 20th century.
The days of crusades and inquisitions are over.
The good purpose of catholicism is to protect the occidental world from primitive religions like islam.

And what the hell is the point to nominate a 78 year old pope?
Within a couple of months they'll be pumping black smoke chimney again.

Gather all ye faithfull, for the end is near.

*shrugs*

Hmm, what country to move to..

From: The New York Post
April 17, 2005 -- "

A "fuhrer" furor is dogging the papal candidacy of Germany's top Roman Catholic cleric — over revelations he was a member of the Hitler Youth.

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger — a favorite to become the next pontiff — joined the Nazi children's corps in 1941 as a 14-year-old and was later an anti-aircraft gunner.*

At one point, he guarded a factory (BMW) where slaves from a concentration camp (Dachau) were forced to work.
He was later shipped to Hungary, where he reportedly saw Jews persecuted.

Ratzinger, a staunch conservative dubbed "God's Rottweiler," has said he joined the Hitler Youth when membership became compulsory.
He and his brother were later drafted but deserted. The cardinal claims he never fired a shot and that resistance would have meant death.*

Not so, Germans from his hometown of Traunstein told The Times of London.

"It was possible to resist, and those people set an example for others," recalled Elizabeth Lohner, 84.
"The Ratzingers were young — and they had made a different choice."


(*other sources say otherwise, that he was a volonteer who operated a Flak anti-aircraft gun, and set up anti tank traps...doesn't combine very well with "never fired a shot", not drafted but wanted this job...as the lady said, there was indeed a choice, maybe not as a child, but later on, after all the obligatory parts of the Hitler Jugend, to choose another profession, outside the army/regiments/etc, but he did not)


Interesting
Though I don't really care about the pope, it's still interesting
Also, why not a black or hispanic pope, seems to me that this day and age there are more catholics in south america and afrika than there are in europe (really religious ones, not just by name).
Ah well

Maybe he's Rudi Ratzinger's uncle? ;-)
*puts on a Wumpscut cd*

From what I read a few weeks ago was that one of the strongest runners-up was a black man...Nigeria or something. I forget.

Maybe they chose someone that is so old because they didn't really feel any of the others were a good choice at this time...

I disagree. Lets say he dies in 6 years. I don't think a 6 year delay tactic was on their minds... there's enough of them to choose a "right" one.. I just think it's so political and secretive (conclave and all) that we don't have a clue as to what really goes on. I think they chose accordingly (to their set standards and beliefs and etc) even if I don't like who they chose...but then again, I'm not Catholic, so whatever...

You'd be surprised how incorrect that statement is. The Vatican is a law unto itself, and remains one of the most secretive organisations on the planet. If the new pope wasn't important, then why would every single major news channel cover it? He himself holds an incredible amount of power, and he's just the tip of the iceberg.

Yeah, think of it as the pope being Dr. Evil from Austin Powers...

Everyone laughs at how stupid the guy acts and all, but he has a lot of power and when he implements a law or takes action...usually something pretty dumbass, it's dualistically very droll and very influencial on us all with his massive array of "fans" and all...