Oy

[holzman_tweed]

So Josef Ratzinger is the new Pope.

They said they wanted to do something different from John Paul II, and they did.

John Paul II, while terribly flawed, had redeeming qualities.

Comments

[ladyofthelog.livejournal.com]

!!!!!

*shakes head*

[unclevlad.livejournal.com]

Makes me glad I got better, and almost ensures a split of the Roman Catholic Church. Not that I see that as a bad thing.

There is no way they can sell yet another european Pope when the catholic faith is in decline everywhere except South and Central America. Especially not someone who is unwilling to deal with any of the social and economic issues important to those regions.

oh hell. (heh)

[vulgarweed.livejournal.com]

Brazil and Nigeria must be disappointed. (Rightly so)

I know many South Americans especially were hoping for a Pope who had fighting poverty somewhere, anywhere on his radar. Would have been nice to have an ally when the Bush "administration" rattled sabers at them again. (Then again, JP II did speak out against the Iraq invasion and we see how much good that did. OTOH, there weren't millions of Iraqi Catholics waiting for Papal blessing to resist)

Re: oh hell. (heh)

[unclevlad.livejournal.com]

And along with poverty, certain problems they are facing keeping their membership: marriage and the priesthood and birth control are two more hot-button issues there.