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The New Pope
Tuesday, 2005 April 19 - 11:01 pm
Today the Roman Catholic Church declared German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger to be the new pope, Pope Benedict XVI.

So first, it's Joseph Ratzinger, not John Ratzenberger.



Cardinal Ratzinger, who took the name "Pope Benedict XVI", is one of the most conservative hard-liners the Church could have picked. A lot of liberal Catholics are unhappy with this choice; they see that the Church had an opportunity to reach out to the world (e.g. Latin Americans, Africans, and Muslims) and went the other way. Many American Catholics see this as a sign that there will be no effort made to mend the wounds of all the recent sex scandals.

Now, even though I'm not a Catholic myself, I don't like this appointment. Many of his beliefs are the exact opposite of mine, and he's in a position to influence billions of people. Me, I'm only in a position to influence a mere handful, and usually only if they're slightly inebriated. Ratzinger is a particular critic of relativism (the idea that there is no absolute truth) and agnosticism (the idea that we are incapable of knowing the truth). Those two philosophies are central to my personal belief system; and what's more, I think they're key towards achieving world peace. It's people's insistence that ONE WAY is the ONLY WAY that leads to so much strife.

But there is some consolation. Some think that the Church purposely chose an old guy (he's 78) so that this papacy will be brief. Perhaps Benedict XVI will just be a transitional figure before the next Great White Pope. Or perhaps even the Great Black Pope, if we're lucky.
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