Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, a hard-line guardian of conservative doctrine, was elected the new pope Tuesday evening in the first conclave of the new millennium. He chose the name Pope Benedict XVI and called himself “a simple, humble worker.”

Ratzinger, the first German pope since the 11th century, emerged onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, where he waved to a wildly cheering crowd of tens of thousands and gave his first blessing as pope.

ack, another conservative... isn't he strongly opposed to liberation theo?

Viva Il Papa Benedicto XVI!!!! He may be a conservative, but he doesn't have "Sieg Heilic" inclinations. At the least, he is as conservative as JP2... he's definitely against the "tyranny of relativism." More than ever, we do need a Pontificate that will not waiver to the demands for change (for sake of change, promiscuity, and convenience).

This Pope will be a tough nut because he was the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. This vital arm of the Vatican checks for errors and apostasies. For those who don't know, the Congregation used to be called the "Inquisition." So here we are, an Inquisitor for a Pope. Don't worry liberals and lovers of Lib Theo, he's not going to scrap the latter. He already reviewed it before and Okd as inocuous--but not as doctrine. Schools will still have the option of teaching it. In addition, he does believe in social justice....

Let's hope for the best.

I was also dissappointed on their decision. I was hoping it would be a Latino and coming from a developing country. Doesn't Latin America count as half of the Catholics in the world? I think they need to be represented rather than a European person.

But we just have to follow since it has been done. Besides they didn't picked a younger Pope. His stay won't be long. I hope he does a great job and united the world like John Paul II.

Viva il Papa!

http://www.vatican.va

Hey, that was fast. But then maybe it's because I'm used to Philippine elections

I think that with all the issues the Church is facing today, it was inevitable that the Conclave would elect a conservative Pope. As a policy, I think the Church would prefer to hold the line rather than respond right away. Perhaps someday, when the clergymen who grew up with issues like women's rights, AIDS, the plight of developing countries, etc., will be in the position to make decisions, we will have a Latino or even a black Pope.

I'm not saying that's the way it should be; it's just the way things seem to me right now.

I hope Pope Benedict XVI will carry on his predecessor's legacy of pursuing peace and ecumenism. Viva Il Papa!

Good morning muna kay SubZero14 who is reading this thread as I type.

Wow, what a fun time to be Catholic, the very happ'nin J-Ratz is now Pope.

Wooptie-doo.

the choice of archbishop joseph cardinal ratzinger delighted traditionalist catholics but disappointed moderates who hoped for a more liberal pope after john paul II.

known inside vatican circles as "God's rottweiler," cardinal ratzinger, who chose the name benedict in order to soften his image, is expected to defend pope john paul's strict orthodox legacy and reject changes in doctrine, raising fears that divisions in the Church left by the polish-born pontiff will widen. personally i thought he was too old and divisive to be pope.

nevertheless, i welcome Pope benedict XVI as the leader of the faith. viva il papa!

Certainly the new Pope doesn't have the charisma JPII had, but the more important thing is that he was chosen by two-thirds of 115 cardinals and they all feel he could do the job well. We should just support our new Pope, Benedict XVI, and help him in the Church's continuous mission of uniting the world and uplifting those who are in need.

My brother, a moderate Jesuit theologian who studied in Rome, says Pope Benedict XVI isn't that bad. Maybe because of his age, he will just be a transition pope to promote ecumenism.

I do hope that the Catholic communities around the world would rally behind and support Pope Benedict XVI. I think the past being dug up is an inevitable thing these days, with privacy increasingly being effaced by technology and with society's seemingly insatiable hunger for controversy. Let the profane details of our lives be as is. Let us be bound by faith, by trust, by Jesus. That the Church may move towards unity, hope and redemption. Viva il Papa Benedictus Sextus Decimus !

Ratzinger's conservatism runs much deeper than plain vanilla issues like abortion, felame priests and birth control. What makes him potentially divisive among ordinary mainstream Catholics is his personal objection to any worldly actions of priests that are not covered by the ministry, such as pastoral, missionary and theological work. He frowns upon running priests, showbiz spiritual counselor priests, political rallying priests, basketball program priests, university president priests and social project (aka. Gawad Kalinga) priests. And yes, he opposes the teaching of liberation theology in Catholic schools, and behind-the-scenes of publicly-known squabbles like the ones he had w/ Fernando Cardenal, SJ and Jesuit alumnus and famed theologian Hans Kung, not a few teaching liberation theologians have run afoul with his former office. His idea of social justice is the same as that of John Paul's - pray for the poor. If he hasn't cracked down on such people yet, it's because he's too busy dealing with other issues like abortion, cloning and euthanasia.

But all Catholics are called to believe that however ominous the appointment of Ratzinger as Pope may be in abstract and worldly terms, he has still been selected with the guidance of the Holy Spirit and so we are all called to follow him as our spiritual leader. That is part of the mystery of being Catholic - it is the sense of optimism that all shall be well no matter how much otherwise reality may suggest.

One practical side of Ratziner's appointment as Benedict XVI is that he ensures the continued non-Italianization of the church leadership. Only he had enough clout to challenge the still-influential presence of the Italians in the Vatican. Perhaps his very election, the first German in almost a millenium, will ensure that other nationalities will get a chance to see one of their own become Pope many years down the road.

Good points by rabbaddal.

I am always amazed, however, by the apparent dichotomy between standards for religious leadership and leadership for other organizations. "Selected with the guidance of the Holy Spirit..." "Sense of optimism that all shall be well..."

I do not think these points will hold any kind of water if we were talking about the appointment of a new CEO to govern a business in which we own stocks, or a new President to govern our country.

Can we afford to be extra skeptical and vocal about leaders in charge of our money and public services, but keep mum about leaders supposedly in charge of our souls and that of our children's?

Sir, I guess that would what rabbaddal called the "mystery".



Rabbaddal's point encapsulizes the Catholic Dogma regarding Papal authority. The Pope by virtue of having the "Divine assistance" first promised to Peter by Jesus would be infalliable. But it must be clarified that he only is when he speaks ex cathedra. Ex Cathedra teaching should be:



I'm not sure but it is said that infalliability does not require holiness of life. Which might absolve some of the scandalous Popes the Church had in her history.

But I think what tempers the enduring conservative nature of the Catholic Church is its absolute truths. In saying no to "relativism" and to other current thoughts, the Church might as well be locked in the past. There is just the problem of making these "truths" seep through in modern times. Clearly there is a need for the teachings and doctrines of Faith to be connected to our daily lives today, to revitalize Christians. Having said that, the Church leadership should recognize if any current practice or preaching deviates from her "truths". So that we could prevent recurrences of misinformation prevalent in the times of Rizal.

J-Ratz. I like that, joe.

Papa Rat-Z na lang.

You can also email him now.

The English version of the pope's e-mail address is: benedictxvi@vatican.va.
The Italian one is is: benedettoxvi@vatican.va.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6448213/did/7587388/

Anyone here familiar with the Prophecies of St. Malachy?

Yup. I heard of it. It eeriely predicted the popes in succession until the end of the world... It even predicted JP1's 1 month reign and JPII's extensive traveling. And that Benedict XVI is the 2nd to the last pope...

Some say its pure bullcrap. I don't know. If its the end, its the end...

Well it definetly scares the bejeezus out of me. Saint Benedict himself supposedly predicted that out of his ranks (Order of St. Benedict) the next pope will be chosen. I'm pretty sure that Ratzinger isn't from the OSB, but for him to select "Benedict" as his papal name...coincidence?


Here's a link:

St. Malachy Prophecies

Any thoughts?

To use the term "afford", however, would mean to hold the pope and his election to human standards. Let's assume that this pope may do everything that the skeptics fear he would do - expel the religious who engage in worldly activities (that would include the religious-order presidents of every Filipino Catholic school), destroy chances of reunifying with other Christian groups by proclaiming that non-Catholics have no chances of getting into heaven, and crack down on religious orders that deliver any sort of material assistance to the poor. These events are more likely to happen in Benedict XVI's papacy than any other during the past century, because these were the views explicitly displayed by the former Cardinal Ratzinger at some point in his life. Yet it is precisely because of faith that we have to believe that this person is the best man to be our pope, no matter how irrational it may seem (although John Paul II himself thought the same way, but managed to dodge being labeled similarly as Ratzinger). I understand, no amount of abstraction can explain it but that's all part of the mystery of being devout.

you know what guys...no offense meant..but the new elected Pope Benedict XVI looks scary...a freind told me...he looks more of an anti-Christ than a pope...peace out...

now that you've mentioned it, pope benedict XVI actually bears a strong resemblance to hannibal lecter. anti-christ? naaaah!

Same thought when I saw him. Hindi rin naman angelic iyong mga Popes before John Paul II. Hindi pa daw sya iyong Anti-Christ. I read it somewhere.

Rat-Z looks like Hannibal Lecter/Anthony Hopkins.

He's said to have a short reign.

Then the next pope will be the Anti-Christ.

Nyahahaha.

Papa Rat-Z looks like Emperor Palpatine.

Uy, malapit na pala Episode 3 by the way.

I come!
http://dildo-pleasure.info/videoplayer.php?file=531507

at least close siya sa ibang religion. starting unity?