new pope

Just some random thoughts. Most any liberal or progressive has got to feel depressed about the choice of Ratzinger as the new pope (Benedict XVI). John Paul II tempered his conservatism on many issues with genuine advocacy for the poor, outspoken calls for peace and an end to war, and interfaith outreach efforts to Muslims and Jews. Thoughtful assessments of his legacy took that into account. Benedict looks like he'll have all the conservatism without any of the progressivism that JPII had. Still, I was disappointed at the amount of venom in the comments sections of sites like Daily Kos, it seemed way out of proportion and guaranteed to drive off not only Catholic Democrats but perhaps many others as well.

At the same time, the right-wing blogs seem to be praising him and I'm pretty sure most of those people are not Catholic. And I think or hope that not all of them are as far right on social issues as Benedict is (though their reaction to the Terri Schiavo makes me wonder). Are they just supporting anyone who seems to be a conservative and upsets liberals, regardless of whether they actually agree with his views or not? Are they that mindless? I wonder how many of them who are not Catholics realize that Benedict seems to hold the position that Catholicism is the only path to salvation so those of them that are Protestants or other types of Christian are in fact considered to be doomed? This point touched on here.

It's just too weird sometimes.

One other thought. American Catholics or American commentators in general seem very self-centered sometimes. The majority of Catholics are from the developing world and tend to be much more socially conservative than Western Catholics. A conservative pope is a better reflection of the church he heads than a liberal would be. This is mentioned in passing here.