The Arbitrary ChuckJerry

I'm not a Catholic, but I find myself pretty intrigued by the whole process surrounding the election of the new Pope. This is the first such election process, or conclave as it's known in Vatican circles, in my lifetime, so that sortof adds to it. John Paul II was pretty firmly entrenched in my mind as "The Pope" that someone else filling the role is an interesting notion.

The New York Times has devoted a ridiculous amount of space to the death of John Paul and the ongoing conclave. Over the past couple weeks, they've had maps of the Vatican showing where John Paul lived and where he is interred, and the length of the lines of people waiting to see him. Also they've had visual aids detailing where the cardinals are staying during the conclave and the path they will travel from their lodgings to the Sistine Chapel, where the voting takes place. They've outlined all the rules for electing a new pope and what not along with articles on who they think might be elected.

I didn't figure it was that big a deal, though I guess it is. This seems to be a case where all the people are buying into the Vatican's own self-importance. It's a little like the Academy Awards.

I think it would be interesting if they were to pick one of the front runners who's named Joseph Ratzinger. This dude was a Nazi officer during WWII before becoming a priest. That's a conservative motherfucker right there. Will I go to hell for referring to a cardinal as a motherfucker? He apparently didn't believe in the Nazi cause and deserted his army post. He's apparently even less progressive in his views that John Paul was. I guess we shouldn't expect San Francisco morality from the Catholic chruch, but soemone who's willing to be moderately progressive would probably serve the constituents who pour the money into the system better than a super conservative.

Here's an interesting thought that I suppose is perfectly logical from a Catholic standpoint. One of the people interviewed from outside the Vatican said that he didn't believe the process was a political one, but rather simply an act of God. He feels that the cardinals will eventually be imbued with divine judgement and choose the pope that God intends to rule the church. I find that to be a rather sound mindset if you take one's Catholicism as a given.