It's on the news now.

I missed the white smoke!!! CRAP!! i wanted to see it.. CNN better repeat it.

CNN? Repeating something? Only ten thousand times. I'm sure you'll see it. I didn't see it, either. I don't really know much myself, I only just started watching the CTV news in Canada.

OHh they are going to announce it!

Senior Cardianl Ratzinger will become next pope.. He's German, world youth day will be a blast He's taken the name of Benidict XVI

Joseph Ratzinger (b. April 16, 1927) is a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and from 1981 prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Born in Marktl am Inn, in Bavaria, Germany, Ratzinger entered a preparatory seminary in 1939. In 1943, at the age of 16 he was, along with the rest of his class, drafted into the Flak or anti-aircraft corps. He went into basic training for the Wehrmacht infantry in November of 1944. In 1945 he was interned in a POW camp as a German soldier. By June he was released, and he and his brother (Georg) reentered seminary. On June 29, 1951, he and his brother were ordained by Cardinal Faulhaber of Munich. His dissertation (1953) was on Saint Augustine, his Habilitationschrift (second dissertation) on Saint Bonaventure.

Ratzinger was a professor at the University of Bonn from 1959 until 1963, when he moved to the University of Muenster. In 1966, he took a chair in dogmatic theology at the University of Tübingen, where he was a colleague of Hans Küng. In 1969 he returned to Bavaria, to the University of Regensburg.

At the Second Vatican Council (1962 – 1965), Ratzinger served as a peritus or chief theological expert, to Cardinal Joseph Frings of Cologne, Germany.

In 1972, he founded the theological journal Communio with Hans Urs von Balthasar, Henri de Lubac and others. Communio, now published in German, English, and Spanish editions, has become one of the most important journals of Catholic thought. In March 1977 Ratzinger was named archbishop of Munich and Freising and in the consistory that June was named a Cardinal by Pope Paul VI.

In 1981 Pope John Paul II named Ratzinger prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, formerly known as the Holy Office or the Inquisition. He resigned the Munich archdiocese in early 1982, became cardinal-bishop of Velletri-Segni in 1993, vice-dean of the College of Cardinals in 1998, and was elected Dean in 2002. In office, Ratzinger usually takes very conservative views on topics like birth control, inter-religious dialog, and ecumenism.

On September 30, 2003, Ratzinger's statement, "We should pray for the pope", was published by the German weekly Bunte, and subsequently, the quote made headlines worldwide, raising questions about the pope's health.

Bio gotten from here

HOLY CRAP!!!!


WOW WOW WOW





And good, I'm glad \:D/


But I can't believe a German was elected! Holy crap, a Pole, and then a German.

Oh well, so much for the church entering the 21st century.

He's pretty damn old isn't he? I thought they would have gone for someone young.

What in particular makes you glad? I would have thought the hard line on ecumenicism and inter-religious dialogue was not a good thing at this point in history when more reaching out is needed between faiths.

There was a train of thought among those covering this that they will go for someone old, to be a transitional figure. They don't want another 20+ year reign right now after just ending one.

Terrible, terrible choice!

Ohh explain??
I'm so tempted to go to Germany for World youth Day.. if only i had the money

At least he didn't call himself Pope Hitler II

He is one of the total hardliners. Women are second class, AIDS will continue to expand becuase he dams contraceptives, other confession are devil's work and so on...

:laugh:

There's a limit to interfaith dialogue. JP2 pushed it as far as it could have at this moment.

Bluntly, each religion thinks its the right one. Even within a religion, each group thinks its the right one.

What makes me glad is that, at the least, all of the issues will be outlined in a cristal-clear fashion: we kow where he stands, and so, you can clearly either oppose or support him.

He has had a long experience with the church, and is highly respected by those in the Church. Whether you like or dislike him, at the least you can respect him.

He will not be as popular as JP2, not by a long shot, but the thing is, he won't try. The road he'll take will be much different.

As for him being German, 2 things:

- He will never attain the popularity among Germans that JP2 did among the Poles. Actually, I think most Germans will probably not care. Even in Bavaria.

- This deals a massive blow to Italy's dominance. Basically, it's done with.

To those who thought a non-European would be elected: Are you insane??? Look here: If S. America and Africa are the fastest-growing, then they are the ones who need it the least. They are incredibly young in comparison to the Church as a whole. The shift away from Italy looks to be encouraging for future popes. I think within our lifetimes, we will see a Latin American. This is an encouraging sign, especially since Germany is not a primarily Catholic nation, nor particularly a devout one.


As well, he is deeply humble. There is no false humility here. I think you will be surprised by him in some ways.

I expect no compromises on liberal matters, but that's not bad. At the least, we know that Church doctrine will be in good hands. Remember: the task of the pope is to preserve the standing of the Church. That, above all, is his job. That's it. Everything else is icing on the cake.

Keep in mind that JP2 was strict and conservative, but in addition, was charming, etc. His task as a pope had been to be strict and keep to Church doctrine. Along that line, Benedict XVI will do as good a job as JP2.

What is this? So because he's German, he automatically espouses Nazism? He is not an anti-semite, nor is there any evidence that would prove otherwise.

What a horrible statement.

lol it's a joke...relax

Like the zombie dude in your signature! Zombie Dude says "Relax!"

Exactly :rock:

You have to worry when a pope is against inter-faith dialogue. #-o This is terrible. Oh well, maybe it'll scare of the moderates, and there'll be another big Schism?

His views make him more like a Pope Benedict Arnold

The dude is 78 years old. I think he's more of a "transitional" pope.

a German eh?.......

i could care less what nationality he is, so, we got a New pope