Habemus Papam

I suppose I should make an obligatory pope remark, since it's not everyday you see a new pope. Under normal circumstances - or rather, if circumstances like John Paul II's were more the norm - this might have been the only election I would see in my lifetime. As it is, it looks like there will be a new pope, successor to Benedict XVI, within say 10 years.

Cardinal Rock Singer. According to the news, nothing like the pun on his name, though they like repeatedly to praise his love for classical music. They always say that kind of thing as if we'd care. Benedict likes Beethoven, John Paul likes skiing; the last guy named Benedict was a lame duck, as if that means anything. The impression that the media keeps sending out (and of course, the media is my only source on this - because like I'm really going to read any of Benedict's theological treatises on my own, ha!) is that with this election, the Catholic church seems determined to keep its head buried in the sand. I'm not necessarily talking about doctrinal changes to it's position on women, etc.; the Church is an autonomous institution, and whatever it chooses to believe is its prerogative. The clearest analysis of the problem that I've heard today was from a commentator who pointed out that, rather than addressing issues like world hunger, the AIDS epidemic, and the crisis of the priesthood, Benedict only emphasized how deplorable it is to live in a world of moral relativism, and that the Church must take a stand. To me, this is very telling of an ostrich. Choosing what you believe is one thing. But action is another, and if one of your beliefs is that it is your duty to administer the innocent and make the world a better palce, you should act on it - ie, the victims of sexual abuse represent something wrong with the world, and there's nothing relative about that.