Fox news reporting white smoke indicating a new Pope has been elected.

Cardinal Ratzinger. No surprise.

What I find interesting is to see the Pope as a vital healthy person after John Paul's failing health for so many years.
Don't you know it is like being elected God?!!

exactly what I was thinkin gretchen ! How young he looks...I do not know anything about Ratzinger...is he more conservative, or more open or what is the consensus on him being selected ?

Conservative.

He is quite conservative, was the right-hand man to JP-II. Should be little change in Church policy.

Very conservative, he took a hard stand during the elections her about not giving communion to Kerry/Edwards because of their being pro choice.

I am disappointed as I think (1) he is too old (2) the church needs ome to unity it, not separate it further.

Cardinal Ratzinger was Pope John Paul II's enforcer of orthodoxy and generally labeled a conservative. But don't expect Pope Benedict XVI to endorse unbridled free enterprise economics. Where Pope John Paul II was weak, administration of the Church, Pope Benedict XVI will be stronger. Of course, Pope Benedict XVI does not have Pope John Paul II's charisma or modern public relations mastery. As a Latin Rite Roman Catholic, I couldn't be more delighted at a most wise choice.

...thanks for explaining !

Speaking as a Catholic, I think we need to start having a more liberal Pope. This one looks very kind, but the Catholic church needs some updating.

To kufsto...It is my understanding that the Cardinals don't want a Pope to be in office as long as JP. I don't know the reasoning behind it, but that's what I have heard. Even though JP was too conservative for me, I still think he was a wonderful Pope.

Pope Benedict XVI, the former Cardinal Ratzinger, recently celebrated his 78th birthday. With modern medical technology, he could possibly live to 98.

It is not a surprise at all to me that a European is the new Pope. If you look at the composition of the College of Cardinals, it is composed of more Europeans than any other continent represented. Also, the European Catholics are leaving the Church in droves, rather than "customizing" the practice of their faith like North American Catholics who continue to attend church, but ignore the ban on "artificial" means of birth control. Whether Pope Benedict XVI's outspoken conservative views will help the flock retain their sheep certainly remains to be seen.

Best wishes to the new Pope. After John Paul the Great, he's got huge expectations resting on his capabilities!

BC

Very disappointing. Of the more than 100 candidates, they deemed the former Hitler youth the best candidate.

It's a shame--there were so many more interesting choices (Arinze, Hummes) who seemed to know how to balance doctrine with reality and who represented the changing face of Catholicism.

Yet another giant move backwards for The Catholic Church.

He's not all that young. He's 78.

A profile, FYI:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...572667,00.html

kfusto, John Edwards is a Methodist, not a Catholic.

He's 78, we'll have all this ritual again in a few years!

Went home for lunch to watch the announcement. Bells still pealing when I left home.

Was surprised how quickly the decision seemed. Do you suppose if the cardinals have some free time, we'll have a mysterious post here titled "Layover in Rome; what should I see?" or "Must I wear black in Italy? I'm partial to bright red" or "What kind of shoes should I buy for walking in Vatican City?"

wow, 78...I didn't realize, you may be right, we might be doing this again soon...