White Smoke, and Ringing Bells

Welcome Benedict XVI

A couple of thoughts on the election of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as Pope Benedict XVI. First, see the previous post, which features the words of encouragement from Cardinal Ratzinger to his brother Cardinals prior to the Conclave. In particular:

How many winds of doctrine we have known in recent decades, how many ideological currents, how many ways of thinking… The small boat of thought of many Christians has often been tossed about by these waves – thrown from one extreme to the other: from Marxism to liberalism, even to libertinism; from collectivism to radical individualism; from atheism to a vague religious mysticism; from agnosticism to syncretism, and so forth. Every day new sects are created and what Saint Paul says about human trickery comes true, with cunning which tries to draw those into error (cf Eph 4, 14). Having a clear faith, based on the Creed of the Church, is often labeled today as a fundamentalism. Whereas, relativism, which is letting oneself be tossed and “swept along by every wind of teaching”, looks like the only attitude (acceptable) to today’s standards. We are moving towards a dictatorship of relativism which does not recognize anything as for certain and which has as its highest goal one’s own ego and one’s own desires."

And then, what I keep hearing all day on the radio and TV are words describing this new leader as "strict, polarizing, divisive, hard-line". Oh, and don't forget, his "childhood in Nazi Germany", like he could help that! This, quite simply, bores me, and illustrates yet again that main stream media cannot possibly believe that the vast majority of American Catholics might actually approve of this new pope. What a concept, people who could actually be supportive of continuing an orthodoxy that has lead the church well for many years.

And then we have Benedict's words upon announcement of his Papacy:

Dear brothers and sisters,
after our great Pope, John Paul II, the Cardinals have elected me, a simple, humble worker in God's vineyard. I am consoled by the fact that the Lord knows how to work and how to act, even with insufficient tools, and I especially trust in your prayers. In the joy of the resurrected Lord, trustful of his permanent help, we go ahead, sure that God will help. And Mary, his most beloved Mother, stands on our side. Thank you.

Might we all aspire to be simple and humble workers in the vineyard of the Lord.....