Yeah, I wonder about the gold hat (tiara), and some of the other regal trappings of the papacy that previous popes have abandoned. John XXIII started a trend away from the pomp and circumstance, and subsequent popes have followed suit. Each one has cut back a little more on extravagance. Which way will Benny Ratzinger go?

He stayed in the motel and had dinner tonight with the rest of the cardinal guys, so maybe that's a good, egalitarian sign.

The popemobile beats the hell out of sedan chairs; and I never thought the tiara was very fashionable, anyhow. Looked like a beehive to me. Hey, is there a Mormon connection there?

-Joe Offer-