Well, I'm hoping we'll be pleasantly surprised. The guy was in an "enforcer" position as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (formerly the Holy Office, formerly the Holy Inquisition). Now he's in a pastoral position, called to minister to the entire Catholic Church. People say that in personal relationships, he is very gracious and generous, and he's supposed to be a brilliant intellectual. I'm certainly willing to reserve judgement and wait to see how he does as Pope.

Benedict/Ratzinger was known as a progressive when he taught with Hans Küng at the University of Tübingen. His transformation into a conservative is somewhat mysterious, although I understand that he was terrified when a mob of students overran his classroom during the days of the Red Army Faction in the 1970's.

Anyhow, I can't say I'm at all pleased by this election. As I've said before, there have been only two infallible statements made by the popes since the 1870's. Ratzinger made an attempt to have a third made infallible after the fact, John Paul II's statement that the Church had no authority to ordain women. The results were inconclusive, and Church backed off on trying to enforce that one as absolutely infallible.

Still, I won't pass judgment until I see what he does as Pope. He may surprise us all. John XXIII was certainly a wonderful surprise.

-Joe Offer-

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Take a look at what progressive American Catholics have to say about the new Pope:

National Catholic Reporter

America Magazine (Jesuits)

Commonweal Magazine

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