Viva il Papa: “Hardliner” Ratzinger is the first German Pope in Centuries
Germany’s Catholics Will Almost Certainly Be Divided Over Pope Benedict XVI
At the moment, the German media is overwhelmed by the fact that Joseph Ratzinger is the first Pope from Germany in nearly five-hundred years. A sense of pride and surprise seem to be the initial reactions. Here are just a few headlines in the German press:
Die Welt: Josef Ratzinger is the New Pope
Stern: Reactions: “Great Honor for Germany”
FOCUS: New Pope: Habemus Joseph Ratzinger
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Rome: Vatican Celebrates the New Pope
N24: Schroeder Praises Ratzinger as “Great Theologist”
Sueddeutsche: Pope Benedict XVI: Relief through the Fast Announcement
But the surprise and joy are already giving way to the first grumblings, and a sharp debate over the deeply conservative theological stance of the new Pope has already begun.
Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, has always been known as the hard-line enforcer of his predecessor John Paul II’s conservative policies. This is sure to cause significant friction with Catholics living in the Western world and German Catholics in particular. Disagreements over birth-control, abortion, celibacy, women in the priesthood and a number of other hot-button issues will likely intensify within the church in the very near future.
On another note, Germany’s conspiracy theorists are also likely to come up with an elaborate explanation of how Bush, the CIA and the neo-cons planned the entire election to create divisions within Germany and the “progressive-wing” of the Catholic Church. Antje Vollmer of the Green party is also certain to have an explanation for these latest developments as well.
Stay tuned…
Update from David, (article above by Ray D.): The Tuesday evening news of ARD, Germany’s #1 public tv station, present results of an ad hoc telephone survey (sample size 500): while most Germans welcome the election of a German pope, a majority consider him too old. Also, almost 90 % want him to “reform” the church – “reform” being defined along a liberal agenda (ordination of women, ecomenic approaches, etc.).
Our friend DL from Heidelberg comments on the election of a German pope:
Can A German Pope Save Old Europe?
There are a number of interpretations as to why
Cardinal Ratzinger was elected Pope. But in spite of
