[Dig that ancient tome, daddy-o? Where'd ya get that?]
So the Vacitican has selected its latest leader - Cardinal Ratzinger, henceforth named Benedict the 16th; who is 78, so I don't think we'll be seeing him at St. Peters for more than 5 years.
Funny thing about the selection of the new pontiff; it reminds me of the "new" incarnations of "The Doctor" in that BBC drama Dr. Who, how each time the series gets renewed their is a new actor playing The Doctor (the show just came back in the UK, with a NEW guy playng the much-loved Time Lord).
Cardinal Ratzinger, er I mean Beeny XVI, has been head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith - formerly known as the Holy Office of the Inquisition - since 1981. Office of the Inquisition, yeah the needed to change that name alright. But the fact that it was still around well into the 20th Century is the main reason why Catholicsm and its insitutions are problemic to me.
Benny XVI, when part of the HOI, was stridently against liberation theology, which had gained ground among priests in Latin America and elsewhere as a means of involving the Church in social activism and human rights issues.
He has described homosexuality as a "tendency" towards an "intrinsic moral evil". During the US election campaign, he called for pro-choice politicians to be denied Communion.
Benny XVI praises the media, 'cause he knows he's got to (ab)use it to further his agenda and not be labled a crackpot. Truth be told though, any strict adherence to a religion that originated in the so-called Holy Land makes you a crack pot in my book.
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