Pope Benedict XVI

Well, I feel a need to comment on our new Pope. But first, a little tale. Last night, I stayed awake until the wee hours of the morning to see the results of the first two votes of the day. The morning votes were burned at 3am ish PDT. In my sleepy state, as soon as I saw the black smoke, I nodded off and entered sleepy land. I did not wake up until about 10 till 9am. Which happened to be good luck ... or divine providence. I brushed my teeth and thought, Hey, I should see if anything interesting happened when I was asleep. To my surprise, Wolf Blitzer was talking about white smoke billowing from the stove-pipe installed on the Sistine Chapel. He was saying it appeared white, but we could not be sure because there were no bells tolling. Soon enough, a shot of the bells on St. Peter's basilica was plastered on the screen. The moment the bell started swinging (before it made a sound) the thousands in St. Peter's Square began cheering and I literally gasped. I gasped at the notion that a new pope had already been selected. I gasped at the notion that I was witnessing history. After all, I was a mere 4 months in the womb the last time all this happened.

Instead of hopping in the shower like I should have, I was glued to TV. I did not want to miss the announcement. Some 30 minutes (or more) after the bells began tolling, the moment came. Cardinal Estevez emerged from behind the heavy drapes to the speak the words so many have been waiting to hear. After greeting his "brothers and sisters" in several different languages, he spoke "Habemus Papem". We have a pope. Then he continued on, in Latin of course, to so Joseph. At the moment, I and probably many others whispers the last name Ratzinger. Moments later, Cardinal Estevez confirmed what I had thought. Pope Benedict the XVI (okay, it took me a second to figure out the 16th part). Formally known as Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger.

I was alternately overjoyed and saddened. Thankful and worried. Not that I know much about the new Pope. But I understand him to be a staunch conservative, an intelligent theologian and dedicated to his faith. I am overjoyed because this was the first step in filling the void that John Paul II left. I am saddened because I so hoped for someone from Africa or Latin America (how refreshing would that have been?) . I am thankful that a man that knows doctrine and loves the church will lead it. I am worried about what that means for liberal Catholics (and other Christians) like myself. I think that he maybe is too conservative and too worried about the details of the doctrine. But then I try to remember that the Church is not designed around what I want. It is designed around what God wants and the Word of Jesus Christ.

At the moment, I am still torn. Still joyous yet sad. Still thankful yet worried. I am, however, confident, that Pope Benedict XVI will do his best for the church. I was moved to have been a witness of history. I was moved to see the reaction and joy of the crowd in St. Peter's. I was amazed at their chanting of "Viva il Papa" and I thought I heard some "Benedetto"s in there too. And like I was content just to remember and honor Pope John Paul II, I am content to see where Pope Benedict will take us.

Last Words: Habemus Papem