Without getting too deeply into the sentiments expressed, you gotta love the BBC and their "fair and balanced" reporting (Fox News they are not)...

So they asked eight "theologians" for their views (my quote marks) on the new Pope. Some of the stuff they got was ... well ... wow ... Here, judge for yourself (or be influenced by my remarks) ...

Someone who went into the conclave a conservative can emerge as a progressive pope. - Father Hans Kung, dissident German theologian

Yeah, ok, pops. Don't bank on it. The concept of the Church is not something that's meant to be "progressive". Whether you buy into the Church's complete teachings (something in the word "dissident" says you don't) or not, you can't possibly tell me that by simply being elected pope, this man will somehow magically change into your ideal leader who will start changing everything to your personal specifications.

The Muslim community will have a number of concerns with this election. - Tariq Ramadan, Muslim theologian

OK, Tariq, like ol' Benny gives a flying fuck about your "concerns". I honestly cannot understand why the BBC even asked your opinion, as you are NOT CATHOLIC. What you think is hardly relevant when it comes to a religious leader whose religion you do not espouse. Try this on for size, pal - The American community has a number of concerns with the jihadist attitude of many Muslims in the world. I'd say you have bigger problems than who just got elected pope, asshole.

I don't think Africa or the Church was really ready for an African pope. - Father Emile Blaser, South Africa

Huh? Do you somehow mean to tell me that if there were a more qualified candidate anywhere in the world, that somehow he would not have been elected on the simple basis that he was from Africa? Cut me a freaking break. Are you sure you want to call your own church racist? You make me sick. If you really felt that way, you would renounce the cloth and join the chorus of left-wing fucknozzles that are out there just decrying everything that makes sense in the world. Maybe you weren't ready for an African pope, but I will proudly say that if the best candidate were African, I'd be standing and cheering just as I am now over another German-heritaged type getting the post. Fuck you and the horse you rode in on.

Cafeteria Catholicism, kumbaya Catholicism just doesn't attract people. - Dr. Sam Gregg, Acton Institute in Rome

Well, DUH! Shouldn't that title "Doctor" have some kind of meaning?? Could the obvious not have been stated just as easily by a 14-year old? Cut me a Break, Dr. Gregg. Even if it did, would it make sense to give in to it? Even your "Kumbaya Catholic" occasionally takes his religion seriously, John Kerry notwithstanding. If you're straying from the Lord a little bit, do you really want a spiritutal leader who will encourage you to stray even further? You should be stripped of your doctorate for that exercise in stupidity.

I think that one of the main focuses for Pope Benedict XVI will be Europe. - John Wilkins, former editor of Catholic newspaper The Tablet

So here we get one stating the obvious. Europe is a spiritual mess right now, and it shows in the way they are handling just about everything you can imagine. From espousing socialism on a continental scale all the way to standing by and watching one of the most spiritual nations on the planet fight off Islamofascist nutweasels without so much as raising a voice in its defense, these people are in dire need of a strong spiritual leader who can enlighten them to the mistakes they have been making for the lion's share of this century. Pope Benedict's native Germany is one of the main culprits. Perhaps he can lead Europe back to its spiritual roots in the same way his predecessor led his own people out of oppression during the Cold War. Germany has incredible potential to be a catalyst for positive change in Europe, and this pope is quite capable of leading Germany and the rest of the world (with or without Europe) into the kind of spiritual peace the Church stands for.

Jews believe that despite his conservative nature, he has the ability to reach out. - Israel Singer, chairman, World Jewish Congress

Umm ... Despite his conservative nature? Are you trying to insinuate that people like Jacques Chirac and John Kerry (who are NOT conservative) have any ability at all to "reach out" to anyone? Cut me a fucking break. Even the most liberal conservatives have more ability to reach out than any typical liberal. Pope John Paul was pretty conservative, and he reached out to the world in ways that no one had before, liberal or conservative. This pope has the ability to "reach out" BECAUSE of his conservative nature. Get with the program.

The new pope will have to address the issue of the place of women in the Church. - Lavinia Byrne, ex nun and supporter of female ordination

Umm .. yeah, right. Tell that to the hoardes of (non ex-)nuns out there and my mother, who's not complaining too much about the place of women in the Church. Instead of whining and complaining about not being able to become a priest, why not simply move on to another religion that is favorable to your views? Lord knows there are plenty of them. No one is forcing you to stay with the Catholic Church. You will not be condemned to eternal damnation in hell for moving on and becoming a minister of another faith. Sounds to me like you are a feminazi looking for an issue to complain about. Just go somewhere friendly to your views and you will be much happier ... until, I imagine, you find something else to bitch about.

I really believe the church is much more than the pontificate in the Vatican. - Leonardo Boff, Brazilian theologian and promoter of "liberation theology"

Yeah, dude, it is. It also happens to be much more than the concept of "liberation theology", which is just another euphemism for socialism and/or communism. Thank God this pope and his predecessor have taken such a strong stand against it. If you were serious about being Catholic, you would forget all about "liberation theology" altogether because it has nothing to do with liberation or theology. It has to do with oppression (communism and socialism) and suppression of religion (atheism). Read anything written by Karl Marx, who put the ideas on paper, and you'll get the idea.

So, out of eight people surveyed, only one had anything even remotely close to the truth to say? The BBC had better get its act together, or it will find itself hanging out with the folks over at CNN and MSNBC. Your inability to even catch a slight nuance of the real truth behind this pope's election is an embarrassment to the concept of journalism. If you don't have an anti-Church bias, your ability to demonstrate such is seriously lacking.

The election of Pope Benedict XVI is a triumph of faith over foolishness. The reaction of the Left to his election is all the evidence I need. Now, in the spirit of the Bavarian tradition ...

PROSIT!

Eins! Zwei! Drei! Sufe!

RWR