HABEMUS PAPAM

Ratzinger!!!

Benedict!!

(Chris Blosser....Get a new server, friend!)

O'Brien: I'm surprised by the choice, ande surprised by the name..Bendict the 15th was a Pope who was a moderate and tried to bring the Church together. There is going to be a lot of shocked reaction to this election..but I think in fairness to the new Pope, he needs to have time to establish himself. The office itself can transform the holder. Cites Romero.

Comments

[Gerard E.]

SEHR GUT! VUNDERBAR!

[Laura Brown]

You got it online before CNN or the BBC! :-)

[biz]

Crying tears of JOY!
Pope Benedict 16th! (sp)

[deb]

Who would have guessed!

[Kathleen]

Thank God!!!

[Mark Kasper]

May the good Lord's servant have a long and influential papacy.
------
The German's come through...although I have to admit that I am relieved it wasn't my uncle Cardinal Kasper.

Mark Kasper

[John Gibson]

WHOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

Thank God!

[Christine]

Danke sei Gott! Forgive me, but in the spirit of this wonderful news I just had to give thanks in the Holy Father's native tongue.

I am thunderstruck and grateful beyond words.

[biz]

::rolls eyes:: - of course: XVI !

[Pedrito]

O'Brien said this just yesterday:
"If Cardinal Ratzinger were really campaigning for pope, he would have given a far more conciliatory homily designed to appeal to the moderates as well as to the hard-liners among the cardinals."

"I think this homily shows he realizes he's not going to be elected. He's too much of a polarizing figure," McBrien said. "If he were elected, thousands upon thousands of Catholics in Europe and the United States would roll their eyes and retreat to the margins of the church."

So much for O'Brien being an "expert".

[John Heavrin]

I'm delighted that my hunch was wrong...sto lat, Benedict XVI!

For those who feared a Ratzinger papacy: Benedict will at times surprise and at times disappoint both those who are elated in this moment, and those who are disappointed in this moment. Viva il Papa!

[Leslie Fain]

Hooray!! My family and I are so excited we are going out to eat tonight.

[Lisa Williams]

I am so sad. I can't imagine following this man. I'm heartbroken.

And probably all of you will attack me.

[biz]

It is said that ...the minute the doors opened for the announcement, the sun broke through.

Shining down on the crowds

Viva il Papa!

[CMick]

Hooray for Benedict! I'm relieved I can name a child this name!

And Lisa-
WHY? He is awesome.

[Christine]

No Lisa, I don't think anyone here will attack you. I'm sorry you don't share our joy but perhaps time will change your mind. I think the public will find in time that this new Pope has many gifts to share.

[amy]

Lisa -

You follow Christ, not a human being. Read the homily he preached yesterday, about the mercy and love of God. Eyes on Christ - it's what he wants,

And no one here will attack you. Or else they'll be banned.

[deb]

Pedrito-- we will yet see if they will leave the church; but I'm pretty sure some are rolling their eyes.

I do hope people give him time to establish himsefl in the Spirit as the Church's leader (as was said above).

[Alan K. Henderson]

I said this in the earlier post on the EJ Dionne column:

"Dionne hasn't considered the possibility that the votes against Ratzinger could have been motivated largely by a desire for him to continue in his position as enforcer of orthodoxy and befuddler of clueless journalists."

Well, there goes that theory :-)

[Patrick Rothwell]

Dionne won't live that column down for a while.

[Lynn]

Viva il Papa!

[TiaKay]

Yay! What joy, we have a new pope!

[Colleen]

I cried with joy and my kids didn't even make fun of me.

Pope Benedict XVI, may God be with you.

[Pedrito]

deb,
Agreed, many are rolling their eyes (at least those who are paying attention). But I can't help but think people like O'Brien were hoping deep down for a very different outcome.

And that makes me sad to know there are so many "catholics" so opposed to orthodoxy.

[Mark Windsor]

HUZZAH!
HUZZAH!
HUZZAH!

[Christopher Rake]

Well, may God bless you, Lisa, and may I beg that you keep an open heart, and that we all keep open hearts for each other.

[Lynn]

Thank you,Amy. You took the words right out of my mouth.

[John Farrell]

Not two minutes ago an exec here at the office looked over my colleague's shoulder at the news on the Web and said, "Hmmph. He's the guy in charge of the Inquisition. And wasn't he in the Hitler Youth?"

Fellow Catholics, prepare for the mudslinging.
Sheesh....

[John Heavrin]

Lisa, remember that he is Peter, and remember that he will often disappoint the elated, and surprise the disappointed. Not just a platitude.

I beg you, please follow, no matter the bitter disappointments you experience.

[Colleen]

Lisa, read what he has written and said... don't rely on the newspapers and the pundits. He is a good and holy man.

[Don Boyle]

Ignatius Press is gonna sell a LOT of books.

[thomas tucker]

Thanks Be to God!

I hope all the anti-Ratzinger folks out there realize that their image of him is media hype and spin, not much better than the stuff you read in People magazine. Give him a chance!

[Sally]

http://www.bibleprobe.com/last10popes.htm

The Name "Benedict"....does it have to do with the fulfillment of this prophecy? The Glory of the Olives....

from another site--

http://66.218.71.225/search/cache?p=The+Glory+of+the+Olive&sm=Yahoo%21+Search&toggle=1&ei=UTF-8&u=www.catholicplanet.com/articles/article41.htm&w=glory+olive&d=587993027A&icp=1&.intl=us

"There is some merit to this idea. But it does not mean that this Pope will come from the Order of St. Benedict, but rather that he will take the name of Saint Benedict and will live in imitation of him."

Very...interesting....

[B Knotts]

Someone check and see if any American chanceries have imploded.

[Rosemarie]

+J.M.J+

Well, the Holy Ghost proved me wrong. I said just yesterday on a thread below that I like Ratzinger, believe he would make a fine pope but didn't think the cardinals would vote for him.

But I'm glad they did. Viva Il Papa!

It will be a little difficult getting used to calling him by his new name, though. I'm so used to calling him Cardinal Ratzinger.

I wonder what's going on at the Ratzinger Fan Club? :-)

In Jesu et Maria,

[John Heavrin]

Perhaps Fr. McBrien is correct...I would certainly defer to his expertise regarding "the margins of the church."

[Bob Kunz]

I am shocked.

Shows how the local zeitgeist can make it impossible to see.

[Glenn]

Papa-razzinger may be the new Pope ..but..at the announcement there was NOT the expected explosion of joy expected by the crowds ( I was there in '78 ) ..most were hoping in an alternative .. anyone but Ratzinger. The voices in the Italian announcers on all TV channels were stunned and of disbelief.. here.. most were hoping for a non-Italian Pope.. I heard no favourable comments anywhere about Ratzingers candidacy..and I have been riddled with sms's that express total delusion. I am glad for those that found joy in this .. but a more divided Church has emerged.

G. ( in Italy )

[ben]

Deo Gratias!

[thomas tucker]

And, as a true American, I'll say that the maneuvering for the next conclave starts right...about......now.

[Christine]

"So much for O'Brien being an "expert"."

Note to self: please bake up fresh quantity of humble pie, forward to R. McBrien c/o University of Notre Dame.

[Eileen R]

Glenn's revealed he's living in some other alternate universe. All of the rest of us heard the roar of the crowd and the chanting, saw the people jumping up and down and waving flags.

[Lisa]

John Ferrell:

The exact same thing happened to me -- as I was in the break room watching CNN, a fellow came in, noticed my extremely joyful disposition, and proceeded to say, "Great, a conservative and a memeber of the Nazi Youth -- I'm sure he'll be a great pope."

I'm thrilled it's Ratzinger!! Yay! What an awesome guy!!

[WRY]

Gott sei danke!

I've forgotten my college German, so let's say it the way we say it down South:

Yeeeeeeee Haaaaaaaaaa!

[Yvonne]

PRAISED BE JESUS CHRIST!!!

Tears of Joy my soul cries out!!!

Cleaning my house to make sure its in order! Guessing this is going to happen in our beloved Roman Catholic Church!

STO LAT Benedict XVI!!! Viva la Papa!

[Christine]

"but a more divided Church has emerged."

And if an extreme liberal had been elected, we would still have been left with a divided Church.

May the Holy Spirit guide us all in the coming days to unite us in true Christian charity.

[Minneapolis Guy]

Deo Gratia!

Gott Sei Dank!

I do believe God has looked with favor upon his church this day.

[Rosemarie]

+J.M.J+

Sally: Yeah, but that site also predicts:

"There is another Saint Benedict, a well-known Saint called Saint Benedict the Black (il moro santo, the holy Moor). Pope Benedict XVI will also be like Saint Benedict the Black. Pope Benedict XVI will be a black man, like Saint Benedict the Moor."

So they got the name right, but not the skin color....

In Jesu et Maria,

[Loren Z]

Habemus Papam!

Praise the Lord and God bless Pope Benedict VI!

[Linas]

Andrew Greeley's take on Cardinal Ratzinger from this morning's Daily Southtown

http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/columns/greeley/x19-grd1.htm

Read it before making comments

[Father Wilson]

What a gift. What a tremendous gift.

St Benedict: patron of Europe,and a foundational contributor to the spiritual tradition of the Western Church. EVERY religious order of the Church has been deeply affected by the legacy of Benedict. Western culture, the Western democratic tradition rest on his legacy as well.

This is an awesomely hopeful day. I'm getting a German wine for tonight and we're celebrating (well, my pastor won't be celebrating. But his curates will put the dog on).

Gaudeamus igitur!!! Habemus papam.

[WRY]

NY Times lede (according to Web page):

"Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who served as John Paul II's hard-line defender of church doctrine, was elected on the second day of the conclave."

Actually, it is NOT the lede when you call up the story. They plucked that graph out of the middle of the story to frame it the way they wanted, evidently.

The real lede:

VATICAN CITY, April 19 - Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected pope today, taking the name Benedict XVI, after the tolling of bells rang out over St. Peter's square and white smoke drifted from a Sistine Chapel chimney signaling that the cardinals meeting for a second day had chosen a new leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

The new pope then appeared on a balcony overlooking the square as thousands cheered below.

[John Heavrin]

Maybe he's from the Black Forest, Rosemarie...

[Tim Ferguson]

God bless and protect our pope, Benedict XVI, ad multos, gloriosque annos!

[Sydney Carton]

New York Times news aritlcle says: "He has been described as conservative, and as the current Dean of the College of Cardinals he is widely respected for his uncompromising if ultraconservative principles and his ability to be critical."

So he's uncompromising, ultraconservative, and critical. That's all that they really need to know, apparrently.

[john hearn]

Two pillars, here we come!

[Christine]

"where he waved to a wildly cheering crowd of tens of thousands and gave his first blessing as pope."

Wildly cheering crowd, says MSNBC. That's M-S-N-B-C, considered part of the mainstream media.

[Kathleen]

May he live to be 100!!

[Glenn]

Another universe indeed...

Ratzinger had 35 confirmed votes before yesterday's homily ( this was made public ) .. and was heavily favoured..

Most here are very dissappointed I can guarantee you that.

Time will tell.. ? G

[Kevin Jones]

"I am so sad. I can't imagine following this man. I'm heartbroken."

No attacks necessary, especially since your comment is honest and not snide at all. I was a bit scared that the next pope would be somebody I wouldn't like, and though I do quite like Ratzinger, I can quite empathize with your trepidation.

One thought: Isn't the idea of "following" the pope a bit misleading? One of his titles is "Servant of the Servants of God." One must, of course, obey his magisterial teachings, but one can still pull a Catherine of Sienna and tell him he's doing a bad job. Just make sure you're close to Catherine of Sienna quality first; not everybody's a St. Catherine.

[Christine]

"where he waved to a wildly cheering crowd of tens of thousands and gave his first blessing as pope."

Wildly cheering crowd, says MSNBC. That's M-S-N-B-C, considered part of the mainstream media.

[Mark Kasper]

The happiness here at the election of Pope Benedict XVI is truly a historically unexpected moment.

For nearly two decades, we have been subjected to the most vituperous treatment of Cardinal Ratzinger, the most grim photos, denigration due to his German and Teutonic heritage, the hatred of a churchman possessing an undying love of fidelity to the faith.

It is amazing how the grace of God works. For over 20 years, the slings and insults of many have been directed at Cardinal Ratzinger. It is truly remarkable that the most hated man in the Catholic Church could one day be Pope.

It is somewhat, but just barely, reminiscent of a condemned Galilean criminal that could one day be proclaimed as Lord of Heaven and Earth.

[Peggy]

Lisa,
Try following Christ, then, and see what happens. God bless you.

[Donald R. McClarey]

Benedict? The name is significant. Benedict XV preached peace throughout World War I and was villified by both sides. I think the name choice shows a determination to preach the Gospel of Christ, no matter the personal cost. May our Pope have a successful and long reign, and may all Catholics rally to him as the Vicar of Christ.

[Victor Morton]

At Mr. Blosser's site right now:

Service Temporarily Unavailable
The server is temporarily unable to service your request due to maintenance downtime or capacity problems. Please try again later.
Apache/1.3.31 Server at www.ratzingerfanclub.com Port 80

Whoda thunk it?!?!?! Pope Hardass the First. Not even his bandwidth-lacking fans apparently.

[SiliconValleySteve]

I'm over the moon.

[meep]

I'm smiling so big, my face hurts. I am so happy.

This is most excellent. And I'm glad we won't have that hole in the Eucharistic Prayer we've had these past couple weeks.

"...together with Benedict, our Pope..."

[Santanya]

Zeig Heil, Pope Benedict XVI of Germany. Catholics goosestep forward with you into glorious future.

[William Bloomfield]

You can't argue with the Holy Spirit.

Long Live Pope Benedict XVI!

[James Kabala]

I want to be happy but fear a public relations nightmare. The very first person I mentioned the news to (not a Catholic) said, "Jesus, a former member of the Hitler Youth." I tried to defend Ratzinger by saying that membership was compulsory (he got me good by interjecting, "Not for Jews.") and that the fault for not being a resister would lie with his parents, not with him. His reply was, "He was eighteen; he was already studying for the priesthood." I did not know what to say in return, but an AP article today, which I had not yet read at the time, contradicts this claim by saying that Ratzinger left the Hitler Youth at fourteen. Where can I get a complete, unbiased account of the truth?

[Misty]

I'm a member of a protestant church (hey, I've only been a Christian for about 2.5 years now, don't know what I'm doing yet :), and the initial reaction of my husband's family is disappointment at the news of Pope Benedict. What they are hearing is that this new Pope is known for thinking that Protestant churches are 'false churches' (from a Reuters article). I think they are refering to the Dominus Iesus declaration--that will probably cause a lot of fresh criticism of the former Cardinal.

I've been trying to get my very-protestant family to recognize that the Catholic church isn't all bad, but it'll be even more of an uphill battle now.

God bless!

[Cathleen]

"...together with Benedict, our Pope..."

What a lovely ring that has!

[Rich]

Great. God's Rottweiler, the Panzer Pope. Maybe we will be able to plow earth over this pedophile producing organization of delusion decades ahead of schedule !

[Rod Dreher]

Joy, joy, joy! I am going to drink German beer with friends late into the night, and raise many glasses to the glorious Benedict! Help is on the way

I do believe this will result in a more divided church, but I welcome that as long as it is divided for truth.

[Mark Windsor]

Those of you having problems with the selection of Ratzinger as pope keep one thing in mind:

It can't be overstated that much of his image is media hype.

Read one of his books and you'll see. Don't trust the media spin on this as he is exactly what the media won't like.

[Cornelius AMDG]

James,

I don't know the whole story, but he's 78 years old, born around 1927. He wouldn't have been 18 until around 1945.

[Hunk Hondo]

I've got a nice Rheingau Auslese that I've been saving up for a special occasion. Tonight's the night. Prosit!

[Ed]

Hooray ! My Weltanschaung has improved 100 per cent !

Wir lieben unseren Pabst !

[Christine]

"Zeig Heil, Pope Benedict XVI of Germany. Catholics goosestep forward with you into glorious future."

Hey, Dude, at least spell it right -- it's "Sieg" not "Zeig" and thanks for the ethnic stereotyping. I'm going to send up some prayers to Hildegard of Bingen on your behalf.

[mizznicole]

SLAVA BOGU!!!!!

[Sydney Carton]

Santayna, you smear all Germans by your remark.

I'm overflowing with happiness at this moment now. Anyone who is not, however, should try to abstain from hate.

[Maria Ashwell]

Glory be to God!

[Emily]

I unexpectedly burst into sobs of joy when he was announced and like Colleen, my 16-year-old son sitting by me did not roll his eyes. What a blessing to join in this moment with my son.

[Sydney Carton]

Heh. I just heard this joke elsewhere: Does this mean that the Pope's nickname is now the German Shepard?

:)

[Greg]

As a Traditionalist attending the indult mass, I couldn't be happier. Strangley enough I believe Ratzinger was not made a Cardinal by JP2. One of the very few in that conclave who were not.

[Christopher Blosser]

Don't fret. As you can imagine, the entire world wants to know who this Cardinal is (if they don't already).

I'm working on upgrading the bandwidth, but the changes may not go into effect for 24 hours, so you might have to wait to access the site.

I apologize. I really should have anticipated this. But then, who knew? -- A hearty congratulations to Pope Benedict XVII.

Habemus Papam!!!!!!!!!!

[David R.]

At cruxnews.com they reprinted an article from the Jerusalem Post debunking the Hitler Youth charge in short order.

http://www.cruxnews.com/articles/ratzinger-18april05.html

[Dave Mueller]

Misty,
I don't think you need worry. Pope Benedict will not hold a different position on non-Catholic Christians than did Pope John Paul II. Cardinal Ratzinger has gotten a bad rap in the media and among the liberal fringe, but he is a very humble man, and like all Popes, will follow Church doctrine.

I say all this as a convert to Catholicism. For all of you naysayers, read some of Cardinal Ratzinger's works. His brilliance of thought and humility shine through.

If you do not want to follow Benedict XVI, then it is Jesus Christ you have a problem with, not Cardinal Ratzinger. The Pope is simply going to be a conservator of the truth passed down from Jesus Christ through the Apostles.

[singaporesling]

Glen is a liar.

The crowd went crazy.

They are still there.

Glen is a liar.

He should be banned from this board.

We all saw with OUR OWN EYES THE CROWDS CHEERING AND YELLING "BENEDICT"

You are a liar Glen and should not spread your lies on a board like this.

Go say a prayer and go to confession.

[Dave Mueller]

True, Sydney!

He is no longer God's Rottweiler, but instead God's German Shepherd!

[WRY]

Ratzinger has made favorable comments about reunion with the Orthodox. In his "Principles of Catholic Theology" he wrote,

"On the question of reunion between East and West

"How, then, are the maximum demands to be decided in advance? Certainly, no one who claims allegiance to Catholic theology can simply declare the doctrine of primacy null and void, especially not if he seeks to understand the objections and evaluates with an open mind the relative weight of what can be determined historically.
"Nor is it possible, on the other hand, for him to regard as the only possible form and, consequently, as binding on all Christians the form this primacy has taken in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
"The symbolic gestures of Pope Paul VI and, in particular, his kneeling before the representative of the Ecumenical Patriarch were an attempt to express precisely this and, by such signs, to point the way out of the historical impasse.
"Although it is not given us to halt the flight of history, to change the course of centuries, we may say, nevertheless, that what was possible for a thousand years is not impossible for Christians today. After all, Cardinal Humbert of Silva Candida, in the same bull in which he excommunicated the Patriarch Michael Cerularius and thus inaugurated the schism between East and West, designated the Emperor and people of Constantinople as "very Christian and orthodox", although their concept of the Roman primacy was certainly far less different from that of Cerularius than from that, let us [page 199 begins here] say, of the First Vatican Council.
"In other words, Rome must not require more from the East with respect to the doctrine of primacy than had been formulated and was lived in the first millennium. When the Patriarch Athenagoras, on July 25, 1967, on the occasion of the Pope's visit to Phanar, designated him as the successor of St. Peter, as the most esteemed among us, as one also presides in charity, this great Church leader was expressing the essential content of the doctrine of primacy as it was known in the first millennium. Rome need not ask for more. Reunion could take place in this context if, on the one hand, the East would cease to oppose as heretical the developments that took place in the West in the second millennium and would accept the Catholic Church as legitimate and orthodox in the form she had acquired in the course of that development, while, on the other hand, the West would recognize the Church of the East as orthodox and legitimate in the form she has always had."

[Christine]

"Does this mean that the Pope's nickname is now the German Shepard?"

Heh, I like!

[Maclin Horton]

I'm too busy to really absorb this today but I don't think I could be more pleased, and not much more surprised. Thanks be to God.

[Zhou De-Ming]

It was one of those strange mornings...my wife dropped me off early at the train station so she could go to 9am Mass. I was early, so I decided to stop for an espressor before catching the train. The barista had my espresso ready when I realized....no wallet....no money....no train ticket....no ATM or credit cards. After Mass, my wife was going to the gym. So, I begged the barista to lend me bus fair from her tip jar (and she did), I drank my espresso on the way to the bus, and hopped off the bus across my our local parish Church, finding my wife just moments before Mass started. She had already been praying in the chapel, and was willing to take me home to get my wallet and back to the train.

On the way we heard the news in the car, about 9:15am Pacific Daylight Time. So then we had to pull over and wait to find out who was the new Pope. When we found out it was Cardinal Ratzinger, we cheered! When we found out he took the name Benedict XVI, we cheered louder!

I was amazed that the NPR radio folks did not understand the Italian/Latin, and they dropped the ball on the announcement of Benedict XVI. Almost immediately Sylvia P. of NPR started the "doctrinnaire" and "rigid" critique of our new Holy Father, saying that many American Catholics will be disappointed. What else from NPR?

So I finally caught my train to work, late but all smiles and rejoicing!

[Christine]

This is the day the LORD has made,
let us rejoice and be glad in it.

And to think, I just defended then-Cardinal Ratzinger this morning before I knew he would be the next Pontifex Maximus...

[Cheryl]

Danke shoen, Holy Spirit! (I'm sure I misspelled that).

I wish I had one of those Ratzinger Fan Club/Putting the Smackdown on Heresy..) tee-shirts to wear out to dinner tonight!

I am so glad more people were able to see and hear him during the masses for Pope John Paul II (I think it demystified his grand inquisitor reputation a bit). I think that homily Amy posted reveals much about the man.

[Dale Price]

Benedict--there's another statement in that. Remember who the last Benedict succeeded.

Subtext: "I am following a Saint."

[Bob Kunz]

>Help is on the way.

I'm especially happy for Rod. Way to hang in there. Of course, we're only mid-journey.

[James Freeman]

Brats, Beck's Dark and sauerkraut for the house! I was yelling like I did when LSU beat Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl last year.

The dog was confused, having seen no sign of a college football game on the television.

[Leslie Fain]

I just went to mass, and our bishop said not to believe the reports you hear in the media. He said that Ratzinger is very gentle and humble.

Lisa, our bishop also said not to view this as a victory for one side or another, that the Bishop of Rome is on the side of the Gospel.

I am really excited about Ratzinger, but I had braced myself for someone being named that I wasn't so crazy about.

I will pray you grow to love this Pope!