We have a German Pope.
How wonderful! Less higgledy-piggledy and more Teutonic efficiency ought to be expected. This makes me happy.
I find his choice of Papal title enlightening: Pope Benedict XVI. Saint Benedict was the creator of the Benedictine Rule. Benedict’s Rule set out a way of living through prayer and discipline that would allow anyone to live the life of the Gospels. I’ve read the rule summarized as “Pray and Work.”
Together with reports of the new Pope’s former responsibilities and general bent I take this to mean he’ll dedicate his papacy to restoring the foundation of the Church. Hopefully, there will be less compromise and more instruction on duty. John Paul II had abrogated his responsibilities in this department by the end of his life, preferring to spread the Word and make himself a known quantity to the world.
I’m looking forward to Pope Benedict. Much of the world, I am sure, is not. There’s no doubt it will be a time of choosing. Which side will we all end up on?