Reactions to the election of Benedict XVI

The election of the new Pope Benedict XVI has triggered several reactions from the Maltese blogosphere. The non-Catholic MaltaGirl is surprised that Joseph Ratzinger has become Pope Benedict XVI since she wasn't expecting an older, more conservative Pope. Fausto Majistral says he would have preferred a namesake of the apostle of Gentiles and Paul VI with whom Joseph Ratzinger shares the quality of being an intellectual heavyweight. Toni Sant, who declares himself a relativist, says he will become a most devout catholic if the new Pope changes his views on absolute truth. Sharon Spiteri writes that with the election of Joseph Ratzinger as Pope Benedict XVI, what small hope there was for a change in Catholic dogma, has been diminished. Jacques René Zammit quotes Jovanotti on the Vatican but says that a strong church is required to apply the brakes on innovation and development and to keep us aware of our responsibilities to each other and to future generations. Peklectrick is uneasy when people conveniently become profoundly religious after the death of a leader. Finally, Caska quotes reports that state that “according to an interpretation of Nostradamus's prophecies by a leading Colombian author, the pope elected to succeed John Paul II will be assassinated and his death will spark a Muslim invasion of the west that will split the Catholic Church”.

In my opinion, a major task for the Catholic Church is to build better bridges with other religions particularly Islam in view of the growing influence of the Muslim faith in Europe and elsewhere. At face falue, the new Pope does not seem to fit the bill but history shows us that significant developments are often prompted by the most unlikely protagonists. We will see.


Pope Benedict XVI blog with Ratzinger links

What Kind of Man is Pope Benedict XVI? - from Lifesite

German press split over new Pope