The New Pope

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany became the new Pope today and will take the name of Benedict XVI. While at first glance Pope Benedict XVI appears to be too conservative for my taste, I will take a wait and see approach before having a concrete opinion on him. Back in 1958, the Catholic Church selected a conservative, Pope John XXIII, who was seen as nothing more than a transitional figure. But during his tenure, he called the Second Vatican Council, which brought important changes to the Church such as allowing Mass to be done in languages outside of Latin. Thus, it would premature to call this selection as an endorsement of the status-quo.