“The election of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as Pope comes as an enormous disappointment for all those who hoped for a reformist and pastoral Pope.
“But we must wait and see, for experience shows that the role of the Papacy in the Catholic Church today is so challenging that it can change anyone. Someone who enters the conclave a progressive cardinal can emerge as a conservative (such as Montini – Pope Paul VI), and someone who enters the conclave a conservative cardinal can, indeed, emerge as a progressive (Roncalli – Pope John XXIII).”
Küng goes on to discuss which first signals from the new pope will be important, and the problems which were not tackled by his predecessor.
There are others who are not happy with the outcome of the election.
Reuters “South Africa’s Tutu Disappointed at Pope Choice”
The Scotsman “Bishop [of Oxford] Denounces New Pope’s Election”
The Telegraph, in “Pope Benedict offers olive branch to critics” carries all three criticisms.
The Times reports that the pope’s elder brother is not happy either.
Bishop of Oxford’s welcome:
” I think one can quite properly ask whether a 78-year-old West European male is the best person….”
What a pleasant, ecumenical Christlike welcome to the new Pope! Quite a tirade, espcially from a liberal bishop! Ageist, racist, and sexist comment in one sentence!
The Rev Richard Thomas, a spokesman for the Oxford Diocese, told the Press Association that Bishop Harries saw the appointment of Cardinal Ratzinger as an opportunity missed by the Catholic Church to bolster its relationship with the Anglican Church
The Anglican Church has deliberately adopted policies which puts further distance between itself and the RC church. Seems these are the missed opportunities, the deliberate errection of roadblocks in the name of modernity.
Somewhat mild, I would say.
How about ‘We regret the election of this outdated bigot, and trust it will put to bed the ridiculous idea of ‘unity’ until the RC church abandons its repressive dogmas’?