Something up with Which I Will Not Put

Ratzinger is, as I see it, a safe choice – he’s European, but he’s not Italian (nor is he Jewish). He is conservative, but probably nowhere near as conservative as the various Latin American candidates. He was close, professionally and personally, to Pope JPII, so there are no radical changes – good or bad – looming. As Michel points out, he has some questionable entries on his CV, but as Bruce counters, these should be taken with a grain of salt.
Most importantly, he’s 78. That’s 20 years older than JPII was when he was elected. Benedict XVI is not expected to last.
He’s the rebound pope.

If Lustiger is elected, will “is the Pope Catholic?” still mean an emphatic ‘yes?’

1. Jean-Marie Lustiger (France) 4 – 1
2. Claudio Hummes (Brazil) 13 – 2
3. Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini (Italy) 7 – 1
4. Joseph Ratzinger (Germany) 7 – 1
5. Francis Arinze (Nigeria) 15 – 2
6. Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga (Honduras) 10 – 1
7. Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Argentina) 10 – 1
8. Dionigi Tettamanzi (Italy) 14 – 1
9. Jose Da Cruz Policarpo (Portugal) 20 – 1
10. Keith O Brien (Scotland) 20 – 1
The latest Paddy Power odds on the Papal election.
As you can see, former favourites like Arinze and Maradiaga have fallen off the top three in favour of Lustiger and Hummes. It’s no surprise that the number three spot is an Italian; after all, as my Mum pointed out, there hasn’t been an Italian pope in over 25 years!
Hummes, who is Brazilian, is the politically correct choice, given that Brazil is home to the largest Catholic population on the planet.
Lustiger is an interesting choice – he is European, which is obviously an advantage in terms of maintaining a Euro-centric upper echelon. On the other hand, he is Jewish by birth – don’t get me wrong, this is not an anti-semetic statement. After all, the central figures of worship in Catholicism, Jesus and the Virgin, were both Jewish. But for generations the Vatican has rejected candidates from places like Africa and South America because these places were ‘converted,’ which means that its Catholics were somehow not the “men of God” that the papacy requires. So, y’know, a Jewish Pope? Personally, I think it’s cool; I’m not sure it would fly with actual practicing Catholics.
On the other hand, some claim that a Jewish Pope is inevitable, according to various prophecies. Some prophecies indicate that the next Pope is the last Pope, too. Interpreters of these prophecies are divided on a few issues, including whether or not John Paul I ‘counts.’ None of the prophecies mention a Scottish Pope, unfortunately 😉
Perhaps it’s sacreligious of me, but I keep picturing Kermit the Frog, trenchcoated and microphone in hand, outside St. Peter’s Basilica…

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the roommate from hell.
via Davezilla

Now that it is an ex-pope, betting has started on his successor. The front-runners so far are an Italian, a Nigerian and a German, which makes it sound like the set-up of a really un-PC joke*.
<<Update, April 6 – the Honduran has come from behind to upset the German!!>>
Also, if you’re looking for more ways to rid yourself of the root of all evil, you can place a bet on the next papal name. Unsurprisingly, the top picks are John, Paul, and John Paul. The odds are definitely against Sixtus, and Urban is also a longshot. Bettors should be aware that “in the event that two names are chosen dead heat rules will apply.”
*perhaps involving a Volkswagen.

Overheard in New York.
Thanks, Vin.

Early morning thinking is overrated.
Here’s the scenario: something wakes me up – a small child, a snoring husband, or demands for attention from a cat who is capable of producing a remarkable amount of noise, given her overall smallness. Despite my best efforts to stay asleep, my brain turns on and random thoughts start to cross my mind. Getting back to sleep becomes more and more hopeless, until I give in and get up.
So here I am, at 5:38 a.m. on a Saturday morning, updating my blog, waiting for the coffee to finish brewing, and watching the Pope die.
A sampling of the random thoughts:
~ Most of us have seen that picture of Terry Schiavo, captured from a family video this summer. Yesterday I saw, for the first time, a picture of her before her brain was damaged. While I do feel for her parents, I still feel that theirs was a hopeless case, and that Ms Schiavo’s death is a release from a non-life. Now that I have seen how beautiful and dynamic she was before, I cannot help but feel a certain amount of outrage that this past decade and a half has only ensured that she will be remembered as a pathetic inhuman lump, rather than a vivacious young woman whose life was cut short.
~ Reading Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons has, as it turns out, been educational. As I keep this morbid Pope-watch, I realize that I now know more about the relevant terminology and ritual that I did a few months ago.
~ Are these guys serious, or what? (Thanks, Irene)
~ If the paper has arrived, it’s not too early to be awake, right?
~ I am not usually a pre-dawn TV watcher. Is this really the kind of advertising that goes on at this hour? Also, can one become a professional musician whose specialty is sad TV muzak?
~ Or a graphic artist whose specialty is TV backgrounds for similarly emotional occasions?