Habemus Papam

For Catholics and others, today Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, was elected Pope Benedict XVI.Some of the radio personalities and broadcasters were correct. It appears the College of Cardinals decided against candidates for Pope who were younger and would have a long tenure as Pontiff for the Catholic Church. An elder Pope was selected with the idea of a "transitional" pope. Transitioning from the long legacy of Pope John Paul II and into the 266th Pontiff.

MoreThenCorn had incorrectly predicted a Spanish decent Pope be elected. Reason; The Catholic Church is alive and well among Spanish speaking communities. Mexico, Central/South America these countries on these continents are overwhelmingly Catholic.

It is unknown if consideration was made to Pope Benedicts country of origin, Germany. It is reasonable to conjecture this German Pope will bring change in his tenure for rebuilding the European Catholic faith. Countries such as Germany, France, Belgium and many other Western and Eastern European countries are secular today. Churches are empty, of nearly all faiths.

I visited Germany in 1994. Living near Hanover in Peppinghausen, Germany are the Reasoner/Rosener family. They are my family still in the motherland. I attended church with them at their Lutheran Church in a neighboring town. Even in 1994 it was apparent not only the Catholic Church but all faiths were in decline in once staunchly Christian Europe. In this beautiful and large church which probably could seat many hundreds, there may have been 50 in attendance. It was very surprising to me as a kid of 15 years. My family had been going to church regularly from the time I was about 3 years. It was bizarre to me how Germany, from where the great reformer, Martin Luther had come, was a country in religious decline.

God Bless Pope Benedict XVI.