::Tuesday, April 26, 2005::
THE GERMAN SHEPHERD
.. According to AP wire reports, Pope Benedict XVI "kiddingly told an audience of German pilgrims Monday that at one point during the conclave he viewed the idea of being elected pope as a 'guillotine,' and he prayed to God to be spared selection." The pope is going out of his way to soften his image by comments that seem to portray him as humbled by the selection. Is it just me or do I smell overkill here? The pope cannot joke his way out of the fact that his election is one of the most political conclaves ever. His conciliatory statements after his election just magnifies the tough statements and sermons he issued which were clearly designed to influence the College of Cardinals. In other words, Cardinal Ratzinger subtly campaigned for the job in violation of the rules set by Pope John Paul II. It was no surprise that he shattered the age old maxim, "He who comes in as pope comes out a cardinal."
