The New Pope

So this morning it was announced that a new Pope has been chosen... I, for one, am so thankful for this. The idea of the world (the Catholic world, I suppose) without a Pope has worried me a bit lately. Okay, more than a bit. I have been praying for a speedy process in this whole thing, and thank goodness... it has happened that way.

When Pope John Paul II died earlier this month, it really shook me. Much more than I could have guess it would, acutally. I kept praying that he wouldn't die when the TV stations were simulcasting from the Vatican as he lay sick; I was afraid of what would happen if the world lost him. But alas, God has a plan and things go the way He sees fit.

So, a new Pope was announced and he has taken the name of Benedict XVI. My hunch is that John Paul II had his eye on this former cardinal so I have faith that he is the best man for the job. But I'm watching the television broadcasts that aired this evening and I'm troubled... They say he is a conservative hard-liner. Ok, so what's new? So was our last Pope and he was loved dearly by millions. But this time, people are saying we needed a younger, more liberal Pope in the position. Are you kidding me? Since when is the Catholic faith about being liberal or lax with the teachings we have followed for so long? You know, this really bothers me. For one, don't people know that each Pope is APPOINTED BY GOD? Yes, there is a conclave, a vote, etc... But it is my belief that God guides these cardinals to make the choice that's appropriate to do His work. How dare we question the choice of a new Pope? How can we think it's ok to do that?

Forgive me for stepping up on my soapbox tonight... It's just something that's on my mind and I feel like I want to vent about this. Of course, I'm no holy person... I'm a sinner just like the rest of the world and I've had my share of big mistakes in my life. But still... I truly believe that we can't stray too far away from the old teachings of the Catholic church (if you are Catholic) and design a new church that will allow us to do some things that we shouldn't be doing, and to do it "without sin" because the church will condone it! RRRRR! How can we just change the doctrine? I truly believe that once we start doing that... We'll be getting ourselves into trouble like we've never imagined.

That's all I have to say about that. Thanks for your tolerance, I usually don't get so serious on my blog.