BBC: Pope Benedict XVI in his own words

So there's a new Pope and he used to run the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (linked by some to the Inquisition), a position his friend John Paul II appointed him to. My first reaction however was not dissatisfaction with the Roman Catholic Chruch's choice for a leader, not even disappointment that Latin America and indeed non-Europeans had missed out again - my first reaction was disappointment with the media. Normally when something big like this happens the press have plenty of information to report up front and it's only after the initial story has sunk in that people start working angles and grinding axes.

Not so this Pope, there was no brief media honeymoon, no fact finding period, it was straight to attack-dog mode:

"He was known as ... GOD'S ROTTWEILER," screamed the cover of London's Daily Mirror yesterday, announcing the news that conservative German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger had been chosen to head the Roman Catholic Church. "Now he is ... POPE BENEDICT XVI." That led to an inside spread headlined "The Panzer Cardinal."

The Sun, another popular Brit tabloid, wasn't much more reverent. It described the new pope as an "ex-World War II enemy soldier" who "manned a German anti-aircraft battery - before deserting." And in Israel, the popular daily Yediot Ahronot went with "White Smoke, Black Past: From the Nazi youth movement to the Vatican."[1]

With that kind of slanted blast coming upfront in mainstream reporting of the new Pope, my reaction is not to pass any kind of judgement on him but simply to reflect on the dogmatism and anti-Christian bigotry of the mainstream press. The alternative of course is to report him in his own words which the BBC News managed to slip in among the bile. Reading that rather than the carefully selected barbs of the most extreme leftists of the Catholic church, he is indeed conservative, and holds a number of positions I'd disagree with, but he's certainly not Jerry Falwell or Fred Nile. He doesn't unequivocally affirm the doctrines of the Sydney Morning Herald but he states his position respectfully and carefully and has clearly thought through the issues.

Moreover, the fact that the Catholic church hasn't appointed a radical immediately after John Paul II actually makes sense. As a few of the more cluey journos have pointed out, what the cardinals wanted was a 'transitional' Pope. Someone to simply hold the course. Why? Because John Paul II was considered in many ways quite radical and because his reign was so long he has left quite a strong personal mark. If a brash young Pope replaced him the conflict between his personality and the JPII's legacy could be quite explosive. Benedict XVI is 78!! If he only lives as long as JPII he'll only last 7 years. That's why the appointment could be made so quickly, and that's why he's not a vigorous young revolutionary.

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