Here's my quick thought on the election of Pope Benedict XVI. As I was discussing with Mr. Korean Air Force guy at the dry cleaners earlier today, I believe that this pope is intended to be a transitional pope. While he has strongly expressed very conservative views on a number of issues, at 78 he is really too old to create much of a legacy for himself. He is there to protect the legacy of John Paul II -- he will continue JPII's policies for the next 5-10 years, and then he'll die and we'll have a new pope. The pope after Benedict XVI will be the one that has the greater impact on the direction of the church.

Of course, now that the prophesy of St. Malachy looks like it's right once again in predicting the election of Benedict XVI, (some folks interpreted the prophesy to mean that this pope would be a Benedictine), the next pope (predicted by St. Malachy to be called "Peter the Roman") will be the last pope, so all hell is (literally) going to break loose anyhow.