White smoke!

I’m praying it isn’t Ratzinger. Isn’t he on the old side for a pope anyway?

Realist.

I’d love for it to be Arinze, but I doubt it. I wonder what his regnal name will be. . . Clement, Innocent, Pius, Leo, Gregory. . . ?

They keep throwing the name Ratzinger out as the new Pope on MSNBC. Why is he considered the forerunner for the position?

Odds are with you:

Joseph Ratzinger (Germany), 2.85:1
Francis Arinze (Nigeria), 4.4:1
Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga (Honduras), 6.2:1
Dionigi Tettamanzi (Italy), 6.4:1
Claudio Hummes (Brazil), 7:1
Carlo Maria Martini (Italy), 11:1

as of yesterday.

If the “Holy Spirit” is guiding the choice, then why isn’t the vote unanimous on the first ballot? Or why doesn’t a thunderous voice say “the new Pope is so-and-so but he’ll go by the name Pope George IXX”?

He was JPII’s right-hand-man for decades, and he’s the leader of the traditionalists in the Church (not that there are a lot of radicals in the Cardinalate…)

And the new Pope is Cardinal Ratzinger!

Ratzinger.

Ratzinger! Told you!

Andit’s Ratty!

I’m not even Catholic and that’s a :rolleyes:. They’re saying god’s not a micromanager, I guess.

So it’s Ratzinger, eh?

It’s Ratzinger, AKA Benedict the 16th.

Benedict 16th

The way this simulpostfest is going, he’ll only be Pope once, for 20 minutes.

Rats. I was hoping for somebody more progressive and modern.

Ratzinger will be Pope Benedict something. Hmmmm.

Well, there goes any bit of respect and affection I still had clinging to the cockles of my heart for the Church…

Nitpick: IXX is not a valid Roman Numeral, AFAICRemember. XIX is 19, XXI is 21.

Ratzinger will be Pope Benedict XVI.

-DF

Pope Benedict XI ne Joseph Ratzinger