Pope Watch 2005: Day 2
April 19, 2005 
That’s the end of Pope Watch 2005. Wasn’t that fast? Two days and we have a new pope!
Most people thought the Cardinal’s conclave would last for at least the 5 days that the last few lasted. But alas, 3 voting sessions and 2 days later, we have a new pope.
And the new pope is (drum roll please…) Cardinal John Ratzinger. A priest since 1951, Ratzinger is the Dean of the College of Cardinals, and considered a staunch-Conservative of the Catholic Church.
He decided to take the name Pope Benedict XVI. Pope Benedict is the first German pope in a thousand years. The rest were mostly Italians, with the exception of the late Polish Pope John Paul II.
Watching the white smoke rise from the chimney and the church bells ringing, I realized that no matter what type of pope Ratzinger turns out to be, he’s the pope for (likely) the next 10+ years.
The crowds cheering as Pope Benedict XVI emerged were ecstatic and hundreds of thousands in number.
So, what is the world’s reaction to the selection of Pope Benedict XVI? There’s a lot of people talking today — about his background and his role as “enforcer” for the Church.
The Chicago Tribune has a fascinating look into Ratzinger’s life and his role in the Church, Pope Benedict XVI’s reputation doesn’t match his personality, many say. We’ll see how he takes on the role of pope.
RELATED: Trey Jackson has the MSNBC video of Pope Benedict XVI emerging on the balcony online.
April 20th, 2005 at 2:51 AM
I think he won’t be around for 20 years–I mean, the guy’s pretty old. Just looked it up–he’s 78. I have a feeling we’ll see another pope well before two decades pass. I hope I’m wrong, of course.
April 20th, 2005 at 4:45 PM
I’ve yet to verify this, as I can only take it as rumor, but was Benedict in some sort of youth Nazi camp when ~14?
April 21st, 2005 at 1:52 AM
Yeah, he was drafted into the Hitler Youth and subsequently deserted. I’d say that was a pretty brave move.
(And no, that doesn’t mean he’s was a nazi, as some ignorant people have been insinuating.)
April 22nd, 2005 at 2:04 PM
Pope Benedict was a member of the Hitler Youth but this was manditory for all boys in Germany. He never attended a meeting. He also was drafted into the German army; but after less then two years he went AWOL and never fired a shot. He risked his life by doing this. His family had to move from their home several times because they refused to support the Nazis. Overall, he seems like a fairly brave guy from a brave family.