Kardinal Ratzinger is Papst Benedikt XVI

He was chosen, so let us see what he will contribute. It might not be too bad to have conservative Catholic leader. And I say this as an enlightened, liberal protestant. I appreciate open mindedness but at the same time I appreciate a clear set of values. And this is something Cardinal Ratzinger/Pope Benedikt XVI has stood for.

One should not forget that it is the Catholic Church and not a lifestyle company, which has to catch up any trend to attract costumers. Therefore, the Pope need not be someone who indifferently follows or declares new sets of values. No, actually, I believe that the values set by the Catholic Church must be timeless and should not be changed to accommodate every new development in our modern societies.

I say this knowing that some of the rulings can (or shall I say should) be criticised and might be based on single-sided interpretations of the Holy Bible. I would even be worried, if I would see tendencies of fundamentalism. This is fortunately not yet the case. Furthermore, I believe that religion is a personal issue and that everybody should be free to believe or not.

But I admit, I have the German society in mind, which might not do justice to less open societies, which obviously exist and where the church (the Catholic Church) has a bigger influence. Having this in mind, I should maybe reconsider my opinion…