Well, I decided it's time I blogged again, particularly as a new Pope has been elected.

Thrilled at the choice? Well, no (I am a dirty liberal after all). Dismayed at the choice? No.

I think that I can say that, with the limited knowledge I have, Ratzinger would not have been my choice; but, I am not, after all, a cardinal with the responsibility of choosing a suitable leader for a million people.

I think that those who I would have preferred to Ratzinger would have been Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga, (who has done much for the Latin American Church in particular, as well as being an active figure in campaigning for human rights; he also established the Catholic University in Honduras.) or Cardinal Angelo Scola (he is generally seen as an open-minded conservative, but he's not too bad as far as those conservatives go! He's written numerous books on topics that are very much in many people's concern, and are often topics of public debate, including things such as bio-medical ethics, and is also keen on inter-faith dialogue, particularly with Islam.) or Cardinal Jeorge Mario Bergoglio (although he is also quite a conservative, he is also well known for his commitment to social justice; also, on a more practical level, it is known that he does not live in a palatical bishop's residence, and favours a one-bedroom apartment; he also uses public transport, rather than being chauffer-driven. I also really admire his stance on homosexuality - he reinforces the Church's teaching, but also emphasises the importance of respecting individulas who are gay. He is also known for his compassion towards AIDS sufferers).