April 19, 2005

Reaction to Pope Benedict

Andrew Sullivan isn't happy which probably means Benedict's election is a good thing. He immediately mocks Benedict with the moniker the "Grand Inquisitor."

Professor Bainbridge points out Sullivan is just obsessed with sex.

Michelle Malkin has oodles of links.

Captain Ed: "Benedict XVI's elevation pleases me."

UPDATE: Jonathan Last is collecting Lefty variations on a theme: that Benedict is a radically conservative Pope.

Mark Klimer: "I am not a Catholic, but I feel Christianity strengthened by the refusal of the Catholics to bend and succumb to the whimsy of the secular press."

UPDATE II: Bryan Preston: "One of the things Ratzinger's been called is "God's Rottweiler." Actually that's not too bad. I guess if he had a blog masthead it might actually look a lot like ours at JYB."

Patrick at My View of the World:

Someone please remind the American Media that American Catholics only make up about 7% of the Church and the “problems” they keep focusing on is (married priests, women priests, abortion etc.) are only differences held by a portion of the American Catholics, so it is a tiny percentage of Catholics world wide.

Ace is in total "mock Andrew Sullivan" mode.

Erick Erickson wants to give Pope Benedict a not-so-holy moniker. Much better than Sullivan's "Grand Inquisitor."

UPDATE III: More Patrick from My View of the World:

I think it is terrible that the American media is already criticizing the new Pope in their sly, backhanded way. The only way the American media would have been happy is if they would have selected a religiously weak man. One willing to cave on the things that they, the media, deem important. These “important items” include, but are not limited to birth control / abortion, the role of women in the church, stance on homosexuality & gay marriage, euthanasia, moral relativism etc.

Lakeshore Laments: "It seems to me at least, that the MSM seems to want a Protestant running the Catholic Church."

Patrick Ruffini:

Hours from the white smoke and tolling bells, the debate rages about just what kind of Pope Benedict XVI will be. On one side is mainstream media, with its one-sided, kneejerk portrayal of the "ultraconservative", "doctrinaire" Ratzinger. The tawdry spectacle tonight on CNN and MSNBC reminds me of a political campaign where the task is to define the opponent before he defines himself, and I know a thing or two about what that looks like. We can be sure that had the ideological mirror image of Benedict been elected, gone would be the words "divisive" and "controversial," replaced by fawning labels like "open", "moderate" and "breath of fresh air." We know that the press views itself as an ipso-facto Opposition. If so, is the Holy Father now the enemy?