Spin Dry

Yep. Apparently, that's who the real enemy of the Church is under Pope Ratzo. Not Islam, not child-molesting priests. Nope. The West. Europe and the US specifically, although I hear tell that Ratzo was the favorite choice of the Bushies. Almost makes me wonder whether Karl Rove didn't make a few phone calls...

Here's a quote from this article at ipsnews, datelined last Friday, before the installation of Ratzo:

Ratzinger has said that the real conflict will not come between the Church and Islam, but between the Church and "the radical emancipation of man from God and from the roots of life" that characterizes contemporary Western culture and "leads in the end to the destruction of freedom."

Ratzinger, who is being supported strongly by Camillo Ruini being presented by the Ratzinger group as the next secretary of state of the Vatican government (the Vatican is in many respects like a state) has said that the culture of Europe today "is absolutely the most radical contradiction of Christianity, but also of the religious and moral traditions of the entire humanity."

Ratzinger wants to cleanse the Church of "filthiness", reinforce the doctrinal and moral formation of the clergy, and bring a new missionary campaign. Moves in this direction have already brought a reconciliation with the U.S. administration.

So. A conservative man who, as Cardinal, meddled in US politics and thinks Europe is the big enemy. More of the same theocratic bullshit, as the Church collectively moves backwards yet again.

We can only hope that Ratzo emulates John Paul I as Pope. Unfortunately, I think he's going to turn out to combine the worst aspects of the Borgia Popes, with a big ol' dose ot Toquemada thrown in for fun.