OK so this was not a surprise

I had lunch yesterday with my daughter in LA - before a meeting at USC. She asked me if I liked the new "reactionary" pope. As noted earlier, I think he looks like a good choice - a bright and thoughtful person. We had a discussion about the "Bush conspiracy" that then Cardinal Ratzinger created by suggesting that democrat politicians who try to split their theology (be a catholic for the voters but do not live by the major ideas of the church) are ineligible to receive the sacraments.

Emily wanted the formerly french looking John F. Kerry (my what a remarkable parallel - do you think? John F from Massachusetts????) to win and was surprised that he did not. Kerry, and several other catholic democrats, want to have it both ways. Catholic doctrine suggests that a) catholics should value life and b) oppose abortion. That doctrine is pretty clear. But those politicians argue that while they are personally opposed to abortion they cannot oppose it in their public role. The church merely suggested that if you want to be a member or our group - you have to agree to some rules - including the tenet on abortion. If Kerry and others disagree with the doctrine they can easily opt out to become a methodist or episcopalian or even a buddhist. But they want to have their cake and eat it too.

What has amazed me is how quickly the dispersion of an idea can happen - with the LA Times in place it is small wonder what opinions my daughter would have on the new pontiff. But the immediate and vehement reaction to his background and ideas by those who believe in the relativism that Cardinal Ratzinger criticized in his homily at one of JPIIs funeral masses was not a surprise.