the mailman and the pope

I'm not Catholic. The selection of John Ratzinger as the Pope disturbed me. A white old man from Germany? The name has surfaced several times recently as a possible successor to John Paul. When I first heard the name, "Huh? He's gone from the mailman who lives with his mother to the Vatican?". Oh. The other John Ratzinger.

The second I saw "Conservative" I despaired. I didn't really want to read his biography and works. A blurb caught my attention: "John Ratzinger divided the German Catholics". Ooo. His stern views about birth control, priests not to wed, women not to be ordained, sent moderate German Catholics running to the Alps. Ratzinger was revered by the more conservative Catholics.

My initial impressions of John Ratzinger as Benedict XVI:

Birth control. Women in many poor African nations averages 7 births (old research) and the pre natal care sucks. Population explosion and endless diseases and pediatric ailments.

Politics. Bush and the Conservatives. Need I say more?

Priest scandals. How will Ratzinger handle the so called celibate priests? I saw somewhere that he absolutely opposes priests to marry. Women ordained? Blasphemy!

I am wary of how Ratzinger would advocate and implement his beliefs. A progressive Pope would've been welcome.