Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader sees that his prediction is half-way right. Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was elected by the Cardinal-Electors of the Roman Catholic Church to be Pope. But, he took the name Benedict XVI and not Pius.

Your Maximum Leader knows that this election will be analyized to death over the next days and hours. So before it gets too tiresome let your Maximum Leader offer some of his thoughts.

Your Maximum Leader doesn’t feel that Pope Benedict’s election is a harbinger of doom or ill fortune for the Church. (As others have predicted.) In his prior church duties, Benedict XVI, was a conservative theologian under John Paul II. He may well turn out to be a conservative Pope in the spirit of John Paul II. But remember, if you will, that before John XXIII became Pope he was widely viewed as Pius XII’s theological bull-dog. John XXIII became the greatest reformer Pope in recent memory. It should also be remembered that Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was a key figure during Vatican II.

It is impossible to tell what God has in store for Benedict XVI.

God bless him, and guide him in his way. God bless Benedict XVI.

Carry on.

UPDATE: Welcome to those of you who are coming here on Robbo the Llama Butcher’s recommendation. Here is a Reuters article that seems to imply what your Maximum Leader was just saying.

UPDATE II: Okay, okay already. We all know that Ratzinger ran a very tight ship while Prefect of the Congregation on the Doctrine of the Faith. Yes, yes we all know that he did not tolerate much dissent. And your Maximum Leader thinks we can all surmise that he will not be changing long-held church beliefs on women, gays, or homosexuality. It is also safe to assume he will not be changing any long-held church doctrine on The Resurrection, The Trinity, Transubstansiation, or the Divinity of Jesus. What the hell did people think? Did some of you out there actually think the Cardinals were were going to elect John Kerry or Ted Kennedy Pope? Really now… Benedict XVI, like every other man to become Pope, will be his own man. One can’t really predict what will happen. But no one should act shocked when the man elected Pope appears to fully stand by the teachings of the Church.