Pope Benedict XVI

Today, at approximately 1.55am Japan time, on Wednesday morning, a new pope was announced. I was up and surfing around when the breaking headlines *Cardinals elect new Pope* caught my attention. I didn't expect the cardinals to come to a decision so soon so it was a surprise and of course, I was excited to know who will lead the church in the next few years. So, I was watching the BBC's Live coverage at the Vatican Square when the cardinal arrived at the window to announce the new pope who up till now was a mystery to everyone. And just at the crucial moment when he was about to announce the new pope's name, the screen froze and I couldn't reconnect to the live coverage anymore. It was so frustrating!. So I had to wait patiently for either CNN or BBC ( who were very quick to update their headlines ) to announce the name of the cardinal who was elected Pope. It turned out to be Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who was a leading contender and one of the favourites of the bookies. He chose the name Pope Benedict XVI. Now, I have to admit that I don't know who Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is or any other cardinals for that matter because none of them really stood out in the limelight until Pope John Paul's death. This is a historic moment in the Roman Catholic history ( as were all the other elections ) and I had wish I was there to witness this and the funeral of Pope John Paul.

Pope Benedict XVI is already 78 years old and therefore his papal reign would not be as long as Pope John Paul's. No doubt that his election as Pope would delight some people and at the same time, upset others. He is known to be a man who has strong conservative views. He has inherited a church that had seen troubled times and is still struggling to cope with it. He will lead the world's one billion catholics who are divided between the traditionalists and the reformists. Can he form a bridge between the two? Or push one side away? How will he answer to pressing questions such as the church's stand against abortion, contraception, women's role in the clergy and the sexual abuse scandals that had rocked the church? Will he be as media savvy as his predesessor?

But on the other hand, his reign may be the very thing that the church needs. He is needed as the transition phase for the church. One cannot turn from conservative or traditionalist to modernist overnight. There has to be an adequate transition phase to ensure that any movement towards modernising the church would have enough air to breathe.

Whatever the future holds for the catholic church, we hope that Pope Benedict XVI will be able to guide the church to the best of his abilities. And that may God bless and guide him throughout his reign as Pope Benedict XVI.