Pope Goes the Ratzinger

My usual policy on blogworthy postings is that they interest me. The story or item need not be necessarily funny, sexy, newsworthy, kinky, scary, or ironic. . .it just has to appeal to me in some way. The reign of Pope Benedict XIV--or that of any Pope--is, generally speaking, completely out of my realm of interest. I'm an atheist, and have been one (or at least agnostic) since I was 14. I find the trappings of religion, the time wasted, the pointless genuflection and spectacle to be mind-numbingly boring, and on par with excessive sports fandom.

But it is newsworthy and noteworthy in a historical perspective. And I think it is getting increasingly anachronistic, and notably so. This Pope was no where near as popular as the last one, and looked like a cross between a Batman villain (60s TV version) and Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars. He was once a Nazi Youth (whether he had a choice or not), and figures in the Catholic Church pedophilia coverup scandal. The further we are removed from the overly religious trappings of 20th, 19th, 18th and earlier centuries, the more ridiculous the pomp an circumstance of the Vatican and the Papacy seems.

The recent HBO documentary, Mea Maxima Culpa--a deconstruction of the complicity of the Catholic Church with pedophilia coverups--just may have something to do with Ratzinger's almost unprecedented resignation. And that, friends, interests me.

[Excerpt]

Pope Benedict Sex Abuse Cover-Up? Papal Resignation Prompts Speculation

With Pope Benedict XVI's shocking announcement that he will resign from his office Feb. 28, making him the first pontiff to do so in almost six centuries, speculations and rumors are swirling as to why the pope has chosen to step down. . .

Read more at: Huffington Post