For the first post in this blog, I?d like to talk a bit about the new Pope. Some have criticized our policies and press releases that have declared the Pope a bad choice for the church, and others have asserted that we should have no opinion, since we are not Catholic.First of all, the choice of the Pope is important to all Americans, indeed most of the world, because of his influence on the world. Just as Europeans have a valid concern about who is the American President, non-Catholics are concerned about the Pope and the 1.3 billion people he influences, including the American political system. Let us not forget that every human in the country has a lower life expectancy today, Catholic or not, because the previous pope used his influence in American policy to stymie stem cell research. Had he chosen a truly pro-life position, science would have progressed faster, and your life expectancy would probably be longer by now. Also, the Pope is the only leader of a religion that is also a leader of a country ? with diplomatic immunity and a seat in the UN. The Pope is the only leader of a country that would dare to preach to us about internal American Politics, and that affects us all.As to the negative press releases, let us remember that the press chooses what parts of what we say to publicize. I was very public “between popes? criticizing JP-2?s divisive behavior and lackadaisical attitude to child-rape, and I stated several times that I hoped the new Pope would be a leader for change, tolerance, and progress. Instead, they chose a Pope with a history of similar attitude to JP-2. Benedict clearly specified Atheists as ?enemies of the church? in his very first speech as Pope.I DID wish them luck, publicly. I DO hope we?re wrong about their choice, and the Benedict can actually help reform the church. However, since the first thing he did was label secular (and gay, and liberal) people as “enemies”, it doesn?t look good.

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