Pope's new policies

By Editorial

White smoked filled the air last Tuesday in front of the St. Peter's Square, signaling to the world that a new pope had emerged. Cardinal Joesph Ratzinger of Germany, a 78-year-old strict doctrinal conservative, was the pick from 115 cardinal electors.

But the pick wasn't popular with everyone--in particular, with socially progressive Catholics in places such as Europe and the United States.

Some ask: what about birth control and the ordination of women? Others either want a pope inclined to modernization or one who would uphold the church doctrine in a less strict way.

While the pick might seem controversial for some, it is our hope that the rifts dividing ideologies are dealt with in a positive manner by the church.

Ratzinger, who has been described as a transitional pope, probably will not have the long reign Pope John Paul II had--a reign shaped by influential appeal to the church and its constituents around the world.

Regardless of this fact, we think this papacy should focus on pertinent issues separating and dividing the world.

We hope the new pope will find ways to bring attention to the impoverished, especially in regions of Latin America and in Africa, where many Catholics reside. Instead of touring the socioeconomically-secure places in the world, the pope should visits those places infested with diseases such as HIV/AIDS--places that are often shunned by world leaders.

Bringing attention to modern genocides, such as in Darfur, and to the inhumanity of war would serve as a platform for more change than ideology could ever bring about.

While the modernization of the papacy would seem to be in tune with the transitions of the world, it is more important to find ways to alleviate the current crises that threaten peace throughout.