How important is it to the world who the new Pope is?

[Goldmund]

I'm not here to say it is or isn't important. Educate me -- what influence do popes have on world affairs?

For example, so what if it's Ratzinger? How would that manifest itself?

[yvr girl]

1. I think it could make a huge difference

It depends who the Pope is and what his heart issues are. If the new Pope became a strong advocate for the poor in the third world, he could shame the West into helping in a meaningful way.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

2. There would be continued discrimination against gays

There would be continued hostility towards women in the Church
There would be continued hostility towards any form of contraception, EVEN in the face of AIDS. People follow the pope, even if it is a death sentence.

Let's just hope it's not Ratzinger. Even if it's not, all the names they announced were conservative. So I hold out little hope.

[Goldmund]

3. Right, those forms of hostility would be existent in the CHURCH

But outside of it -- how much influence do you think the Vatican really has politically on major players in the world?

[SemiCharmedQuark]

5. It's easier to be a bigot if you have people on your side.

If the Church condemned the unfair treatment of women, gays as well as promoted the use of contraceptives, it would make it harder for Bush to remain as bigoted as he is.

[crispini]

4. The Catholic church has a lot of members.

Those members DO listen to the pope, a lot of them. This in turn affects the governments especially in those areas where a lot of the population is majority Catholic. Abortion, for example, is a big big deal in lots of Latin America.