And the winner is... Cardinal Josef Ratzinger as Pope Bendict XVI!

Cheesy Monty Python Announcer: "and so a big hand for His Holiness! Over to you Holy Father..."

I shouldn't be so flippant really. On the one hand the election of the new Pope will have very little impact upon the Church of England - for example I can't see Pope B XVI changing the declaration on the invalidity of Anglican Orders in the sight of Rome. On the other, however, I do know of Anglican clergy who would openly admit that they take orders from Rome as having a higher priority than anywhere else (implicitly Canterbury).

And any of the more revisonist tendencies in the Anglican Communion will find no support from him (although I doubt that they would have expected any, either!)

Do I have any pearls of wisdom on this? Not really, I have to admit. And even while I am highly unlikely to ever leave the Church of England for Rome, the election of Cardinal Ratzinger as Pope would have little impact (at present) on my thoughts.

I wonder how it will go down in Germany? And, as an unworthy and mischevious thought, what will ECUSA make of it?

(Having now "broken my duck" over recent posts, normal service will be resumed as soon as possible!)  ¶ 7:25 pm