One has to remember that Benedict XVI tried to retire twice, but continued serving under the bequest of John Paul, whereas DeLay has consistently used his lobbying ties for personal and political gain. The personal character of the two men, from what I understand, couldn't be different. Kondrake's editorial shows the smear campaign at work for both figures, rather than a careful moral analysis that shows the difference. He takes the unpopularity of ex-Cardinal Ratzinger in the United States amidst a church that wants to be more American than Catholic, and tries to overlay it on Delay. In the process, he smears the Pope by association.

Friends of the blog have rightfully noticed what also bothers me about the contemporary Catholic church -- it's selective use of Catholic teachings to guide the faithful in their voting (again, begging the question on whether one can remain faithful and vote within such a corrupt system without legitimating the corruption of the system). We can pray that Benedict XVI emphasizes all of this teachings as Pope, not just selectively emphasizing abortion.

One can hope so. By taking the name of Benedict, Ratzinger followed Benedict XVth who tried to end WWI. Ironically, Benedict XV asked a Bishop in the US to take his plan to the US President, but the Bishop refused to do so in support for the war. Benedict XVI has said some interesting things about war. In an article on the Catholic Peace Fellowship website, Cardinal Ratzinger said, "There were not sufficient reasons to unleash a war against Iraq. To say nothing of the fact that, given the new weapons that make possible destructions that go beyond the combatant groups, today we should be asking ourselves if it is still licit to admit the very existence of a "just war" (http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=34882).

This is a remarkable -- and accurate -- statement. He is basically arguing that the use of modern warfare strategy and techniques make all war in the world now unjust according to the church's teachings. Of the three great evils of the contemporary world, abortion, disregard and exploitation of the poor, and war, we can all hope that Benedict XVI will consistently emphasize the whole culture of life so that it does not become an ironic phrase of the American political right.