[Covenant]

Now that Pope John Paul II has been laid to rest, the question of who can suceed him arises.

People have spoken of an Italian, or an African, or a Latin American, but the one man best qualified to continue the work of John Paul II is Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.

For over twenty years he has been John Paul II's right hand man. As Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, it is he who has, with John Paul, guided the faith of the church. He is a man of unshakable faith-and after reading about the numerous mispronouncments and heresy of other cardinals throughout the years, he is a safe choice to place on the throne of Papal Infallibility.

In addition to this, he is a holy man. He is a true believer. Thats what we need: someone who truly believes in the faith and knows who he is.

And he is apparently a wonderful man. An accomplished piano player, he relaxes by playing the classics. He has been quoted as being the 'sweetest' and 'nicest' person you could ever meet. He is very humble and charming.

We got to see a little of his personality during the Mass for the Pope and I liked what I saw. He is down to earth, he can connect with the crowd. At the close of his eulogy, his voice trembled and he wept as he mentioned that John Paul blesses us from his father's house.

I can also say that he looked every inch a pope. He presided over the mass well, and with silver white hair he looks what we expect a pope to look like.

Finally, he supports the apparitions in Medjugorje. Acting on the authority of the pope, he stopped the local bishop from having authority and gave it to the Yugoslav bishops conference. Letters from his Congregation have always said that pilgrimages can continue.

His nickname in the Vatican for the past two decades has been 'John Paul III'. I pray to God that the Cardinal electors will make it official.

[MedjAdmin]

Covenant,

Yes, I totally agree with you. Cardinal Ratzinger seems to share so much in common with John Paul II and I have been praying he will be elected pope. He is also a strong advocate of Medjugorje as you mentioned.

We must continue to pray for the cardinals to make a divinely-inspired choice for the next pope, even if it is not Ratzinger, although if I had to choose right now there would be no hesitation to choose him.

[Covenant]

The number one issue for the next Pope will be Medjugorje.

There is, as we all know, a cosmic battle between the forces of good and evil, and it may very well be during the next pontificate that the apparitions cease and the 10 Secrets begin.

How the next pope responds to Medjugorje may very well be decisive in the outcome of the battle between the Virgin and the serpent.

If the next pope immediately found a way to give official recognition to the apparitions, and visited Medjugorje himself, then it would put Medjugorje out in front where it deserves to be. Millions who have not believed due to the lack of approval, would now believe. Conversions would flow and Our Lady's plans would be fulfilled.

However, if the next pope is anti-Medjugorje and condemns the apparitions, then we would be faced with an unprecedented crisis. And believe me, there are cardinals in that conclave who are most definately anti-Medjugorje. The election of one of these could spell doom for millions of souls who would not be converted. It would make life for the visionaries almost unbearable and Medjugorje could grind to a halt.

Even if this occurs, as Our Lady said, 'In the end my Immaculate Heart will triumph' but we must pray that this will not occur. And thats why Ratzinger is my favourite: because he is so like John Paul and will continue his policies.

I agree with you, it may not be Ratzinger who becomes pope, but we pray that God's man will be elected. It is a nervous wait though.

[Covenant]

I now consider this original post of mine, posted 10 days ago, to have been inspired by the Holy Spirit. It was written when no-one was tipping Ratzinger as pope, but only as a kingmaker. Well, the kingmaker has become King, and it seems that I had a direct line into the mind of God.

I give thanks to Almighty God that this Scripture is true in me:

"For Who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ."( I Cor. 2:16)

Other inspirations about this pope? Well, for starters he will be no stop gap. I'm predicting that his reign will be very long-maybe even 15 years. Also, this pope will call the Third Vatican Council to address the problems facing the Church in the 21st century. He will go down in history as Benedict the Great.

I'm excited for him and delighted in the choice. You could see in his face the joy when he came onto the balcony and also the immense task that he was taking on. Imagine being in the shadows for twenty years and taking all the heat for being orthodox? The Lord is rewarding Ratzinger for all his hard work for him and now instead of being reviled, he will be loved by millions upon millions of people. What an honor!!! I can't even imagine it and no doubt it hasn't even sunk into Ratzinger yet. But his rapid election-on the first full day of voting-is proof that the Holy Spirit worked very quickly in electing God's candidate. GOD BLESS HIM!

[MedjAdmin]

Reportedly, Pope Benedict XVI has been to Medjugorje, when he was Cardinal Ratzinger. He went there "undercover" to investigate it. Most who actually go to Medjugorje and experience its peace, even if skeptical, come back with the belief that the apparitions are genuine.

Chances are, Pope John Paul II's favorable views may have been encouraged by what Cardinal Ratzinger reported to him upon returning from Medjugorje.

Hopefully the new Holy Father recognized the good fruits of the apparitions while on his visit, and if the secrets begin to be revealed during his papacy, there is little doubt he will at least view them with an open mind and urge the faithful to do the same.

Once the first Medjugorje secret is revealed to the world and that event comes to pass three days later, the Holy Father will have little choice but to approve the apparitions for the sake of Mary's mission.

[Covenant]

Wow, Pope Benedict has been to Medjugorje!! I'd never heard of that before until you posted it, and I searched the web and found this:

" It was Cardinal Ratzinger who negated an attempt by Bishop Pavao Zanic of Mostar to condemn the apparitions at Medjugorje, and Cardinal Ratzinger who, in a book called The Ratzinger Report, said that while he cannot express a judgment on Medjugorje ("since it is still being examined by the Congregation"), that "one of the signs of our times is that the announcement of 'Marian apparitions' are multiplying all over the world."

"From time to time the Vatican has sent cardinals, bishops, and priests -- including Cardinal Ratzinger -- "undercover" to observe Medjugorje. The last known time this occurred was June of 2001, when five officials sent by the Vatican evaluated the liturgical practices in the small but famous village. " (M. Brown, "The Day Will Come.")


This is extremely encouraging and no doubt the fulfillment of Marija's prayers that another 'Marian Pope' would be elected.