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In his speech to Germans, according to washingtonpost.com, the new pope prayed for God not to make him pope; he wanted to live in peace for his remaining years. In the Roman pope's own words, [God] 'didn't listen to me.'

So the very first prayer that the world is privy to indicates that God is not listening to the leader of the Roman Catholic church. Interesting...

"The left has the race card and the gender card; the right has the 'faith card.'"

"An ugly new chapter in the religious wars" by Cathy Young, an article on Boston.com, demonstrates the author's keen understanding of the "religious war" that America is being beefed up for - an attempt by conservative political "Christians" to use their faith muscle to dominate and bring the "enemy" into subjection: all who are not worthy to be invited to Club Religion.

Conservative political "Christians" are now playing the 'faith card' in the fight for conservative judges appointed by Bush to get Senate approval.

THE PERENNIAL battle over judicial nominations is escalating into a religious war. On April 24, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is set, at the time of this writing, to participate in a "Justice Sunday" telecast at which America's most prominent evangelical leaders will lambaste the Democrats who are blocking conservative Bush nominees for federal judicial posts. A flier for the event, organized by the Family Research Council, decries "the filibuster against people of faith," accusing Democrats of an anti-religious bigotry comparable to "racial bias."

If you believe everything you hear from the media these days you'd think that the Catholic Church had some special in with God that no other religion has. But do they?

If the cardinals that are electing the next pope are being led by the Holy Ghost through prayer then why haven't they agreed on the next pope yet? Is it because God has yet to communicate with all of them?

So far the 115 cardinals have casted their ballots twice and have yet to come up with a two-thirds majority, which is required to elect the next pope - the 'vicar of Christ'. Should we conclude from this that God has yet to decide on a representative? Or maybe it's because the old way of communicating to people - weighing on their hearts - is outdated and doesn't work like it did some two thousand years ago. Then again, maybe it's because most of the cardinals can't hear God speaking.

Just think how much simpler it would be (and God loves simple) if they had drawn the next pope from a lottery system. What would have been wrong with an equal opportunity for all the cardinals to be the next pope? I mean, after all, aren't all the cardinals eligible? And if all are eligible and capable (that is, godly leaders), surely God in all His power could choose the one whom He wanted from the lot through an arbitrary, fair and equitable system (and God loves fair and equal).

But the cardinals in Rome demonstrate through their lack of immediate agreement that the current system in place to elect a new pope is one devised by men and established through tradition. For if God is speaking, how can they not have heard Him yet?