The Catholic Church has a new Pope. The main thing I was struck by as news of the selection of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger made its way across the Internet is the surprise and disdain by some -- Lt. Smash has an incredibly useful collection of links here -- that the cardinals would actually chose a Catholic to be Pope.

Andrew Sullivan, who's a generally likeable fellow as long as the discussion isn't about homosexuality in general and gay marriage in particular, took a leap off the deep end when the white smoke revealed signalled that Ratzinger had been elevated to the head of the Catholic Church.

And so the Catholic church accelerates its turn toward authoritarianism, hostility to modernity, assertion of papal supremacy and quashing of internal debate and dissent. We are back to the nineteenth century. Maybe this is a necessary moment. Maybe pressing this movement to its logical conclusion will clarify things. But those of us who are struggling against what our Church is becoming, and the repressive priorities it is embracing, can only contemplate a form of despair.

Sullivan is disappointed that it doesn't appear that the Catholic church will be moving to delete Romans 1 or portions of the book of Leviticus anytime soon.

If Sullivan is looking for a church which shares his views, may I suggest the Jesus Metropolitan Community Church.