Ratz!

Am just back from St. Peter's Square. A crush of humanity descended on the ol' square to get news the old-fashioned way: by witnessing it in person, camera phones and digicorders in hand. From my corner of the square, i romani seemed a bit subdued by the news, giving a respectful ovation, but nothing venturing anywhere near exuberance. Maybe a German World War 2 vet will always be just that to the old guard Italian. Me, I'm willing to give the ol' boy some time, but I'm not too confident he will prove to be the inspiring leader his predecessor was. Xtina thinks the church has gone back into the dark ages with this pick (or, more precisely "pre-Council of Trento days"). It must have been the Taliban voting bloc that proved the clincher.