Joseph Ratzinger named new pope-- Benedict XVI

[mousepod]

Originally Posted by Prudence

I wouldn't automatically assume that he intends the end of VII. Nor would I necessarily hold his Nazi-era dealings against him. If he was already in seminary then, my expectations would have been higher. If he was older my expectations would have been higher. But this is framed partly by my frustration that we seem to now require all our leaders to have lead exemplary lives from infancy -- no room for growth, experience, and character development. End derailment.

As far as I can tell, he left the Hitler Youth because he was in seminary. Then two years later he got his job guarding Dachau slave labor at the BMW plant.

Having said that, I eagerly await his statement on this part of his past - the minimization of it by his "fan club" is laughable.