I have mixed feelings over the death of John Paul II. On one hand I have always respected him for living an extraordinary life and for his role in helping the people of eastern Europe stand up to dictators. On the other hand he solidified the very things that I dislike about the church – anti-homosexual, anti-birth control, anti-ordination of women and married men, tradition respected above common sense, etc.

I would love to see the cardinals elect a person from South American or Africa because the church is growing the fastest in those areas. But I have a feeling that they’ve had their little experiment with non-Italians and it will be back to Italian popes for a while.