So there’s a new Pope then. Benedict XVI was elected last night in a manner much in keeping with the old Roman Republic – democratically, but from a very small electorate. Still, not that I can find complaint here, it’s up to the Catholics how they choose their new leader. One of the very first things the new pontiff* talked about was ‘the dictatorship of relativism’.

Sometime last year, I attended a few meetings/lectures from the Christian Union at university. This might surprise some people, since I had outright rejected Catholicism many years ago, and settled on a far more Eastern outlook on spirituality (in particular Taoism, with smatterings of Zen). However, I was very much interested in how Christians thought, particularly those that found God themselves rather than being brought up that way, as I was. Two of my close friends were amongst this group, and I had many metaphysical arguments with them – one of the advantages of discussing theology with physics students.

This particular lecture was on the subject of relativism. As I understand it, this is the term used by Christians to describe the idea that everyone can coexist, that all religions and creeds are acceptable together. They believe, of course, that their religion is right (as do most religions, to be fair) and so that other beliefs are not only incorrect, but intolerable. This leads to a form of persecution by conversion – everyone needs to be ‘saved’ and shown the way of the ‘true’ God.

OK, so not everyone is this way, and there are many, many arguments against what I have just said. It’s a somewhat twisted view, but it’s not entirely untrue. It’s just one of those things that just doesn’t sit right with me, with regards to the rest of the Christian teaching. There are too many contradictions, and I don’t mean the usual nit-picking that most people come up with from the bible, more broad principles. Be kind and respectful to everyone – except for their beliefs if they differ from yours…

Still, a 78 year old Pope? He’s not going to have an overly long innings, and that will send Nostradamus followers crazy with songs of Armageddon…

* Incidentally, I find this term very interesting from a historical point of view. The term ‘pontiff’ derives from the Roman office of ‘pontifex maximus’, the high priest of Rome. This was more a political office then a religious one, a job for life, and one held by one of the most famous Roman, Julius Caesar. We all know what happened there…