Gospić (IKA) – Bishop Mile Bogović of Gospić-Senj considers the election of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as the new Pope to be the logical choice of the College of Cardinals. “This time, as in several previous instances, it could be predicted who would be elected Pope. Even the media considered Cardinal Joseph Ratziner, an associate of Pope John Paul II for many years, to be the most likely candidate. Many difficult theological decisions were made precisely in cooperation with the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Ratzinger. In recent days, he delivered two sermons that were attentively listened to by all the cardinals: at the funeral of the Pope and on the first day of the conclave, where he presented thoughts on the path of the Church following John Paul II. The cardinals recognized their own aspirations in his words and gave him their trust.
During the period of the First World War, Benedict XV sought community and a resolution of the conflicts in the world of that time, and during the pontificate of John Paul II, who spread evangelical globalization, the world felt like a whole. This Pope desires to continue on such a path to build the community of the Church and the world,” said Bishop Bogović, who also referred to Benedict XIV, an 18th century pope known as the greatest lawyer among the popes. “Some have mentioned that the Church should strengthen its structures following the pontificate of John Paul II. On this path, Pope Benedict XVI’s model is Benedict XIV,” concluded the Bishop of Gospić-Senj.