And I guess we're going to have to postulate a bunch of Vatican bureaucrats who "really" run the place. I just don't think the College of Cardinals is simple enough for elections to be jiggered. So the pope in question has to be one who is being "handled" by his underlings.
I dunno .... It's like this. One of my favorite guys, the socius (sort of deputy/assistant) to the prior (boss) of the eastern Province of the Order of Preachers in the US was a student of Benedict's.
So I have to think that Fr. Brian who does a mean chicken dance and who preaches exquisitely, was suckered by a shy and scholarly cardinal/professor in Rome who even then was being set up to take over a significant role in a Dan Brownish plot to ... etc. etc.
One more thing: If the wise guys at the Vatican realio trulio think, as they appear to do, that a 2-state solution to Israel's travails is the only answer, they will say so, while they know that (a) not too may people will take them seriously, and (b) a whole bunch of other stuff has got to be taken care of before a 2-state plan would be anything other than borderline suicide on Israel's part. A group that has been ticking over, even by your estimate, for more than 1,500 years is going to tend to take the long view.
So, I think, they will tend to encourage global cooperation and the use of already in place organs of, say, the UN, even though they recognize that some others, who aren't Christians at all, would love to use the UN and globalism for ends not compatible with God's plan or Human good.
I still don’t know what to make of Benedict. I wish him well.
There are certainly plenty of complexities involved.
I appreciate your candid response. I THINK I understand it.
If THAT’S YOUR criteria, God help souls of lesser perceptiveness.
Thanks for your kind msgs.