Pope Watch: Key word Antipope

Welcome to the first in a series of midday 'I's bored' entries on the adventures of Joseph Ratzinger, otherwise known as the sixteenth Pope Benedict.

The Benedicts, for the benefit of all you unanointed, have been a funny bunch - the tenth in this series of sixteen, for example, was what Catholics call an antipope. I know that sounds scary and Exorcisty, but all it really means was that one pope (in the case of the tenth Benedict this one pope was Gerhard of Burgundy, the future second Nicholas) was able to gather enough troops to wage war upon and then imprison another pope (the tenth Benedict, evidently) for perpetuity. And then say 'Oi! You're the antipope! Hah!'

There have been three other antipopes called Benedict: the first thirteenth Benedict, Pedro Martinez de Luna from the Avignon mess, and the two first fourteenth Benedicts, Bernard Garnier and Jean Carrier. These antipopes were the first thirteenth and fourteenth Benedicts in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The second thirteenth Benedict and the second/third fourteenth Benedict were popes in, I believe, the eighteenth century. Is that confusing? Good. For the ways of God are not the ways of men, kiddies.

Did you know that there have been more antipopes called Benedict than anything else, with Clement and John tying for second place? It's an auspicious name for an auspicious man, who as Johannes let us know a little while ago has high hopes for the Christian church based on the fact that the Bible is messier than the Koran. Weeeeeeeeee!

Anyways, here are some of the things the sixteenth Benedict -definitely an uncontested, above-board pope with no rival popes I'm aware of levying armies against his ferocious Swiss Guards - and his magical friends have been doing lately.

1. Sneaking around in disguise
2. Starting a war - no, not that kind
3. Standing up for immigrants, especially the chicks
4. Looking mad hot

Whatever shall he do next? Stay tuned . . .