I'm sort of hoping that we get another Hitler-youth pope... . Someone who will rigidly adhere to the doctrines that were obsolete centuries ago, will put the Church's interests above all else (e.g. hiding pedophile priests), and pretty much ignore its people. This will, I think, drive more people away from religion, and continue to erode the foundations of the Church.

While I forswore all proclivity to the Roman Church about sixty years ago, despite having been raised by devout Catholic parents and went to a high school seminary before graduating from Jesuit-run Marquette University with a major in philosophy. I departed from the religious mentality while a junior USAF officer in early adulthood.

However, my interest in philosophy and science has remained dominant throughout my life; particularly in the realms of human functioning, evolution, quantum physics and cosmology.

Along the way I’ve also explored with considerable appreciation the deep mystical traditions of Taoism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Sufism, among others.

FWIW, these collective pursuits have led me to regard the experience of existence as presently emergent quantum to cosmic entanglement. That descriptive distillation of lifelong contemplation reflects considerable abstraction, and is a long way from native infantile insights.

As is true of the original teachings of Jesus, contemporary "religious" practices in many of these traditions are, to my mind, gross distortions of rich foundational understandings. Indeed, beliefs are essential to human functioning. History demonstrates that even carefully confirmed scientific observations can lead to bogus conclusions and beliefs.

All that being said, I would most certainly NOT hope for the nazification of the papacy. To my mind the best thing that could happen is that the Church gets its act together with respect to the full and equal participation of all humankind – male and female. This would go a long way toward reducing the incidence of pedophilia. It also needs to find its way out of centuries of accumulating foolishness, beginning with awakening from long-standing idolization of its original source of inspiration.

Tom