A New Pope! Wow! An Indifferent Catholic perspective

I'm a Catholic - a not-very-good-Catholic, by their standards, but a Catholic until I decide I'm not.  Okay?   Get where I'm coming from?

I am soooo bored by the non-stop coverage.   First it was 24/7 on the death of John Paul II (aka The Porpse-a-palooza) and yesterday it was the breath-holding suspense of who would be the next Pope to be thoroughly-ignored-except-when-it-suits-their-purpose.  

Y'know what - I don't care.   Yep, I'm Catholic and I DON'T CARE WHO IS POPE.   It simply doesn't concern me, and hasn't for a long time.    I'm a Catholic, and remain a Catholic because of people like Sr. Helen Prejean and Oscar Romero.   They're Catholic, too, y'know?   A lot of American Catholics have  ignored Rome and the Pope ever since he jumped the shark on birth control and will blithely continue to do so until the old farts in Rome get hit by thunderbolts and enter the real world.   When/if the American Church finally breaks off from Rome, I will be singing hallelujahs in that choir.  

A new Pope?   Ho-freaking-hum.   Doesn't mean any more to me than any Pope has since John XXIII (now there was a Pope, dammit).    

But I was wondering about all the coverage.   There's me - who despite my disdain for the Church hierarchy - also has a lifelong history/education/involvement/interest in the Church.   And I find it a total snooze fest and non-event.   So what the hell are people who AREN'T Catholic  making of it?    I'm guessing it's along the lines of "Jesus, Sweet Jesus, enough with the Pope already."

And another thing. . .I remember when Kennedy was running and the huge controversy was that he'd take his orders from Rome.   Like that would be,  y'know, a BAD thing.   Nowadays that's exactly what the right wing wants.    

eileen from OH