I must confess - I'd never heard of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger before he got the top job at the Catholic Church on Tuesday. I'm an atheist; one who understands that 'God' is a human invention, certainly a myth. But on hearing the news that a new head Catholic had been elected, I read through his profile on the BBC's website with some interest, and I've come across a couple of fascinating snippets elsewhere, too.


It seems the old boy thinks that homosexuality tends towards 'intrinsic moral evil'. During the US election campaign, he called for politicians in favour of legal abortion to be denied Communion (a Catholic ritual which is apparently important to believers).

In 1996, a mere 26 years after they split up, he denounced the Beatles, and he apparently believes that the rock band AC/DC's name stands for "Anti-Christ, Death to Christ".

In other words, the poor old man is not so much "out of touch", or rather conservative, as I've heard a few people profess in the last day or two, as about one bark short of full-on insanity.

This morning, I listened to a radio phone-in programme in which the appointment of the new Pope was discussed. Quite an assortment of eccentrics called in, eager to express their views on the appointment of Cardinal Ratzinger as their spiritual leader, ranging from the terminally bewildered to the borderline psychotic. Happily, the latter category were fewer in number on this occasion than the former, but it's clear, in my view, that religious belief tends to demean those who suffer from it.

Personally I welcome the appointment of this ultra-reactionary old fruitcake as Pope : surely, the more people who feel disillusioned and alienated enough to turn away from the stupidity of these anachronistic superstitions, the better.