Get ready for the circus

The rumor is that Pope Benedict's new encyclical (his first one, really) will be out this week, perhaps on Friday. The opponents of Benedict have been looking for a reason to hate him since he was elevated. They tried to make the issue with the document about homosexuals in seminary but it wasn't really from him and some of them even noticed a bit of reticence on the part of Benedict in his signature. This new document is undeniably a statement that is his and, I am afraid, will be the ultimate oppertunity for them to make quasi-intellictual arguments to prove that the Holy Father, the successor of Peter, is "closed minded", "mean spirited", etc. So, here's a challenge to the church. Read the document before you read the commentaries. Let the pope make the point before Andrew Greeley says how mean he is