Papst Blue Ribbon!

YAYYYYYYY! We have a Pope -- Pope Benedict XVI. In the midst of a week of sickness and a day of upchucking, something I can be glad about! All hail Papa Ratzi the German Shepherd! (Kudos to Dave Mueller in Amy's comments section for the new nickname.)

I have to say, I've never heard any crowd chanting "Be-ne-dic-tus!" before! But it won't be the last! As Matt W. in the same comment section said, "Pope Benedict, wir lieben dich!" HOODY-VERITAS-HOO!

(Btw, Joy, why is the German word for Pope spelled Pabst and Papst? Is this a dialect thing?)

(Also, pre-announcement over on The Corner, K-Lo noted that this is the feast day of another German Pope, St. Leo IX. Who, K-Lo didn't notice, once had a vision of St. Benedict. He was elected Pope the old way, by the populace of Rome, who "cried out with one voice that him and no other would they have as pope." But then, he also had to deal with the machinations of Benedict IX, one of the popes who was made to resign before his time. Ah, the connections game....)

In honor of the day...a filk ttto an Elvis song! Ad multos annos, Papa!

Viva Il Papa
Lyrics: Maureen S. O'Brien
To the tune of: "Viva Las Vegas", Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman

'Ternal city, gonna set some souls,
Gonna set some souls on fire.
Gotta whole lotta heart that's burnin' for God,
Let's lift His name up higher.
There's a zillion of His people wand'rin' out there,
And they're all needin' someone to care,
Now I'm in the vineyard with work to spare!

CH:
Viva il Papa! Viva il Papa!

How I wish that there were more
Than the twenty-four hours in the day,
'Cause even if there were hundreds more,
I couldn't take a minute to play.
Oh, there's schisms and scandals, things to wheel and deal,
And a flock in danger which devils steal
Lord grant me a long sight and the nerve to kneel!

Viva il Papa! Viva il Papa!

Viva il Papa -- while our lives we're trashin';
All our sins on our heads crashin'.
Europe heads down the drain.
Viva il Papa -- God, turn day into God's time
God, turn night into light time
If things just go on,
We'll never get it right again!

I'm gonna keep on the job.
I'm gonna fight with the mob.
Gonna bring back the reason and rhyme.
We all wind up dead -- nicht wahr?
I'm working for the Lord until He tells me it's time.
I'm gonna give it everything I've got.
Lady M, pray for me that's a lot.
Let me write encyclicals and serve 'em hot!

Viva il Papa! Viva il Papa!

Viva, viva il Papa!