Like most of you, I watched the history making events that took place recently in Vatican City. I watched all the ceremony that surrounded the Catholic Church, as one pope was laid to rest and another rose to take his place. Much like the ballots used to decide a new pope, I also witnessed the integrity of the Catholic church go up in smoke.

Pope John Paul II, while far from perfect, helped improve the world’s overall view of Catholicism. He was adamant about the church’s adoption of technology and the need for the church to reach out and improve relations with other religions. He even went as far as to publicly forgive the man who shot and tried to kill him.

With the church’s selection of the latest pope, Pope Benedict XVI, they seemed to halt any progression they were making.

How long can the Catholic Church ignore the views of their faithful? How long can they survive with their antiquated views on such topics as marriage, birth control and a women’s place in the church? The Catholic Church seems to cling to their belief that a woman can serve only two purposes, that of a nun or as a reproduction machine.

Even as a non-Catholic, I have the utmost respect for the position of the pope. I feel that whoever is selected should have led as clean and virtuous a life as possible. Joseph Ratzinger, when he was 14, was a member of Hitler’s Youth and a prisoner of war during World War II.

One would think that one of those events would have automatically disqualified him. In choosing Ratzinger, the cardinals of the Catholic Church continue to ignore the views of their parishioners. A poll taken before the conclave indicated that even Ratzinger’s fellow German countrymen would have preferred someone other than him to be pope.

If dramatic changes aren’t made soon, the Catholic Church will continue to see the numbers of their followers dwindle with good reason.