Habemus Papem! Cont’d

Newly elected Pope Benedict XVI addressed the throngs of the faithful in St. Peter’s Square:

"Dear brothers and sisters, after our great pope, John Paul II, the cardinals have elected me, a simple, humble worker in God's vineyard," according to a translation of remarks he made in Italian.

Officials from the Vineyard Workers Services of Sonoma, CA were thrilled at the election of one of their own. Said Miguel Sanchez, spokesman for the organization:

Although we can’t find a record of his applying for membership in the United Farm Workers Union, we are just tickled pink that the Holy Mother Church has decided to elevate a lowly laborer to the seat of St. Peter.

Pope Benedict XVI before his election

Fellow agricultural workers also expressed delight, and some surprise, at the recent elevation. Originally, leaders of the Catholic Church were mostly laborers or tradesmen such as carpenters or fisherman. However, for most of past 1800 years, leadership of the organization has steadily been in the hand of the “white collar” class.


Colleagues of the new Pope

Former colleague Manuel Gonzales said:

We sincerely hope that our comrade and new pope, Benedict XVI, will continue the Church’s efforts in promoting tolerance and understanding between the religions, encouraging peace between the nations and bring all of humanity closer to God’s love.

Oh yes, and we hope he will raise the minimum wage for migratory agricultural labor to $3.25 an hour.

Pope Benedict XVI’s office and residence
where he lived for the past 38 years.
The pope’s home was designed by
Michelangelo and decorated in a
renaissance style typical of the homes
of farm workers across America