We have a new pope!

[jackie hayes]

How long before all the American Catholic groups go berserk?

 

3...2...1...

[mreye]

when I said freaking out about this I meant the way people were postingin reguards to the new pope being selected..

 

Maybe I wont crack jokes if someone just explained what the deal is.. I asked why everyone cares so much and then followed with how I feel about it, who cares.. all I wanted was to know what the deal was, because obviously I didnt know

It's The Pope, for crying out loud! You can't be serious! You don't understand the significance of this? If this isn't a joke and your are truely serious, stop posting. Sit back and watch TV. Watch the History Channel or Discovery tonight. Read!

[rangercal]

NO!

 

I asked a serious question and no one answered it, I still want to know why this is such a big deal to you guys

dude, sports is like 50 % of my life. But, when I see a new leader for 1 billion people + get elected It puts things in perspective. There is more to life then what we load our brains with day in and day out ( sports, movies, music) Wheter you like the pope, or not. He will be a leader to over a billion people. What he says, or does, over one billion people will listen and follow every time. This in turn does affect how the world will turn over the up coming years. It will affect you some how one way or another. Like it or not.

[FlaSoxxJim]

I think this is a very controversial choice.

 

Yes it is. He's the one who also told Catholics they could not receive communion alongside Lutherans at a coming together ceremony in 2003. Somewhere, cwsox is going apes***.

 

In his motherland, 36% of respondants in a poll said they opposed his selection as pope, while only 29% said they would want him to be pope. Contrast that with JPII who was so universally loved in Poland.

 

But I agree, picking a 78 year old suggests that this is supposed to be a transitinal pope who will not have a tenure as long as JPII. Doing some quick back-of-the-napkin math, the average papacy over histtory has been just over 7.5 years, no doubt because most pontiffs are pretty old when they are selected.

[mreye]

dude, sports is like 50 % of my life. But, when I see a new leader for 1 billion people + get elected It puts things in perspective. There is more to life then what we load our brains with day in and day out ( sports, movies, music)  Wheter you like the pope, or not. He will be a leader to over a billion people. What he says, or does,  over one billion people will listen and follow every time.  This in turn does affect how the world will turn over the up coming years. It will affect you some how one way or another. Like it or not.

^^That!^^

[T R U]

dude, sports is like 50 % of my life. But, when I see a new leader for 1 billion people + get elected It puts things in perspective. There is more to life then what we load our brains with day in and day out ( sports, movies, music)  Wheter you like the pope, or not. He will be a leader to over a billion people. What he says, or does,  over one billion people will listen and follow every time.  This in turn does affect how the world will turn over the up coming years.

 

Thats all I was looking for, thanks

[Rex Kickass]

I think its safe to say that this Pope will not be as much of a window to the rest of the world as JPII was. I think they were looking for a Pope who would, for a little while, act as a caretaker and take care of bidness at home as opposed to riding in the Popemobile a lot.

[FlaSoxxJim]

You asked in a crappy way. Ask seriously next time and don't crack "Cheers" jokes and maybe I/we won't "freak out."

C'mon, that Cheers bit was actually pretty funny, Eye.

 

John Ratzenberger = Cliff Clavan

Joe Ratzinger = Pope Benedict XVI

[TheBigHurt35]

There are portions of the Catholic Church, even in the College of Cardinals that aren't as conservative as you might think.

 

Just out of curiosity, how many non-Caucasian Popes have there been? I can't think of any off the top of my head, but I could be wrong.

 

I really thought that they might've elected an African Pope, given the extent of povery and disease that's been ravaging that continent. That may have also helped to stem the growth of radical Islam in northern and northeastern Africa.

[Rex Kickass]

There have been a handful, but hundreds of years ago.

[jackie hayes]

I think its safe to say that this Pope will not be as much of a window to the rest of the world as JPII was. I think they were looking for a Pope who would, for a little while, act as a caretaker and take care of bidness at home as opposed to riding in the Popemobile a lot.

You're right, he'll be less of an ambassador for the Church. But I would say he's more than a caretaker -- inside the Church there will be a difference from JPII, and the cardinals have certainly made a statement with the selection, not "status quo".

[jackie hayes]

Just out of curiosity, how many non-Caucasian Popes have there been?  I can't think of any off the top of my head, but I could be wrong.

 

I really thought that they might've elected an African Pope, given the extent of povery and disease that's been ravaging that continent.  That may have also helped to stem the growth of radical Islam in northern and northeastern Africa.

Many of the top candidates from developing countries were very young, the exception being Arinze at 72. But that may still be younger than they wanted. With Ratzinger, they have chosen someone who will put things in order inside the Church while they decide on a direction, but who won't dominate the Church for decades.

[Rex Kickass]

Actually, I'd say the statement is very much Status Quo.

 

I guess the pendulum hasn't stopped swinging away from Vatican II yet.

[jackie hayes]

Actually, I'd say the statement is very much Status Quo.

 

I guess the pendulum hasn't stopped swinging away from Vatican II yet.

I don't know -- from what I've heard, I'd expect more centralization than in the past. I would agree with the second part -- this is likely to be more conservative than JPII. I never meant that he would moderate the Church.

[Queen Prawn]

Many of the top candidates from developing countries were very young, the exception being Arinze at 72.  But that may still be younger than they wanted.  With Ratzinger, they have chosen someone who will put things in order inside the Church while they decide on a direction, but who won't dominate the Church for decades.

 

Exactly - this was known almost immediately after Pope JPII died. Not sure why this is such a big surprise to people.

 

With this in mind as well as Pope JPII had him as an advisor for so many years gives me some hope that things will be okay.

[RockRaines]

This guy is 78 years old. He wont be around that much longer, seems like they just wanted a stop gap in the vatican until one of the younger guys gets some experience under him.

[WilliamTell]

I'm glad you guys are excited and it's good they finally elected someone. But it's not that exciting to me.

[southsider2k5]

Some fun facts...

 

-Ratzinger was the oldest cardinal to be named pope since Clement XII, who was also 78 when he became pope in 1730.

 

-He is the first German pope since Victor II (1055-1057).

 

-His choice of name seemed intriguing because the last Pope Benedict, who reigned from 1914 to 1922, subtly repudiated the strict Vatican orthodoxy practiced under his predecessor Pius X, said former Vatican diplomat John-Peter Pham.

 

Benedict XV also tried in vain to end World War I, opened the Vatican to international diplomacy and sent so much wartime aid to Turkey that Istanbul erected a statue to him, he said.

 

-It was only the third time in a century that a pope had been chosen on the second day of a conclave.

 

-It was one of the fastest elections in the past century: Pope Pius XII was elected in 1939 in three ballots on one day, while Pope John Paul I was elected in 1978 in four ballots in one day. John Paul II's successor was elected after either four or five ballots over two days.

 

-Ratzinger served John Paul II since 1981 as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In that position, he has disciplined church dissidents and upheld church policy against attempts by liberals for reforms.

 

 

 

-Ratzinger won a two-thirds majority or at least 77 votes to become pope.

 

-The 20th century's eight conclaves lasted from two to five days, with the average just over three days.

[FlaSoxxJim]

I really thought that they might've elected an African Pope, given the extent of povery and disease that's been ravaging that continent.  That may have also helped to stem the growth of radical Islam in northern and northeastern Africa.

 

The biggest hurdle to eithe an African or a Latin American Pope was that it would have likely ushered in some much needed serious debate on the Catholic stance against birth control in general and condoms in particular. Instead, tens of thousands of people continue to die from AIDS in Africa every year for lack of education or access to condoms.

 

I can appreciate religious orthodoxy as much as anyone and yes there are core tenets at the heart of the Catholic faith, but this is a glaring example of how the Church remains hopefully and fattally out of step with the realities of modern life.

 

It's better to transmit HIV, get AIDS and die than to use a condom in the eyes of the Catholic God?

[mreye]

C'mon, that Cheers bit was actually pretty funny, Eye.

 

John Ratzenberger = Cliff Clavan

Joe Ratzinger = Pope Benedict XVI

IMO, it was out of line. To each his own, I guess.

[mreye]

I'm glad you guys are excited and it's good they finally elected someone. But it's not that exciting to me.

Thank you. I was wondering what you were thinking. :rolly

[southsider2k5]

It's better to transmit HIV, get AIDS and die than to use a condom in the eyes of the Catholic God?

 

Actually if you want to be technical, they are both sins, and equally offensive in the eyes of God. (assuming that the AIDS was transmitted through "immoral" sex, which it is the vast majority of the time)

[WilliamTell]

Thank you. I was wondering what you were thinking.  :rolly

 

 

I was thinking, how long would it take to get a reaction from you, and I was wrong, I thought it was going to be 3 minutes, not 4.

[knightni]

It's better to transmit HIV, get AIDS and die than to use a condom in the eyes of the Catholic God?

You can still get HIV/AIDS by using a condom.

 

The virus is smaller than the latex's holes.

[jackie hayes]

Wikipedia's already updated their bio of Benedict XV with a reference to Benedict XVI. Wow, that's fast!