Anyone paying attention to the new pope thing?

[cooleddie74]

He's just another old hard-liner. No real reform is coming from him. With his age I don't believe it will be that long before we see yet another new pope.

While what you said is certainly a possibility, I'm not so sure the the age factor automatically means a short wait until the election of the next Pope. As I stated in another thread, the longest-lived Pope in history (that we know of with absolute chronological certainty) was Leo XIII (served 1878-1903) and he survived and governed the church until his mid-nineties after spending a little more than a quarter of a century on the Papal throne, the third-longest reign for an elected Pontiff.

Francis may be 76 and have just one functioning lung, but with access to modern medicine and much longer life expectancies for most human beings in general anything is possible. While I'd never count on it, Francis could be Pope for a lot longer than many observers think.

 

[Kira's Mom]

^Don't be so sure. People said that when John XXIII was elected in 1958 (he was 77), but he's the one who convened the Second Vatican Council that was responsible for major changes in the church.

Pope Francis is considered one of the leaders, so to speak, of the most conservative wing of the College of Cardinals, to the point that he voiced strong dissent to Pope Benedict's (mild) softening of his stance on contraceptives, particularly in Africa. I am really not expecting anything resembling progressive thought from him.

Neither am I. I was responding to the general statement, "I guess the people who are old enough to be elected pope are too set in their ways to change."

BTW, I've been seeing contradictory info re his stance of contraception. Will try to do some research later...

Yeah, I've heard he's less conservative on birth control.

Otherwise, meet the new Pope, same as the old Pope.

 

[bbailey861]

He's just another old hard-liner. No real reform is coming from him. With his age I don't believe it will be that long before we see yet another new pope.

While what you said is certainly a possibility, I'm not so sure the the age factor automatically means a short wait until the election of the next Pope. As I stated in another thread, the longest-lived Pope in history (that we know of with absolute chronological certainty) was Leo XIII (served 1878-1903) and he survived and governed the church until his mid-nineties after spending a little more than a quarter of a century on the Papal throne, the third-longest reign for an elected Pontiff.

Francis may be 76 and have just one functioning lung, but with access to modern medicine and much longer life expectancies for most human beings in general anything is possible. While I'd never count on it, Francis could be Pope for a lot longer than many observers think.

I think the added work that will be placed upon him, now that he is the Pontiff, will prevent him from being in the chair too long. I don't expect him to expire tomorrow, but you will see him age far more quickly now, I think. Didn't know about the one lung - that won't help.

 

[Star Wolf]

Also the precedent to retire and not die in office like a King has been set.

 

[cooleddie74]

This is true. I wonder how many Popes will retire and bail out of the Vatican, though, before they impose some new rule that limits or even prohibits a sitting Pope from such action. I can't imagine the College of Cardinals wants to sit in Conclave every few years or so like some Western political convention or party conference, but then again I'm no certified expert on things Catholic.

 

[SwimmingGnu]

Pope Francis is considered one of the leaders, so to speak, of the most conservative wing of the College of Cardinals, to the point that he voiced strong dissent to Pope Benedict's (mild) softening of his stance on contraceptives, particularly in Africa. I am really not expecting anything resembling progressive thought from him.

Neither am I. I was responding to the general statement, "I guess the people who are old enough to be elected pope are too set in their ways to change."

BTW, I've been seeing contradictory info re his stance of contraception. Will try to do some research later...

Yeah, I've heard he's less conservative on birth control.

Otherwise, meet the new Pope, same as the old Pope.

An expert on the history of the catholic church said in an interview that he would expect a change if attitude towards condoms in about 200 years. I guess change doesn't come easy in religion.

 

[B.J.]

A Southern pope? Now that I'd like to see.

"Awright, lissen up y'all! Ah got some things to say about this here Second Vatican Council..."

The Popemobile would have a giant "01" on the side. I'm liking this idea more and more with each passing second.

If your church uses PBR and Slim Jims for Communion...

If you start confessions with "Get a load of this here sin, y'all..."

If you think purgatory is "anything north of the Mason-Dixon line"...

If there are more than four Chik-Fil-A's within 100 yards of your parish...

If your congregation has ever held services inside a Waffle House...

...you might be a Catholic redneck.

Hey! I resemble that remark!

(Actually, our head priest is from Ireland. Not sure where the other is from. But we do have a CFA less than 1/4 mile from the church! )

 

[stj]

The new guys morality is exemplified in the way he dealt with the Argentine dictatorship as they conducted the "dirty war." You know, the one with the mass disappearances, torture (including rape,) orphan children of leftists stolen for approved families to adopt, and other such testimonies to the nature of a Christian society? Pope Sucio's political response was to....wait for it folks, it's knee slapper...condemn....yes, liberation theology!

I saw one report that he was even careful not to protest too much when two of his own priests were tortured, because they held a liberation theology. I'm not sure about the reliability of that. But as Archbishop of a nominally largely RC country, I'm quite sure he was in a position to safely protest publicly. But even a toothless condemnation was apparently too leftwing for this guy.

 

[Star Wolf]

The Cardinal Sin's of the world are rare. But I guess Popes are supposed to be that rare person. Or the Juntas Generals and troops were worse then Marcos and the Philippine National Police and Armed Forces

 

[Hound of UIster]

The new guys morality is exemplified in the way he dealt with the Argentine dictatorship as they conducted the "dirty war." You know, the one with the mass disappearances, torture (including rape,) orphan children of leftists stolen for approved families to adopt, and other such testimonies to the nature of a Christian society? Pope Sucio's political response was to....wait for it folks, it's knee slapper...condemn....yes, liberation theology!

Keep the poor downtrodden and superstitious is in the future interests of the Roman Catholic Church. The same for opposing abortions and birth control. More poor worshipers in the future who'll thank the Cardinals for giving them poverty.

 

[Avon]

having 2 pope threads is getting confusing

 

[iguana_tonante]

No more than having Three Persons in One God.

 

[Avon]

that just has to be the name of a gay porn film