New Pope

[Pete E]

The new pope is Joseph Ratzinger of Germany,who will be called Benedict XV1.He is a hard liner and 78 years old.Sounds like a good choice to lead them back to the 20th century,if they ever joined it in the first place.
I think he was the guy with the most political clout going in and it looks like he used it.Seems like an interim choice while they are deciding the direction of the church in the future.Maybe its just as well,anybody was going to suffer from John Pauls immage so a new guy will have a chance to be different AFTER this guy.
I saw a latino guy on CNN who is a profesor of religion some where around Miami last night.He said the church better pay attention to South America before they lose it.Evangelilicals are making great progress.
Ah,another human being becomes infallable.Right.

Pete

[Craig]

... in response to New Pope, posted by Pete E on Apr 19, 2005

I'm glad the Pope is a hardline doctrine follower. It's time the church got rid of it's dead wood. He's not here to change doctrine just to define it. I say let them go to other churches who asking them to stay anyway?

[Cali James]

... in response to Re: New Pope...a hard liner, posted by Craig on Apr 19, 2005


Ratzinger and Pope John Paul weren't particularly liked by either the far right or far left in the Church.  In the 60's and in particular at Vatican II, Ratzinger was viewed as a liberal theologian.  I know Catholics who to this very day are enraged at changes in the way we view the universal church, that came out of Vatican II documents. Ratzinger was one of leading forces behind these kind of changes.

Today he's viewed as a hardliner by those who see the world only through the latest political slogans, women priests, gay clergy etc.  They have no notion of how progressive Ratzinger in fact was.  Ratzinger is still progressive in the old sense of the word.  Ratzinger hasn't changed but liberalism has.

[Patrick]

... in response to New Pope, posted by Pete E on Apr 19, 2005

Did anybody bet on him?  From what I've read, the majority of odds makers had him as the favorite.

I don't know how his health is, but at 78 years old, he could be primed to give us another betting opportunity in the next few years.

P.S.
Am I going to hell for this post?

[Hoda]

... in response to He was a 6-1 or 4-1 spread depending on ..., posted by Patrick on Apr 19, 2005

Could it be....that those in power at the Vatican, don't want another 20 plus year reign? I'm not Catholic, so I'm not about to comment on which way the Pope/Vatican should lead their flock. It's just that many of those in my life who are Catholic....are not in lock-step with the past or present church leadership.

Good luck & blessings to the new Pope....he's gonna need it!

[Pete E]

... in response to He was a 6-1 or 4-1 spread depending on ..., posted by Patrick on Apr 19, 2005

Ratzinger was 7-1. 3 guys had better odds.2 at 11-4,including the black cardinal from Nigeria.One at 9-2.
At 78 they are not going for the long haul.1-3 he will be pushing up daiseys in 5 years.

Pete

[Brazilophile]

... in response to New Pope, posted by Pete E on Apr 19, 2005

"He said the church better pay attention to South America before they lose it.Evangelilicals are making great progress.  Ah,another human being becomes infallable.Right."

Pete,  That guy is right!  Based on my experience talking to potential mates in Brazil, traditional Catholism is on the way out.  MANY younger people are dissatisfied with the Church are looking for other avenues for expressing their spiritualism.  Evengelical churchesa are gaining lots of new members.  Others are rejecting churches outright and just believing in God and worshiping in their own personal way.

[Pete E]

... in response to Re: New Pope, posted by Brazilophile on Apr 19, 2005

Seems thats right.The catholic church is the church of tradition.But the new guys are coming on strong.
My ex was a catholic untill 3 years before I met her.She converted to a Cristian church started out of Bogota about 30 years ago and has absolutely no use for the catholic church now.This church is expanding in to the US and Europe.
She says I am Cristian,not catholic.I pointed out that catholics are Christians.Not to her the aren't.

Pete

[OkieMan]

... in response to Re: Re: New Pope, posted by Pete E on Apr 19, 2005

Pete,

I have noticed that the latinas like to use the term Christian, instead of Protestant.  At least that is how it appears to me.  But, you are right, they say either Catholic or Christian.  By our terminology, the Catholic Church is but one branch of Christianity.  I am also a Christian (Protestant).  The latina that I am coming to Cali to see told me that she is now a Christian.  If I understand her properly, she changed from Catholic to Christian (Protestant) a few years ago.  When I meet her in person, I will try to find out more details.  Since I am not Catholic, I will try not to judge them on how they conduct their business.  But, I think it is very obvious that they seem to like to keep their church business shrouded in mystery.  That seems to  protect their power
base.  Oh, by the way; at my home church, here in Tulsa, we will be having our denomination's Asst Superintendent as a guest speaker. (That means this guy is second from the top, so to speak).  I can assure you, we will be honored to have him there, but there will be no "Vatican Like" pomp and ceremony. Our ministers are for the most part, just regular folks.  They wear suits; no robes, no long processions, etc.  So, I guess, to each his own.

                           OkieMan

[Pete E]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: New Pope, posted by OkieMan on Apr 19, 2005

Like I said before,my ex says she is "Christian,not catholic." She doesn't seem to understand the definition of a Christian.But there are lots of different varioeties.

Pete

[Malandro]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: New Pope, posted by OkieMan on Apr 19, 2005

n/t

[Pete E]

... in response to she's Christian??   2:1 she doesn't shav..., posted by Malandro on Apr 20, 2005

I only met one chica here who doesn't shave her legs and she says nada about religion.Just clueless about guys probably.Hairy legs can cause an immediate turn off only the most horny can overcome.

Pete

[OkieMan]

... in response to Re: she's Christian??   2:1 she doesn't ..., posted by Pete E on Apr 20, 2005

Pete,

That's pretty funny, Pete.  I definitely do not want to spend time with a latina or any woman with hairy legs!  Yuck! But, many years ago, I spent some time in Europe. I had some friends that were telling me there were some women (French and German in particular) who did not shave their legs or under their arms. Different strokes for different folks.  In fact, I did see some women (from a distance, not up close and personal) that did not shave their legs. A major turnoff!

                                OkieMan

[Cali James]

... in response to Re: Re: New Pope, posted by Pete E on Apr 19, 2005

"Seems thats right.The catholic church is the church of tradition.But the new guys are coming on strong."

The mainline protestants like Lutherans, Anglicans etc. have a long tradition also.  

I think part of the appeal of the evangelical groups that you see in Latin America is that they have very little tradition.  There's a sense that this is somehow new and improved, different, less bureaucratic.  But the evangelical groups have their own set of problems to deal with.  For instance, they tend to splinter rapidly.  The Catholic Church dealt with several great schisms over it's centuries of existence but Protestant churches have splintered a thousand fold.  Each splinter holding to a slightly different belief and each believing they are correct.  Protestants are no different than Catholics in this regard it seems to me.  

[Pete E]

... in response to New Pope, posted by Cali James on Apr 19, 2005

James,
The latino professor that was on CN was saying the evangelicals just had so many people they could send out to get touchy feely with the population.Personal attention.He said because of the education involvedin  a priest the catholics had far  fewer of them.
The Mormons are a big factor.Its considered a duty for a young person,before or after college to go on a "mission".They get sent to many places,South America being a big one.You see them in their black suits riding bicycles.I grew up with lots of Mormon kids.It was always funny to see in the paper one of my hell raising Mormon buddies was going on a mission.They get leaned on BIG TIME.Plus they are VERY SERIOUS about getting a 10% tithe from everybody in the flock but the destitute,who they will actually give money to.
About liberal vs conservative.What really concerns me is the church possition on birth control.I don't know where they got that when most other christian religions don't find it compeled by anything in the bible.Of course the Popes method,abstinance flat doesn't work since one little human slip and you got another hungry mouth to feed.
OK,broma.A young catholic couple gives up sex for lent.Its very hard to do for the guy.One day his wife bends over wearing this short skirt.He pulls down her panties and nails her on the spot.He is confessing to a priest.He says we won't be kicked out of the church will we?The priest says no,why would you think that?The guys says "well,they kicked us out of Safeway."
But seriously,bring millions of kids in to the world that the parents are not able to care for is a huge problem.I always though things like what mother Theresa was doing was such a infentesimle drop in the bucket compared to the damage done by what is a STUPID ANTIQUATED idea in my opinion.Not only the poverty,but the  policy is probably the biggest single cause of ABORTIONS,where in the case of a late term abortion a human being is being killed,compared to intercepting a shot of semen.
Seems to me the Catholics have conjured up their own form of what god wants  and turned it in to church law.Hopefully this one will go the same  way as the insistance the EARTH is the center of the universe.But there they were fighting reality.This one can be OPINION based.
I wonder the percentage of US catholics who say I don't accept that and will not abide by that.I bet its over 50% of younger people.

Pete