quote: Originally posted by: valenciana "i'm a little worried it's Ratzinger too, since they decided quite quickly. did you know that apparently at some point in history, it took them 2 YEARS to choose???"
I'm worried it might be him too.
didn't it used to have to be unanimous though, too? I swear I remember learnign that in school- becasue it was supposed to be God picking and telling the Cardinals so unless it was unanimous, it wasn't the "word of God"...
He once called homosexuality a tendency toward "intrinsic moral evil" and dismissed the uproar over priestly pedophilia in the United States as a "planned campaign" against the church.
He wrote a letter of advice to U.S. bishops on denying communion to politicians who support abortion rights, which some observers viewed as a slam at Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kerry. He publicly cautioned Europe against admitting Turkey to the European Union and wrote a letter to bishops around the world justifying that stand on the grounds that the continent is essentially Christian in nature. In another letter to bishops worldwide, he decried a sort of feminism that makes women "adversaries" of men.
Thank god the bells stopped ringing at the church next door. I thought my head was going to fall off.
But seriously. Is anyone surprised that it was the Ratzinger guy? The Pope is never the most forward, liberal thinker, ya know? Maybe having such responsibility will help the guy out. He needs some kind of reality check.
quote: Originally posted by: domkfox "I just wanted the new pope to be European and not Italian, so I guess Ratzinger will do. :)"
Do you mind sharing why? I'm just wondering because there seemed to be so many Latin American candidates listed on various news sites. The possible successors in whom I had the most interest were the archbishop from Honduras (Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga), Francis Arinze from Nigeria, Bergoglio from Argentina, and maybe the guy from Venice. I haven't read tons about them so this was just based on the brief bios that I read on the internet.
quote: Originally posted by: doveanunu "damn it is ratzinger...btw he was formerly a nazi youth. I am not happy.-- Edited by doveanunu at 12:48, 2005-04-19"
Whoa - seriously? This guy is actually a former nazi youth? That is f***ed. It sucks it is him, but yeah, it's not like the Catholic Church has ever been a bastion of progressive thinking (at least from the Vatican).
I am not Catholic but I think the Vatican's stance on the sexually abusive priests in the US is disgusting and shameful.
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cc, i agree, i was really holding out hope for Bergoglio or someone like him...though i knew there was really no chance, particularly since he's a Jesuit. I think he is a traditionalist, i mean, hello, he's a Cardinal, but he seems much more tolerant. sigh...maybe next time.
if you guys are interested in finding out more about Ratzinger and the other papabile, i've been reading their entries on Wikipedia...good overviews, just have to take what you read with a grain of salt.
LoMish- I think they picked him because he was very close with Pope John Paul II and he would be a good transitional pope until it is time for the next one who will probably be younger and from another part of the world. For 78 he looks pretty good so he might last a while. Usually they aren't pope for that long and traditionally they are pretty old. John Paul II was an exception. He was the youngest pope ever "elected".
As far as him being a former Nazi- it seems like it wasn't his choice and he was let out to become a priest so I'm not holding it against him. Back in those days you were either with the Nazis or you were killed with the Jews. Many Catholics died in WWII.
I don't really understand what controversy there really is among Catholics, Ratzinger's views are so parallel to Pope John Paul II. And anyone not Catholic being disappointed by the choice just doesn't make sense to me, it's not your spiritual leader, so why care?
Among my peers, it seems to be ex-Catholics who are disappointed because they wanted change in the church and wanted to return to their church someday.
I for one, am pleased with the choice of Ratzinger. I am not for change, although I do believe more outrage was needed in the abuse scandal.
And I love the choice of Benedict. Humility is my favorite and most difficult virtue to achieve, it's one I have to remind myself to be.
-- Edited by lorelei at 13:09, 2005-04-20
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quote: Originally posted by: lorelei "I don't really understand what controversy there really is among Catholics, Ratzinger's views are so parallel to Pope John Paul II. And anyone not Catholic being disappointed by the choice just doesn't make sense to me, it's not your spiritual leader, so why care? "
Well I'm a Catholic and I don't like Ratzinger. And my mother has been teaching in Catholic schools for 30 years and she isn't pleased either.
Obviously there are lots of Catholics who didn't like all the views of JPII so obviously there are Catholics who don't like the election of a Pope who will be carrying on in the same vein and who has made it clear (in the past) that he isn't interested in allowing for any sort of discussion on certain issues.
I'm just disappointed because I really liked some of the other possible successors.