ot: 1 min of silence

[Caduceus]

dogscoff said:
The solution should be to set an arbitrary retirement limit: All popes must retire at age X, or when certain medical conditions apply. Then there would be no question of them having been 'ousted'.

Good luck getting *that* through the College of Cardinals.

Heh.

We'll see how long it takes to see white smoke...

[dogscoff]

We'll see how long it takes to see white smoke...

I read a few years ago an article somewhere about the most likely candidates for his successor. I seem to recall that at least half of them were black.

Imho the catholic church has done more to increase bigotry over the years than to counter it, but I think the election of a black pope would send a poweful message that you don't have to be a white guy to be an influential figure in the western world. (Although it probably helps )

Big question is, how long before we get a *female* pope?

[El_Phil]

Well according to the bookies the favourite is an Italian pope (they do have ~20% of the college of cardinals) Cardinal Tettamanzi apparently the 3/1 favourite. Cardinal Arinze from Nigeria is next out at 7/1. Cardinals from Brazil, Honduras and Germany finish off the top five at 9-10/1.

A female pope? You are joking right?

[Caduceus]

White smoke from the college of cardinals means they have a majority vote. Black smoke means they are still undecided. It is an ancient tradition, which I am not sure if they still perform.

[TurinTurambar]

wildcard06 said:
White smoke from the college of cardinals means they have a majority vote. Black smoke means they are still undecided. It is an ancient tradition, which I am not sure if they still perform.

I was 12 years old when JPII was selected. I remember the white smoke. I'm sure they still do it.

I, being Lutheran, was raised to have a healthy amount of criticism for the Roman Catholic Papacy. But when I read that he had passed away, I was sad. Even sadder when I read the synopsis of his life and how much genuine good he had done in the world. He was a good man, indeed. Speaking from a purely christian-fundamentalist perspective being good isn't what gets you to heaven, but if the man's "good works" were a true reflection of his faith then he's on his way.

Sadly and respectfully,
Turin

[Strategia_In_Ultima]

Italy is not a natural peninsula at all. It was supposed to be a depression in the Mediterranian Sea. The entire peninsula rests on the dead bodies of past Popes.

[dogscoff]

Actually, something occurred to me the other day that Renegade has just reminded me of.

The Pope is supposed to be God's representative on Earth, right? And according to catholics everywhere, and lots of other people besides, this particular Pope was a good Pope, right? Therefore, all (or at least, most) of the stuff he did during his life was stuff that God would have approved of, right? So God will want to look after him in the afterlife, surely? In other words, in the eyes of Catholics everywhere, the Pope-just-passed must stand a pretty good chance of getting into heaven.

So why are thousands of those same catholics sitting in the vatican praying for him? He's going to heaven! What can their prayer possibly do for him that's better than that? Wouldn't it be logical for all those people to be devoting their efforts to someone a little more borderline? Someone who actually needs a bit of divine favour, rather than someone who's already earned a ton of it for themselves?

And if the Pope really does need that much prayer, despite all his good works in God's name, then the rest of us are truly shafted...

I'm not being flippant, I just want to understand the logic behind it...

[Atrocities]

What man has the right to claim to be Gods personal representative to man? What gave this religion the right to make that claim? Surely God himself did no such thing and to claim otherwise would be a lie would it not?

I want to feel sorry for people who buy into religion about the same way I feel sorry for the people who buy into cults. If their that needy, that blind, that desprate, then so be it, its their business and not mine.

At least, or so I hope, more good comes from the Cathlic Church than bad, and I don't see hords of fanatical Cahtlics out blowing up buildings, cars, trains, themselves, or beheading inocent people for no reason other than to be blood thursty sadists all in the name of God.

I now know why Islam (sp) was viewed by western cultures as the worship of satan... by their view, and I guess even by todays standards, killing inocent people in the name of God via severing their head off of their bodies with a two inch pocket knief would seem like something a bad person would do.... Then again, western culutres tacked peopled to crossess and let them bleed to death in the burning heat of the sun or freezing cold of winter so by islamic beliefs the western cultures were barbaric.

Religion divides people, faith brings them together.

[TurinTurambar]

Opinions are opinions. Let's don't get into a religious argument here on the forum (religion and politics=bad topics of discussion universally) and let's don't bash Catholics in a thread about the Pope.

In fact, let's not bash anything.

Except NullAshton's head in the Bar & Grill...

[img]/threads/images/Graemlins/Dagger.gif[/img]Turin[img]/threads/images/Graemlins/icon42.gif[/img]

[Ron_Lugge]

Big question is, how long before we get a *female* pope?

That sounds nice. Good idea.