We got a new Pope

[Wojtek]

VATICAN CITY -- White smoke is rising from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel and the main ceremonial bell is ringing-- indicating that a new pope has been selected for the Roman Catholic Church.

http://www.krqe.com/expanded.asp?ID=9602

Now who's its gonna be?

[rhianna]

http://www.krqe.com/expanded.asp?ID=9602

Now who's its gonna be?

I'd like to see a Pope from Latin America.

If this article is true, I didn't get my wish for a Pope from Latin America:

http://www.epolitix.com/EN/News/200504/bc902de7-18cd-4eac-b526-effbd4130fc0.htm


Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger has been chosen as the new pope.

The new pontiff was elected on the fourth ballot of the 115 cardinals, meeting in conclave in Vatican City.

He has taken the name of Pope Benedict.

At just after 5.00pm UK time the bells of St Peter's rang to confirm that the 115 cardinals have made their choice.

Shortly before, and earlier than many experts had expected, a trail of white smoke from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel gave the first indication that a successor to Pope John Paul II had been chosen.

Cardinal Ratzinger is seen as a conservative choice, and is said to have been very close to his predecessor in the papacy.

[1] (http://www.epolitix.com/EN/News/200504/bc902de7-18cd-4eac-b526-effbd4130fc0.htm)

[Duport]

It seems way to short to be thinking about this at the moment, they could of waited a few month's

[niv]

www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/04/19/pope.tuesday/index.html

ROTFLMAO WE GOT THE NAZI :jump:

[Wojtek]

chineese dog-eating communist :rolleyes2

[niv]

Yes, why don't you label me as a pro-death liberal while you're at it :biggrin2:

[college-student]

i didn't want to comment on this because its a controversial 'christian' issue within the Catholic Church that extends itself to other chrisitan denominations & that Catholicism is the oldest religous sect amongst the chrisitan churches & bla, bla, bla.

But as someone who was born into a catholic family & knowing the insides as to what goes on and formalities, I'm dissapointed to learn that the cardinals involved in the Vatican's 'pope election' decided that it would be best for the people if a 78 year old was chosen over thousands of other younger candidates who are in a better position to lead the catholic church in terms of implementing doctrines, etc, etc.

Was life span of the newly elected pope ever on their criteria during selevtion - I've no idea - however - the only reason i see fit for this selection is that the Vatican may have wanted newly elected popes (in the future) to have shorter times of being in power for the catholic church.

Now this raises many issues such as reliability of decisions by the new pope, acceptance durations by catholics and so on.

It may be a good thing if it's looked at from the younger gerneration's point of view but if you're an orthodox chrisitan/catholic - i'm thinking they're not liking what's happened or at least they would've favored a pope with a longer life span being elected - given that the previous pope passed away in his mid 60's.

Well i wish the new pope good luck & success with the future & hope that the responsible cardinals at the Vatican make & take better & wiser decisions.

[Hobo]

I believe they picked an older pope as a transition pope between John Paul and the coming pope?

[Conscript]

They didn't want another 26 year papacy, thats why they picked someone old. This was done on purpose. Usually popes dont last more than 5-10 years on average, and thats what they want to stick to.

[rhianna]

I believe they picked an older pope as a transition pope between John Paul and the coming pope?

Most likely he will be a transition in terms of time because of his age. Will Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) continue Pope John Paul II's teachings & style or will he be different? Catholic Online offers an interesting glimpse into a potential twist:


John Wilkins, former editor of The Tablet in London, said Ratzinger could be different as Pope from his previous work.

"You never quite know how a pope is going to develop," he said. "You can't just draw a straight line from Cardinal Ratzinger as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and Cardinal Ratzinger as pope."

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. [1] (http://www.catholic.org/cathcom/international_story.php?id=13974)

Whether this is a pope for a long or short term, he (and the next pope) will have to grapple with unforeseen bioethical dilemmas (http://www.catholic.org/cathcom/national_story.php?id=13952) and other difficult situations.

[Dean]

http://www2.gvsu.edu/~joslynj/images/pope.jpg

Na Seriosuly
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-1572667,00.html

Papal hopeful is a former Hitler Youth
Justin Sparks, Munich, John Follain and Christopher Morgan, Rome

THE wartime past of a leading German contender to succeed John Paul II may return to haunt him as cardinals begin voting in the Sistine Chapel tomorrow to choose a new leader for 1 billion Catholics.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, whose strong defence of Catholic orthodoxy has earned him a variety of sobriquets — including “the enforcer”, “the panzer cardinal” and “God’s rottweiler” — is expected to poll around 40 votes in the first ballot as conservatives rally behind him.

Although far short of the requisite two-thirds majority of the 115 votes, this would almost certainly give Ratzinger, 78 yesterday, an early lead in the voting. Liberals have yet to settle on a rival candidate who could come close to his tally.

Unknown to many members of the church, however, Ratzinger’s past includes brief membership of the Hitler Youth movement and wartime service with a German army anti- aircraft unit.

Although there is no suggestion that he was involved in any atrocities, his service may be contrasted by opponents with the attitude of John Paul II, who took part in anti-Nazi theatre performances in his native Poland and in 1986 became the first pope to visit Rome’s synagogue.

“John Paul was hugely appreciated for what he did for and with the Jewish people,” said Lord Janner, head of the Holocaust Education Trust, who is due to attend ceremonies today to mark the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

“If they were to appoint someone who was on the other side in the war, he would start at a disadvantage, although it wouldn’t mean in the long run he wouldn’t be equally understanding of the concerns of the Jewish world.”

The son of a rural Bavarian police officer, Ratzinger was six when Hitler came to power in 1933. His father, also called Joseph, was an anti-Nazi whose attempts to rein in Hitler’s Brown Shirts forced the family to move home several times.

In 1937 Ratzinger’s father retired and the family moved to Traunstein, a staunchly Catholic town in Bavaria close to the Führer’s mountain retreat in Berchtesgaden. He joined the Hitler Youth aged 14, shortly after membership was made compulsory in 1941.

He quickly won a dispensation on account of his training at a seminary. “Ratzinger was only briefly a member of the Hitler Youth and not an enthusiastic one,” concluded John Allen, his biographer.

Two years later Ratzinger was enrolled in an anti-aircraft unit that protected a BMW factory making aircraft engines. The workforce included slaves from Dachau concentration camp.

Ratzinger has insisted he never took part in combat or fired a shot — adding that his gun was not even loaded — because of a badly infected finger. He was sent to Hungary, where he set up tank traps and saw Jews being herded to death camps. He deserted in April 1944 and spent a few weeks in a prisoner of war camp.

He has since said that although he was opposed to the Nazi regime, any open resistance would have been futile — comments echoed this weekend by his elder brother Georg, a retired priest ordained along with the cardinal in 1951.

“Resistance was truly impossible,” Georg Ratzinger said. “Before we were conscripted, one of our teachers said we should fight and become heroic Nazis and another told us not to worry as only one soldier in a thousand was killed. But neither of us ever used a rifle against the enemy.”

Some locals in Traunstein, like Elizabeth Lohner, 84, whose brother-in-law was sent to Dachau as a conscientious objector, dismiss such suggestions. “It was possible to resist, and those people set an example for others,” she said. “The Ratzingers were young and had made a different choice.”

In 1937 another family a few hundred yards away in Traunstein hid Hans Braxenthaler, a local resistance fighter. SS troops repeatedly searched homes in the area looking for the fugitive and his fellow conspirators.

“When he was betrayed and the Nazis came for him, Braxenthaler shot himself because he knew he couldn’t escape,” said Frieda Meyer, 82, Ratzinger’s neighbour and childhood friend. “Even though they had tortured him in Dachau concentration camp he refused to give up his resistance efforts.”

Despite question marks over Ratzinger’s wartime conduct, the main obstacle to his prospects in the conclave — the assembly of cardinals to elect the new pope — is the conservative stance he has adopted as guardian of Catholic orthodoxy since John Paul named him to head the congregation for the doctrine of the faith in 1981.

His condemnations are legion — of women priests, married priests, dissident theologians and homosexuals, whom he has declared to be suffering from an “objective disorder”.

He upset many Jews with a statement in 1987 that Jewish history and scripture reach fulfilment only in Christ — a position denounced by critics as “theological anti-semitism”. He made more enemies among other religions in 2000, when he signed a document, Dominus Jesus, in which he argued: “Only in the Catholic church is there eternal salvation”.

Some of his staunchest critics are in Germany. A recent poll in Der Spiegel, the news magazine, showed opponents of a Ratzinger papacy outnumbered supporters by 36% to 29%.

As one western cardinal who was in two minds about him put it: “He would probably be a great pope, but I have no idea how I would explain his election back home.”

One liberal theologian,when asked what he thought of a Ratzinger papacy, was more direct: “It fills me with horror.”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-1572667,00.html

[Gayowulf]

too long; didn't read.

[Dean]

Listen: http://neptune.lunarpages.com/~desig1/TUNER009.MP3

[Robert]

They will not pick a Cardinal from Latin America, which continues to name their children "Jesus".

[rhianna]

They will not pick a Cardinal from Latin America, which continues to name their child "Jesus".

That would be interesting.

[bozley05]

Well lets hope Benedict XVI is as good for the Vatican as John Paul. I would like to see how he goes about adressing aids in Africa, and hopefully he can do something about the catholic priests and their little "friends". The two biggest problems the church faces IMO.

[college-student]

i'd like to see what happens about 'stubborn' issues like birth control/contraception & priests being able to get married - been ages since this should've come around.

[Conscript]

I guess the biggest thing I'd like to see changed is priests should be allowed to get married.

[Robert]

I guess the biggest thing I'd like to see changed is priests should be allowed to get married.

Will never happen. Priests must be devoted to God.

[jmiller]

Will never happen. Priests must be devoted to God.
You can't say never.
There's always the possibility it could happen.

[Robert]

You can't say never.
There's always the possibility it could happen.

There is no possibility it could happen. It's never going to happen. The Catholic Religion would never tolerate it. You cannot be a Priest and be married, you cannot share yourself between God and a wife. You must devote your life to God and the House of God.

"An unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord. But a married man is anxious about the things of the world, how he may please his wife, and he is divided"

[bozley05]

Will never happen. Priests must be devoted to God.
And apparently little boys.

[pdrucker]

he seems much more strict that john paul II. rather than appologizing for the catholics involvement in the halocaust, Benedict XVI is angry that his side didnt win.

[rhianna]

i'd like to see what happens about 'stubborn' issues like birth control/contraception & priests being able to get married - been ages since this should've come around.

Canon law on celibacy can be traced to Paul:


1 Corinthians 7:32-35, where the Apostle speaks of those who are called to consecrate themselves with undivided heart to the Lord and «his affairs»; and adds by way of conclusion that «embraced with a joyful heart, it (the celibate life) radiantly proclaims the kingdom of God»[1] (http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cclergy/documents/rc_con_cclergy_doc_01011993_bfoun_en.html)


What kind of birth control & contraception would you like to see approved?

General birth control & Catholic Church teaching (http://www.catholic.com/library/Birth_Control.asp)

Statement on the twentieth anniversary of "Humanae Vitae " (http://www.priestsforlife.org/magisterium/bishops88-07-25twentyanniv.htm)

Natural Family Planning (NFP) methods consist of more than just the "Rhythm Method" (jokes associate that with roulette).

"Natural family planning": effective birth control supported by the Catholic Church (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8401097&dopt=Abstract)


According to the WHO, women of all cultural and educational backgrounds can learn to use cervical mucus symptom observation to recognise when they ovulate [1] (http://www.fertilityuk.org/nfps831.html)

This website is interesting:
AN ESSAY ON CATHOLIC MARRIAGE [by] Rama Coomaraswamy, M.D. (http://www.coomaraswamy-catholic-writings.com/Marriage%20%20essay.htm)

[jmiller]

There is no possibility it could happen. It's never going to happen. The Catholic Religion would never tolerate it. You cannot be a Priest and be married, you cannot share yourself between God and a wife. You must devote your life to God and the House of God.

"An unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord. But a married man is anxious about the things of the world, how he may please his wife, and he is divided"
You can't know that for sure though.

One can only hope that some day the Catholic Religion would become more tolerant.

[rhianna]

You can't know that for sure though.

One can only hope that some day the Catholic Religion would become more tolerant.

If you would like to know the origins of why Cannon Law says that priests should not marry, read:

The biblical foundation of priestly celibacy by Ignace de la Potterie, Biblical scholar
(http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cclergy/documents/rc_con_cclergy_doc_01011993_bfoun_en.html)

[jmiller]

If you would like to know the origins of why Cannon Law says that priests should not marry, read:

The biblical foundation of priestly celibacy by Ignace de la Potterie, Biblical scholar
(http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cclergy/documents/rc_con_cclergy_doc_01011993_bfoun_en.html)
Thanks, Rhianna. =)

[tandoc]

At least no one called Jeb for any help...

On a more serious note, I just hope that the focus of the public on the new pope isn't the discrepancies between Ratzinger and the late John Paul II, and more on the duties that lie ahead for the pope elect...

[Robert]

At least no one called Jeb for any help...

On a more serious note, I just hope that the focus of the public on the new pope isn't the discrepancies between Ratzinger and the late John Paul II, and more on the duties that lie ahead for the pope elect...

Jeb?

The reason this Pope selected the Name St. Benedict, is because St. Benedict the 15th was always questioning the Church. He is extremely conversative (like John Paul II), but he doesn't want people ot know that, so he selected the name St. Benedict.

I wish him the best.

[tandoc]

think back to 2000 elections... ;)

[Robert]

think back to 2000 elections... ;)

Ok.. ? I still don't undersatnd what the Govenor of a State has to do with the selection of the Pope?

[niv]

Indecisiveness? Call Jeb!

[rhianna]

Pope Benedict XVI doesn't like the music I enjoy:


He has called rock 'n' roll evil, saying it is full of "diabolical and satanic messages." He singled out the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Queen and the Eagles as especially evil. [1] (http://www.nydailynews.com/news/special/story/301715p-258307c.html)

I like all of the above mentioned bands especially the Eagles :coolmusic

The above list didn't surprise me as "satanic music"
has been discussed at length by other priests such as Rev. James J. LeBar in his book Cults, Sects, and the New Age but I was surprised to see the subject "highlighted" in today's Daily News. The Church seems to focus on music from the 60s & 70s. Why does the analysis stop there? I can think of subsequent bands & songs that seem more "dangerous."

[bozley05]

He has also lashed out at the dirty priests, so lets hope he has a hard line on the issue and fires them rather than just covering up cases.

[tandoc]

Today it was on the front page.. a picture of him holding his arms up...

my peers claim he's evil, and looks like Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins in character that is...) i hear they chose an old cardinal to allow for a cycle of popes, instead of 25+ year reigns?

[Robert]

He has also lashed out at the dirty priests, so lets hope he has a hard line on the issue and fires them rather than just covering up cases.

Priests are hardlyever "fired". The Catholic Church feels that if you sin, God will take care of it. But you make it sound like every Priest has done something "bad", which is simply untrue. I can only remember a handful.

[Robert]

Today it was on the front page.. a picture of him holding his arms up...

my peers claim he's evil, and looks like Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins in character that is...) i hear they chose an old cardinal to allow for a cycle of popes, instead of 25+ year reigns?

Right. They don't want 25+ years anymore, they want 10-15 years, so they elected him.

[tandoc]

I don't know.. I really don't follow these things, just plucking things out of the words thrown around when it was being talked about in class...

[Robert]

I don't know.. I really don't follow these things, just plucking things out of the words thrown around when it was being talked about in class...

Well it was true. They elected him for 2 reasons. One, he's the best friend of John Paul II and two, he's older and won't do 26+ years as the Pope.