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Franco Origlia / Getty Images
Pope Benedict XVI leads the Ash Wednesday service at St. Peter's Basilica on Wednesday.
A capacity crowd in St Peter's Basilica gave Pope Benedict a thunderous standing ovation on Wednesday night at an emotional last public Mass before he stands down at the end of the month.
"Thank you. Now, let's return to prayer," the 85-year-old pontiff said, bringing an end to several minutes of applause that clearly moved him.
In an unusual gesture, bishops took off their distinctive hats in a sign of respect and a few of them wept.
Earlier Wednesday, the pope explained that he had reached his decision to resign after prayer led him to conclude it would be for the best for the Catholic Church.
"I have done this in full freedom for the good of the church, after much prayer and having examined my conscience before God," Benedict said at his weekly general audience speech, according to an English transcript from the Holy See press office at the Vatican.
On Monday, when he revealed the news publicly, Benedict, 85, said that the papacy required "strength of mind and body," and that his health had deteriorated.
Later, the Vatican revealed that the pope had a pacemaker installed 10 years ago.
In Wednesday's remarks ahead of the Mass, the pontiff said he felt uplifted by the outpouring of support that followed his surprising resignation announcement.
"Thank all of you for the love and for the prayers with which you have accompanied me," he told the packed general audience hall. "In these days, which have not been easy for me, I have felt almost physically the power of prayer -- your prayers."
Benedict also said he had made his decision "knowing full well the seriousness of this act, but also realizing that I am no longer able to carry out the Petrine ministry with the strength which it demands."
Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi told Reuters that on the pope's last day in office, Feb. 28, Benedict would receive cardinals in a farewell meeting. Afterward, his ring of office, used to seal official documents, will be destroyed, as is traditionally done when a pope dies.
'A very quiet' role
The pope is to live in a four-story building attached to the Mater Ecclesiae monastery inside the Vatican, something that the church's senior communications adviser, Greg Burke, told The Associated Press was significant.
"It is something that he has wanted to do for a while," Burke said. "But I think it also suggests that his role is going to be a very quiet one, and that is important so you don't have a situation of ... two different popes at the same time, and one influencing the other. I think the obvious thing is when he says retirement, it really means retiring."
As for the soon-to-be ex-pope's new name, Burke told the AP that Benedict would most likely be referred to as "Bishop of Rome, emeritus" as opposed to "Pope Emeritus."
Other Vatican officials said it would probably be up to the next pope to decide Benedict's new title, and wouldn't exclude that he might still be called "Your Holiness" as a courtesy, much as retired presidents are often referred to as "President," the AP reported.
It is unclear if he will keep the name Benedict, which he took on becoming pope, or return to being Joseph Ratzinger again.
Javier Barbancho / AFP - Getty Images
Joseph Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI in 2005. Look back at his life from childhood through his papacy.
Immediately after his resignation, Benedict will spend some time at the papal summer retreat in Castel Gandolfo, overlooking Lake Albano in the hills south of Rome, where he has spent his summer vacations reading and writing, the AP said.
Afterward, he will return to the building in the Vatican's grounds, which was built in 1992 on the site of a former residence for the its gardeners, the AP reported. The building, which was occupied by an order of nuns until October, has a garden, where the nuns would tend to the lemon and orange trees as well as the roses.
The pope's older brother, Georg Ratzinger, confirmed that Benedict has no intention of returning to live in his native Bavaria. "You don't transplant an old tree," Ratzinger said.
Ratzinger said Tuesday that, in addition to his health issues, Benedict had been troubled by episodes such as the "Vatileaks" scandal in which a butler leaked secret documents. He also brought up "the relationship to the Pius Brotherhood" as a problem that troubled the pope.
That organization, formally known as the Society of St. Pius X, fell into a harsh public spotlight in December when its leader, Bishop Bernard Fellay, said Jews were "the enemies of the church." His comment drew criticism from all corners of the church and from the public in general.
Ratzinger said he thought his brother had handled those problems well, but that they had taken their toll.
On Wednesday, the pope asked for continued support for him and the church.
"Continue to pray for me, for the church and for the future pope," he said. "The Lord will guide us."
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Related:
Pope's abdication could thwart Silvio Berlusconi's political comeback
Vatican history of 'cover-ups and disarray' will challenge new pope
Why the buzz over St. Malachy's 'last pope' prophecy outdoes 2012 hype
This story was originally published on Wed Feb 13, 2013 9:07 AM EST
Leave a Comment:
wasn't this guy appointed by god?
I mean...a group of people just like him?
Jesus didn't quit when god chose him.
"For the good of the church"? That remark sounds like he's being blackmailed.
Jesus wasn't 85 years old either. He was over 50 years younger.
Love the Pope, hate the Pope, or not care either way about the Pope, will you be serving anyone or anything when you're 85? At that age, it's a good day to just wake up.
The BUTLER did it...
rage,
Yes, we believe he was chosen via the input of the Holy Spirit to the conclave. as were other Popes before him.
Jesus was also God. The Pope is not God. They both finished their jobs.
Before his announcement, "people" were always saying he was too old. Now that he has decided what he will do, people say he is a quitter. Fascinating.
NC does your statement mean that you would side with the church and the POPE with regard to the thousands of child molestation charges, the billions of dollars shelled out as hush money.. articles written about a bishop right in the vatican molestioning new preists and young girls, fact is he fathered 4 children.. he assistant did some thing similar.. only it was little boys he molested.. the bishop?? died shortly after the story broke, what a loss for us..
does your church have some one who's ring has to be kissed when you meet him.. His retirement is long over due,, he will run and hide never to be seen again.. and yes I believe he knew all about those molestations..
Ragequitter, Jesus DIDN'T choose Joe to be pope. He got the job because he had the best kiddie porn in the conclave. Why do you think that they lock the doors and play hide the key in those secret get-togethers? And that smoke that comes out. It must be some high-quality wacky-weed or some of the best cigars to come out of Cuba!
I don't recall reading about Jesus living into his 80's and needed advanced medical science to keep him in health.
The Pope failed at his mission to demonize gays and pro choice people.
The Vatican decided that they would dump this one and put someone else in place and take a different approach, like put a Latino in the chair, with time before the 2016 elections.
The Pope is chosen by men (Cardinals) who are, in turn, guided by the Holy Spirit. Jesus was never "chosen" he was the Son of God, a part of The Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirity), and knew his place and purpose from the beginning to end :)
I am positive that if the Pope decided to step down he was guided by the Holy Spirit as part of a God's plan.
The Pope has the right to retire if he wishes to do so. Why? He is not GOD! He was appointed by other humans to lead the Catholic Church. Each religious denomination has their own beliefs. Religion does not save you, how you live your life is what saves you. All religions mention good and evil. The same way Jesus names Peter as the leader of his church, Catholics have a Pope to lead their church. Yes, many priests have committed crimes and I for one am very disturbed by the idea that very few have been brought to justice, but so have many Cops, Teachers, Doctors Politicians, to name a few. This doesn't mean that every Priest is rotten. Life is not fair, but that has nothing to do with God. He gave us free will! We know the difference between good and bad. We make the choice!
Mr. Pope. Could you please call Nancy Pelosi and Diane Feinstein and suggest that they follow suit ? As a side note, Tyrannosaur could you please explain the Trinity to me again. I can't seem to find that term in the Bible. By the way what is the greatest commandement according to Jesus, in it's entirety ?
Just watch the documentaries Deliver us From Evil or Mea Maxima Culpa and you'll know why he quit. Decades of silence from this man when he was in charge of the department that handled sexual abuse reports against priests. Did nothing about it. An accomplice to the probably hundreds of thousands of claims around the US and even Italy had a similar case with a school of deaf children.
Power changes people, I don't understand why the Catholic Church needs to be like a government body with a hierarchy within the church. It should be about the personal relationship with Christ, the priests, archbishops, popes, etc every leader should be there to lead us in the right direction. They are human like us, and shouldn't be worshipped or looked up to as better than us, that is where they see themselves as able to sexually abuse the innocent but still feel godly because they "are better than us." It's not about who is at your church, it is about who you are there for, so even if all the evil in brothers and sisters disappoints you, don't let it trouble your faith in Christ our Savior.
It is not a matter of faith but science.....
13% of people over 65 have an Alzheimer's disease diagnosis and 50% over the age of 85 are similarly diagnosed. So maybe the Pope has detected in himself a loss of cognitive function and, being a responsible person, recognises the harm that could be done by a demented individual appointed for life to a position of great importance.
I understand that some people just don't have faith in anything and some who claim to have faith seem to think that their belief in something that can't be proved is superior to the faith of Catholics. So to offer any suggestion that might interfere with their desire to rant about God or their outrage about sexual abuse and priests is somewhat futile. But maybe the Pope is just doing what a lot of others should have done but didn't.
This is not about politics but one might give some thought to the President that was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease within months of his leaving office or the Supreme Court Justice that holds on to a seat longer than he or she should and impacts constitutional law.
Americans: The quote is: "A man's got to know his limitations."
Campdog: I am convinced that Ginsberg, Sotomayer, and Kagin all have the disease.
I am not a Catholic, but the pope is someone special. Rage Quitter wrote Jesus did not quit on God. Jesus was God how could he quit on himself. Let the Pope live out the rest of his life in peace.
Martin Everhart,
"the pope is someone special."
Yes, he is. He is the one who keeps the Catholic Church united. Without him the Catholic Church would have fragmented into a thousand different denominations as is what happened and continues to happen to Protestantism. And thank you for your well wishes.
"The pope's older brother, Georg Ratzinger, confirmed that Benedict has no intention of returning to live in his native Bavaria. "You don't transplant an old tree," Ratzinger said."
Or - "Once you've cleaned your shoes, you don't walk back through the hog pen."
Martin,
The Pope is a man that has claimed to be God on Earth. The history shows us that whether the God is evil or good is written in history. Read the"Dark History of the Popes, by Lewis and you will see that the Divine Comedy and Dante's Inferno was written witht he Roman's bloody history as a direct model. The Horrors of the Seven levels of Hell are already written into the history of Rome.
Lazarus
The pope found out that Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin was put in charge of the benefits plan for the papacy and has been planning on doing to him to what Walker did to Wisconsin workers. That's why he's getting out now otherwise he'll be standing in a blue-vest asking shoppers "how can I help you?"
Every pope has died in office since the 14th Century. There is much more to his "retirement".
As stated by another poster, "Christ is our Savior"? How is that? People still sin and will supposedly still be held accountable in the afterlife. What good was "dying for our sins"?
Tyrannosaur, I have a question for you. OK, the Lord, Jesus Christ chose 12 men to the Holy Apostleship. The rc church claims to be the direct succession of that organization that the Lord instituted at the beginning of His mortal ministry in the flesh; however, the supposed product of that supposed succession now has 170+ of these supposed apostles(now called 'cardinals'). How could that be? If the rc church can properly make that claim then why the overwhelming number increase? Also, how can a man be considered to hold Apostolic keys if he is now called a 'cardinal'? I'd say that to be a 'cardinal sin of pride'. The Lord did, however, call additional men to a special cause and called these special witnesses to the title of 'Seventy'. In contrast, these men were NOT called to the Holy Apostleship and did not have the authority to direct the world-wide affairs of the Kingdom of God. They were to help out the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in directing regional affairs. I'd say that to be more of the role of these 'cardinals' considering the huge amount of this church hierarchy. There is ONLY ONE church in existence today that is led by a corresponding group of men called to hold and exercise the keys of the Holy Apostleship. It is also led by several quorums of Seventies that direct regional control of the Lord's Church. It is led by a three-member group of senior Apostles that consists of the Senior Apostle/Prophet/Seer/Revelator and two counselors(assistants) that are also Apostles. That faith is known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The 15 men that comprise the Church's two highest hierarchies are called to these positions for life and they are released for only two reasons: first, death and second, considerable indiscretion. The Prophet(President) of the Church has ALWAYS lived out his sacred calling until the time when released from his mortal ministrations.
What people are overlooking, it seems to me, is that one of this pope's final acts will be to allow a known rebuked Cardinal to have the opportunity to become the next pope.
Child's point of view: "I was raped, my bottom is sore, my innocence stolen, and the person who was in charge of my rapist covered up the crime. What's more, Roger Cardinal Mahony, is now being given the opportunity to become the CEO of his religio-industrial complex."
As a child, I see the immorality of this act. Consider: the penalty for any Cardinal leaking information about the Conclave is excommunication, yet so many rapists were not even so much as defrocked.
I think this is pure evil. But just wait until the Catholic apologists appear to defend the indefensible with every sort of pretzel-logic imaginable!
All the Catholic Church leaders care about is power, money and sex (with little boys).
Reasonable-3328533,
We don't know that. But certainly some do and certainly some have at even the highest levels. Despicable. Of course we know these prelates are mere humans with no magical powers of protection, but the Catholic Church claims to be the Moral Authority for ALL HUMANS ON EARTH. This cannot be overlooked and this is why their crimes attract special derision.
However, I recently read something I agree with. If a moral non-religious person was elected pope, I have little doubt they would conclude the only rational thing to do would be to shut the entire enterprise down.
Too much misery and criminality to possibly keep it going. Not to mention their supernatural claims are bonkers and should never be taught to children! Hell? Hello? What an evil thing to indoctrinate into a child's imagination.
Prison is good for pedophiles also... Thats where sex abusers should retire to...
You got to love the atheists views on humanity! WE were merely apes millions of years ago. In fact some apes loved eating bannana's and beating there hairy chests that they chose to stay on as apes! Even the almighty Obama gave thanks to God last night and asked God to bless this Nation.
"However, I recently read something I agree with." Thats your problem right there geek you read what you want to hear! Good luck when your filthy, sinner skin turns to dust!
Athiest, you are spot on.
As for the apologists - keep getting all your answers from the collection of bronze-age writings, it's certainly taught you well how to cast stones.
Well, I didn't want to plagiarize. I only meant to say it wasn't my original thought but I agreed with it.
And since when does one have to believe in absolutes to make a moral judgement? That is the crux of your response. We simply contradict one another. And I find your comments about the president off-putting.
I feel sorry for atheists. It is a sad life when you have no hope and believe your life is here on now. Believe what you will, but the church has been going on for over 2,000 years and has gone through other scandals, schisms, and such. It will continue to survive and be strengthened through the Holy Spirit.
Don't feel sorry for us. The majority of us live rich, fulfilling lives and rely on our conscious to guide the way to morality and good works. We take pleasure in knowing that the power to solve problems or attain happiness comes from within, from our own sense of responsibility. We strive to live each day to the fullest because we understand this is all the time we have. We are not good because we're looking for a heavenly reward and we fear supernatural punishment, we're good because we're supposed to be good.
the bronze age was several thousand years before Christ, watch the sharp edges on the rocks you throw you might get a cut, and i see you admit there is something in your life derserving to be stoned for. good news is Christ suffered so we wouldnt have to be if we accept his sacrrifice
Atheist,
Any single, Catholic male is "eligible".
It is most likely that a cardinal will be elected to replace him but it is not likely that any of the cardinals involved in any way with the pedophilia scandal will be selected.
goodfor,
What do you base your morality upon? Law? Personal opinion? Feelings?
Just wondering....
Scholars date the writings of the OT to about 1200 BC, with Moses being credited with some of the earlier texts.
NC- I think I stated it clearly. A sense of morality comes from your conscience - knowing right from wrong. Most humans don't need a book or a law to know the difference.
thats why african tribes slaughter one another for no real reason, or indians did same, human sacrifice of the mayans i guess that conscience was turned off there? the reason God gave the 10 commandments to the jews was they needed something poking them in the face to keep them straight
You're just providing further examples that show how blind faith in a supernatural being can be disastrous. The ole "my god is better than your god" is not a valid argument.
Besides, how do you know the tribesmen have no good reason. Maybe they're protecting territory? You know, like modern Christians are doing in the world today. Many catholics practice the eating of the eucharist - the eating of their god. strange.
apples-n-oranges,
And may I ask how you have come to be privy to this special knowledge about the war-god Yahweh's so-called will?
NC So with that statement I would wager big money that not ONE of the 117 should be considered.. I you think for one minute the those cardinals did not know of the things going on in the church, then I have a bridge for sale.
so you need to explain to me how you think or believe that the pope and those cardinals are moral in any way.. I would live to see criminal charges for obstruction of justice charges
the Holy Spirit reveals the truth to an individual thats why you cant seem to grasp these concepts yet, no one comes to the Father unless the Spirit call him. there is a reason why 11 apostles chose to die horrible deaths rather than deny thier testimony, because they witnessed the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. and many many 1st century christians went to thier deaths rather than stop participating in the eucharist, this tells volumes about what they knew
Mike40MD,
As an atheist I believe we evolved from the ocean. Not sure where you got your I'm an ape, ape man analogy.
apples-n-oranges,
that is referred to as lemmings, just not a convenient cliff nearby to go over.
The message of the Catholic church is good, even if the messenger is faulty. and atheist are taking a gamble to not believe in an after life. and it takes more faith to think you came from nothing. because somehow DNA was made and is very complex. even a simple alphabet of 26 letters to roll out in order everytime is impossible. So we who are more complex than the alphabet are intelligent beings. and our organs, eyes all work together. People just don't want to believe. It's really a matter of the heart. they are fools who believe their is no God. God thought is put in our hearts. read CS Lewis books.
Carmenlb,
Who taught you such nonsense? It's ok to not know the answer to something. Reasonable people will say, "I don't know." You choose to say, Yahweh did it. You also don't understand the concept of who has the burden of proof when claims are made (it's the claimant).
Look, I am not a person of faith. Evolution by Natural Selection is the evidence for my ancestry, not Adam and Eve.
And lastly, I don't appreciate your tone of voice.
To all of the smart a$$es who were not raised Catholic, haven't spent 5 minutes doing any research on the Catholic church and what it all represents, rely on sound bytes to make an "informed decision", you really ought to keep your mouths shut. Some of these posts are beyond ridiculous ~ just into the shock and awe trolling.
PS: Carmen - I don't think CS Lewis is a reliable source either; just another point of view. How about L. Ron Hubbard?
So many fairytales the Catholic Church (and others) have used to infect objective thinking in this world.
Where do I begin? How about with the Lady of Fatima; the virgin birth; purgatory (where un-baptized babies' souls go); heaven; hell; the devil; green and brown scapulors (sold to us in Catholic grade school to ensure a fast pass to heaven if you suddenly died).
Really people. Get a mind of your own. It's a beautiful thing.
You cannot disprove a miracle to a believer... Just as you cannot prove the miraculous to a non-believer... Faith is something you know in your heart...not in your head...
Lisa,
Blind faith is the power of ignorance that the religions depend on in order to retain power over the people.
google"Theodora's Popes", or "Pope Sergius III" for a small picture of a religion that allows for the personage of one man to completely dominate a whole race of people in the name of Faith. As I said this is but a sampling. Read "A dark history of Popes" by Lewis for a more complete horror story. Do you know what Horror is the worst?
I love SciFi like Alien and the Frankenstein Monster, but that is fiction until I see Frankie walking towards me.
When I read history and see all the unimaginable things people have done in the name of God, to me that is the absolute most scary thing on Earth, because it is real and the potential for history to repeat itself is all too real. Read the history of the Popes and you will see that some excommunicated Popes actually came back to Rome and viciously murdered his accusers years later. They would threaten superstitious true believer with the loss of their mortal soul and these people of blind faith murdered people by the hundreds of thousands.
Lazarus
I have to agree with Lisa from Wayland. You believe by faith alone.. It is just something you just knoe in your heart... you feel it with your whole being... not all can feel this way, whice is so sad. read your bible talk to beleivers that you know or have a chat with others here and see if you learne anything, I mean it can't hurt, right ? You just never know what could happen. There is more to this than just about the Popes and I am not even Catholic... I am Christian...
I see apples is back dispensing more snake oil...
"...... Faith is something you know in your heart...not in your head..."
My brain is in my head, not in my heart.
I feel sorry for the guy....really.
Its not the age..this stuff been going on for centuries at very old ages!
May the lord bless him for his work..and bring another ( younger) to follow his work.
There is only one god..the one you pray too!
Mike277 --- 'the one to whom you pray' would be the correct way to say it.
Annie, is it really necessary for you to re-write/correct the comments of others for what they "say" or how they spell it.
You feel SORRY for him, Mike? I feel sorry for all the VICTIMS by the Catholic Church throughout history.
Rephrase the question. "Is it really necessary for anyone to write anything on Newsvine?"
Anti--- I get paid very well to teach people their own language. Consider this a free service.
This is another Saga in the Roman Catholic Religion; which has been tainted through out its history, with lies, deceat, and telling its members they have to Buy their way into Heaven? Look at Martin Luther's 95 Thesis he posted on the Wall. He was also a Catholic priest at on time. He Broke away from the Church, and Founded THe Protastant and Lutheran Religion. Maybe this Pope also has seen the light. GOD be with you, for you are still smart enough to see the Truth! ITs time for this so called "God Fearing Religion to look DEEPLY In The Mirror, and Read the Bible. Your Eyes Wont Burn out!
birdie,
You should also rejoice for the millions upon millions that the Church has helped.
Bill,
Everything that man touches is tainted. Everyone sins. It is the intercession of God that keeps the Church going and has for nearly 2000 years.
The Church endures.
(author's note: It is the Catholic Church that compiled the Bible....including yours since it is just a truncated version of the original.)
mike277,
"Its not the age..this stuff been going on for centuries at very old ages!"
"The worst thing about growing old is that you can still remember what it was like to be young." -- Somebody. I know this is true from personal experience.
Annie-322924
Anti--- I get paid very well to teach people their own language. Consider this a free service///Well than I guess that you are not a teacher, because all we hear from them is how they are the most under paid workers of all time.
Bill,
Before you start criticizing Catholics and condemning them to read the Bible, just remember it was Catholics that gave you your bible. It was Catholics that Jesus Christ entrusted his church with. It was Catholics that started Christianity.
Now before you go off on your tangent about boys being raped, and how the church is too rich just stop. I've heard it all before. A priest raping a boy is not an act of true Catholicism. It is embarassing for the Catholic church, but it is the priest raping the kid and not the Church. Condemn the priest, not Catholicism. I am born and raised a proud Catholic and I believe the priest getting caught doing this horrific act should pay the price. Chop off his d!ck and put him in solitude for the rest of his life.
Corky, then why was there an institutionalized plan to cover-up and protect priests?
Hear hear Corky! Thank you for standing up no matter what these people are going to call you. Good- you don't think that governments, other branches of Christianity, other groups of people have cover ups? Why is it that anyone else can be overlooked, but if it's Catholics everyone is automatically pointing fingers, wagging tongues, and running us straight into the ground. We are just as ashamed and shocked to hear these things as anyone else, but these MEN that sin do not define us, God does.
@mtymouse.....EXACTLY!!!!! If there's alleged dirt on the Catholic Church, it's complete fodder the liberal news outlets. Although I have to admit, they do lend some humor to my day.
farmall48,
"If there's alleged dirt on the Catholic Church, it's complete fodder the liberal news outlets."
I agree. The liberal news media is no friend of the Catholic Church, and the Catholic Church is no friend of the liberal news media, either. The feeling of dislike is mutual. There's a book by a Spanish Catholic priest that was written a long time ago entitled Liberalism Is a Sin.
Tired of it all -- you're correct; I'm a translator.
Annie,
Keep the Change! please, comment if you have an original thought on the topic at hand. Since you get paid by others, consider this, we are not asking you for grammar or spelling lessons and your continued interjections are those of a troll.
This Pope seems to have been a good man as Popes go down through history. After reading the various histories of the Roman Church, I would wonder how a modern people would openly support the church. Benedict apologised for the terrible past history of the Church and that in itself shocked me. He is impressive, but the new Pope might revert back to the past tyranny of previous Popes. do you know that one Pope was tried twice after he was dead, body desecrated, and thrown into the Tiber river, twice? The true history of the church is more obscene and vile than any writer in Hollywood could imagine in a script.
I only mention all of this so that people can know whence they come from and where they might try to return.
Lazarus
no disrespect to the catholics but wasnt it the roman empire that hijacked the faith from the first followers of "the way"? commision the crusades that destroyed those who didnt believe in the catschism? commision the practice of "indulgences"? and with modern day sex abuses, how can the catholic church claim legitimacy?
So I guess Jesus makes mistakes too.
Thousands of sex abuse claims isn't something to be proud of.
If Jesus were alive today, I am pretty certain the Vatican would be burned to the ground, and those that reside within its walls, condemned for their deceit and cover ups.
Annie-
My hat is off to you, ma'am.
The problem that some of these illiterate cretins have is the fact that they can say anything they want, but...
they must write it. Therein lies the rub.
The pope wants to retired...he's old and admits he can't perform his duties...let him go in peace with gods permission.
If its good enough for Jesus
If its good enough for Jesus
If its good enough for Jesus
It's damm good enough for ME!
I don't believe Jesus would want to have any contact with the Catholic Church. They just use a guy name Jesus for power and control.
Cows a waiting..see yall later!
Milk those cows like The Church milks its followers.
MOOoochas gracias
It is honesty to choose to live a life praying, than to hurt the work of God.
If Judas would have been honest, He would have saved himself.
If they start doing things for the good of the church, won't most of the priests have to retire?
No.
thousands will end up in jail.. so that's like starting over
Truer words were never spoken by him. Get out, while the gettin' still good Mr. Pope.
Jesus is non-religious and his church doesn't have a heirarchy or walls.
Jesus was a practicing member of one religion and started another. Seems He was pretty religious.
Jesusiswatching, are you smoking some pretty good $#!t? Oh, I forgot, He didn't choose Twelve men to serve in the capacity of Apostle and later he called another 70 to go into all the world to serve as witnesses with a charge to build up His Kingdom and Church and to serve as feeders of His sheep wherever they went. Sounds quite like a divinely structured MLM to sanctify the souls of all mankind. I am amazed at how 'supposedly' intelligent people such as yourself take nothing written in the scriptures as true and literal. Why don't you go become a Hare Krishna, then! Maybe even that might enlighten your darkened and dismal mind.
Peter you are my rock upon which I shall build my church- Mathew 16:18.
Seems as though he might have been a teeny weeny tincy wincy bit religious. Just a tad.
The Romans hijacked the teaching of Jesus after he was killed by the religious government of the Jews. It was a police state that used religion to dominate a whole people that generated vast income in tribute , taxes, and homage to the church. Rome was happy with the arrangement and later took a page from the Hebrew playbook to keep the laws of Abraham and moses as a way to continue to control the Roman Empire.
Given that the Jews have been hunted, relocated, terrorized, faced genocide, (not just once but many times through the centuries), and somehow managed to survive. Their first mistake was to kill Jesus a peaceful man. But the real reason they have been persecuted was that the Romans knew how to use them to unite the Christians with a common enemy, the ones who murdered Christ. When the Jews rebelled against Rome, all the protection of Rome was gone, removed. They were reduced to the status of slaves and nonpersons. (Persona Nongratta)
From that time on until they managed to gain a homeland and the support of the US they have been running for their very lives. All thanks to the loving tenderness of the Roman Church.
The history of the Jews went way South after they rebelled against Rome, because the Romans were, at the time, going through a metamorphosis from Conquering Empire to Holy Empire. The Romans needed a common enemy for the people to hate and who better than the race that Killed Christ? The evolved Roman church even made a deal with the Devil in the form of the NAZIs much later to offer the Jews as a sacrifice for the protection of the NAZIs should they win the War. I wonder why the Pope was not on trial at Nuremberg?
As everyone who reads history knows, the old wounds fester and make us sick much later. But the recent wounds are the ones the young people see and know. Arabs and Muslims all agree on one thing, they want Israel dead and gone so they can claim the riches of the lands and people. The story is an old one that has been seen many times especially with the Roman Catholic Church.
From the time the Roman Church was come to inception it was rife with every kind of sin and despotism. At the time the Romans were wanting to be the dominate religion of the Western lands of Europe, they had two major rivals. The Arabs, known as Saracens, and the Cathars. The Roman Catholics had a method of using fear of death and torture to empower themselves. They used the Royal families and the commoners who saw a chance to gain wealth in the conquest of the Cathars. I will not go into the history, but google it as it is truly interesting reading that gives us a picture of where our current faith comes from.
Suffice it to say, that the complete and total genocide of anyone who subscribed to the Cathar Religion was wiped off the face of the Earth. After reading about the Religion, I can see how people were attracted to it especially after comparing it to the Catholics. It mirrors my inclinations and answers a great deal of the Hypocrisy offered by the Romans evil nature.
Everyone on this God forsaken Earth has someone to hate, but not everyone hates. The haters need to take a lesson from the nonhaters and start a new day.
Lazarus
Still marvelling at Holy Father's wisdom. Clearly he knows his limits and that he has reached them. How I wish that Pope John Paul, who , I think let his mysticism get the best of him had been as wise. Sad as I am to see Benedict go, at least I am relieved that the church and the world has beens spared another awful death watch. May your sunset be peaceful and beautiful.
"Jesus was a Capricorn"
"Still marvelling at Holy Father's wisdom. Clearly he knows his limits and that he has reached them"
The next Pope? Harry Callahan
"Well...do ya punk?"
Ratzinger, hope that you will lose sleep over the child molestation, and priests that you assisted in hiding. You failed to take action, while in your previous position. The Catholic church continues to lose members, therefore, losing money. You need to stop hiding behind the walls.
It is still the largest single Church in the world....and still growing.
Everyone sins...even you.
Yep everyone sins...But the so called Pope should be a cut above..
this man was just a flake..Last Pope resigned 600 years ago...
But bet he didn't play with little boys and hide the sins of other pedophile priest..wake up people...!
The entire Catholic religion should be told the the truth - And the truth is 84.5% are either HOMOSEXUAL AND OR DRUNKS!!!
Now everything is all out and in the open; even the Pope him self! Order a Thailand Money Boy and give a little.
Ta Ta. . .
:)
What?
he's babbling about homosexual priests
where does one need to send his resume for this "pope" gig and will my not being catholic or even a practicing christian be an automatic disqualification and further would that not be discrimination based on religious convictions or lack there of....actually other than champion the cause of keeping the catholic religion firmly entrenched in the dark ages, I'm not real sure what the Pope's job involves...
GREG,
No, you are not eligible. You have to be a single, male, adult Catholic. Religious discrimination? Yes. Necessary for the job itself.
Job of the Church? Doing what Jesus told it to do: spreading the word of God to all. The Pope is the leader.
There you go. Answers to your questions.
In order to become pope you must be
1. Catholic
2. Elected
3. Male (Although there was one pope who hid her sex)
4. Priest and bishop but these holy orders can be confered upon you after your election.
technically, any catholic male can be pope. not just priests, bishops or cardinals
One other qualification: You have to think like a CEO of a major bank.
and be a deluded "believer" - of course, not that it really makes a difference in the end...
Another example of blasphemy. The brother is another monk and is being use as a ploy to sound like genetically related childhood siblings. That is saying, there is an aggressive monk brother inside the brotherhood of catholic priests that is wanting to seize the day to take rein as Pope while the Vatican looks the other way. It is a meager attempt to act above vatican rules or law that governs the brotherhood to remove a "king" or in this case current Pope. Previous Pope put personnal decision aside for Unity as a religious icon as Pope. Previous pope did not deny they lost conviction and therefore die with conviction and their last breath starts a new vatican protocol for process of another man to become Pope...
jujube,
What are you trying to say?
The abdication of a Pope has happened before.
only twice. It's a rarity - like having a crooked president resign
NC-492358,
Pope is suppose to be above king and even icons in religious terms such that the vatican has protocols to allow man to become pope. Protocol means procedures or religious rituals where the steps are written down like instructions. This process is consider one way so selection for pope is done very carefully and with great care. Pope is like a symbol of unity to represent catholics, catholic priests, and even the Vatican all at once. One cannot just make personal choice to quit after accepting life as Pope. This is why Pope has numbers after title name of Pope for mankind references. For example, in a family of surviving lineage you can find joe jackson III for grandson and joe jackson IV for great grandson. example is just for name use with numbers. Pope is one immortal entity for catholic unity.
in summary, in catholic rituals, a man undergoes a "transformation" by way of a religious ritual(s?) to be Pope. Thus Pope is above leaders of mankind, above king, and represent catholics at the same time. So, acting out of the ordinal while in life as Pope could be consider a trespass offense on the catholic rituals to be Pope. That is one count of violation of Vatican rules or law that as an outsider I do not exercise against the current Pope for now.
anyone catholics still want pretending to play dumb?
Ratzinger (Benedict xv) blackmailed his way to becoming Pope by threatening to turn over to legal authorities, incriminating evidence of church abuses in the various dioceses of the cardinals. Mahony was seen as a threat, as he was ready to come clean and expose the truth, but they silenced him by taking away his authority and responsibilities, thus taking away his credibility, making him look like a disgruntled former employee in case he decided to squeak. Now they are doing it to the Pope. He is not resigning. He is being silenced and put out to pasture in a monastery far from the press and public. They will subsequently invent a reason for his death.
@Peter. You'll be providing links for all that you mentioned above, right? Otherwise, it's merely your opinion stated as fact.
Just something for you to meditate on, far be it for me to bear false witness. I wouldn't want to be crucified after all or assasinated in any other way.
Just as I thought, no links.
peter,
Wow, talk about conspiracy theories....
Any sources? If not, you ARE bearing false witness; a big no-no - one of the 10 big ones.
NC: The 2006 documentary Deliver Us From Evil chronicles accusations that Mahony knew that a priest serving under him, Oliver O'Grady, a native of the Republic of Ireland, had a two decade history of sexually abusing and molesting children (including one infant) but failed to keep him away from children. The film claims that in 1984, a Stockton police investigation into sexual abuse allegations against O'Grady was reportedly closed after diocesan officials promised to remove the priest from any contact with children. Instead, Mahony reassigned O'Grady to a parish approximately 50 miles (80 km) east, in San Andreas, where O'Grady continued to molest and rape children. Not long after, Mahony was promoted from bishop of Stockton to archbishop of Los Angeles. By 2012, local authorities had obtained internal Church documents showing Mahony had organized the movement of sexual predators across jurisdictional boundaries to complicate any possible prosecution. In 1987 he prohibited a priest from seeking therapy for his urges on the grounds that a therapist might report the crimes to the police. - Cardinal Mahony and the Truth, New York Times, 28 January 2013.
Goodnessforgoodnesssake:
I will check on that. Thank you goodness. I am writing an opinion for my local paper and need to research more of that now pope-candidate's willing evilness.
Have you seen Mea Maxima Culpa on HBO? Lots of info there.
So you watched a documentary?
Seems legit enough for me to believe. I really need to get netflix so my whole world can get turned upside down by an hour long documentary with no actual research being done to say otherwise.
Actually I did. Thanks.
Corky, I sense fear from your posts. Fear from atheists. Fear that it might seep into your consciousness. It's okay, really. You can safely entertain the thought of no god without fear of damnation and lighting strikes.
goodforgoodnessake,
I do not fear atheists. i am going to be brutally honest and say that I do not understand the logic of an atheist. I cannot comprehend how a person can see the world around them and not question how it got there. I do not care if you believe the jolly green giant is the creator or Big Foot is, at least there is a belief that everything came from somewhere. The argument that we all came from nothing is not logical. There was a creator. If there were no creator, we would not be here debating it now.
I believe an atheist is just a person who does not question this sort of thing. Surely, if you spend a little time questiong the beginning you would realize that someone or something had to create the universe and it did not just appear out of nowhere.
i believe we all came from the same place and we all will end up in the same place.there is no real division between us all.our divisions in this 4+ dementional place is just illusion.an illusion that we will cling to no matter what.there is so much more goin on but, we cant experience it fully with our limited sences.there seems to me to be two root mental states we can choose to follow.Fear/which is a horrible catalyst to a chaotic experience or Love (for lack of a better term) that seems to create an at ease,accepting,thoughtful co exsistance.to believe we are really all ONE,no one better or worse than another would transend the world to never before seen hieghts of this "physical" plane.
Who created the creator then, if everything comes from somewhere?
Why shouldn't it be? You insist that there is some sort of "creator" out there and have no evidence to back up your claim.
So how is someone that at least has something to bring to the table, less credible than someone who brings nothing at all?
I take it the thought of evolution disturbs you? Why could we not have evolved? We have libraries full of evidence to back it up. Where's your documentation a creator created all this?
The Big Bang theory also brings something other to the table that simply stating a supreme being we have never seen or heard from created it all.
moreover - people seem to forget that "little factor" of "randomness", which when coupled with IMMENSE TIME PERIODS provide a probabilistic opportunity for almost ANYTHING TO HAPPEN. Lets say that the universe is 15 BILLION years old. Remembering that in "easy terms" a BILLION SECONDS is about 32 YEARS. The Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies are slowly moving towards each other and will "interact" ("collide" isn't a correct term due to the spaces between the stellar members of both galaxies) What will result is supposedly a "supergalaxy" (it's on schedule for maybe 5 or 6 billion years - roughly the same time Sol (our parent star) goes NOVA.
IF we accept the "big bang" principle that the entire universe WAS at one time a single tiny tiny condensed energy source that for some unknown reason "exploded and expanded" (thus creating both space and time) the actual "cause" might turn out to be something far beyond our comprehension - or it might just be a cycle of expansion and contraction which has been ongoing for "ever". We will never know and SOME like to create religious "explanations" to assuage their lack of ability to explain "why". SOME of us don't CARE since we recognize that "we" are merely minor specks of "something" in the vast cosmos. Born, live, reproduce, die. man neither creates nor destroys - man merely increases ENTROPY.
There are plenty of people around the pope to run the operations of the church. John Paul was very sickly and suffering with Parkinson's for many years. No need for Benedict step down. I don't blame him for wanting to step down though. Heaven forbid he has a stroke or incident that would debilitate him, perhaps unable to swallow or eat. Then a feeding tube would have to be used to keep him alive while they await a miracle from God to repair him. Which is a Catholic duty, to stay alive at all costs if the technology is available, as stated by John P in his 2004 paper he wrote on end to life issues. We wouldn't want to have another Terri Shivo like situation on our hands. Maybe that's the real reason he is stepping down. If I were him, I too would be scared of an advanced age incidence that would force me to stay alive at all cost because God could step in and preform a miracle, as reiterated by the church a week after John Paul's death. Hey wait a second, didn't these guys fight like hell over Terri Shivo to keep her, or her shell alive despite Terri having absolutely no thoughts, feelings, her five senses, basically no brain, and no way to repair. Keep the feeding tube!!!! I'm sure this is all still very fresh in Benedict's mind. Stepping down avoids his prolong suffering in the public eye under the rules of the church and end of life issues. Now he can die the way he wants too, out of the picture and in peace, with dignity, everything Terri Shivo was denied. I think his greatest fear is becoming like a Terri Shivo in public while pope, kept alive at all cost as the church dictates. With him stepping down, he has much greater control of how he wishes to depart this world, and in privacy, without having to practice what they preach. John Paul was a great pope, however his enabling, hiding, moving bad priest around to avoid prosecution for child molestation and his failure at the end of his own life to take the feeding tube himself 1 day after Terri Shivo died, thus resulting in his own death 3 days later says alot. The church comes out a week later and reiterates their stances on end to life issues. Which was and is... keep yourself alive at all costs if the technology is available. Because you have to give God a chance to step in and preform a miracle. OH THE HYPOCRISY OF IT ALL!!!
Agree...Guess this kind of rules out any chances of him Ever becoming a Saint...lol
Call in the replacement Pope....lol
No, it is NOT the Catholic duty to stay alive at any cost; heroic measures that just prolong the inevitable are not required. And Terri Schiavo was murdered, NOT simply allowed to die by withholding heroic measures. She was denied food and water until she died. That's murder.
Only someone without a heart or conscience would idly let another human suffer for years. We don't even treat animals that way.
goodness, I like your handle. Indeed.
Wow, what a rambling diatribe.
JP II did not have any feeding tube removed.
What is "good", goodnesssake?
Who said anyone was suffering for years?
lol NC. From Merriam Webster: virtuous, right, commendable; kind, benevolent. Deserving of respect, honorable. agreeable, pleasant, salutary, wholesome, etc.
Terry Schiavo suffered for years. Kept alive solely for selfishness and fear from her parents.
lol goodness,
But what do you base your own version of goodness upon? We might agree or disagree but I know why I would say that something is good or not.
You know she was suffering? How?
Languishing in a bed for years, losing muscle tone by the day, being poked, prodded and pumped sounds absolutely fabulous doesn't it?
I base my own version of goodness on the very things I listed. Do I strike you as someone bad?
Ratzy potentially a SAINT? The man referred to as "god's rottweiler"? The head modern INQUISITOR (who didn't have the GUTS to stop pedophile priests)? yeah... right. ROFLMFAO!! a saint... oh it hurts sooo much to laugh like this...
If he wants to do something good for the church he should end the church's ban on women in leadership positions, quit with the gay bashing and stop the rampant pedophilia.
Reasonable.
He believes he has no choice on women in hierarchy leadership positions. This is based upon the fact that Jesus had no female Apostles and were never given the commission to go and teach the world. Lots of female disciples, though.
The Church does not gay bash. It is against homosexual acts.
Pedophilia is not rampant in the Catholic Church. It is everywhere and a problem for organizations who deal with children. This is no excuse for the problems within the Church (which are being dealt with) but, several studies indicate it is slightly worse in Protestant denominations, for example.
http://home.comcast.net/~rosses8/pedoph.html
http://new.exchristian.net/2010/09/protestant-clergy-sex-abuse-pattern.html
http://www.nolanchart.com/article6740-pedophilia-only-a-catholic-sin.html
Thank you for posting links, NC. You seem to be the only one here so far to be able to do that.
the incidence seems to be in the 4% to 5% range from what I remember reading before. Same as the general population. it's NOT that it HAPPENS - it's that it was ALLOWED TO CONTINUE even after identification. A conspiracy of SILENCE tacitly enabled pedophiles to continue in "their ministry". THAT'S THE ISSUE. (and nobody will convince me that Ratzy didn't KNOW - he had access to all of the data - complicity by SILENCE)
I think Mitt Romney should be the next Pope.
Mitt can't be Pope. He is not a single, adult Catholic male.
besides mor(m)ons don't like catholics...
Maybe it's all an illusion, and nobody is really at fault for anything, but there does seem to be some real shame when these people (catholics) see it as their right to interfere with other people's lives, especially the american catholics who work to deny their fellow american citizens equal rights claiming it's what their invisible god wants.
Right! So stand up for the rights of plantation owners to "own" other human beings as slaves. Don't interfere with their lives, and CERTAINLY don't let some church dare to say that it's wrong to do that.
Sorry--dumb argument then, dumb argument now, as the "right" in question is often the "right" to slaughter an innocent human being, whose only "crime" is--through no fault of his or her own, and beyond his or her control--being where he or she is not wanted.
Didn't you know Stephen that the church owned slaves for many years? That a great part of the church's wealth in the 16th and 17th centuries came from sugar and tobacco plantations? When the Spanish first came to the New World, they were ordered by the church to ask the "savages" three times to convert, if they did not, then they should be killed. And they were. go research the bible on slavery and you will find much support for it. These are facts. your so called scriptures and history books are your links. Do you think missionaries were sent to africa and other parts of the world to do good? They were sent to learn the language and customs of the people so they could be conquered. I understand the emotional level of your sentiment, i came very close to enterring the seminary and I am so glad I did not. I could never again be part of that horrible institution. Even in modern times, the Catholic Church has victimized more American citizens than 100 Osama Bin Ladens. But I understand your need and others like you to defend what you call your faith. They have had hundreds of years to practice the art of emotional manipulation. That's how they maintain control of their empire.
peter,
Lots of charges, there.
Sources please.
Peter, everyone who had money throughout the ages owned slaves. It was an accepted norm. Much like the democrats own slaves today called welfare recipients. Only they don't have to work on a plantation, they just have to vote for obama.
You know.... I had 12 years of formal, Catholic education... In several classes, we got into the "dirt" of our denomination. Peter is bringing up things "as matter of fact"...that simply did not happen..
sorry NC - the "convert or die" edict is well founded. The Spanish were ONLY interested in MONEY. "souls" for the church was a "secondary activity" - the ones who wouldn't convert were enslaved. the ones who wouldn't work were executed. Nothing says that it was a church decision, but they DID turn a blind eye to it
Spanish acquisition of massive amounts of gold in the "new world" was what doomed them to second rate country status - they had MONEY and there was NO IMPETUS for them to develop like the rest of industrializing Europe.
While I've not been a huge fan of Benedict, I do respect him for stepping out of a position he can't handle. Too bad the majority of our politicians won't do the same.
Gotta strong feeling it WASN'T his choice...if you get the drift...
Lot more to this story than meets the eye..The truth will come out someday..
Ya ll get the replacement Pope on the Phone, hes needed pronto
gordo,
"Feeling"? You mean just your opinion, right?
yes - feeling - there are many skeletons in the butler's closet. They kept the butler incognito for a long time. Benedict (to his credit) pardoned the butler. the butler has remained silent (gratitude?) Hey 85 is getting to be an old fart. The spirit is willing but the body is weak. He couldn't keep up the schedule and wasn't willing to be a showpiece like JP2 became.
I just want to say I know there are a few Catholics reading these comments and they are respectfully keeping silent. They know child rape and priestly coverup at the highest levels in their church is indefensible.
So thank you Catholics for remaining silent.
I wish they would stop being silent and start demanding accountability from their church. Organize a worldwide "no donation Sunday." That'll get the vatican's attention!
It's the quiet one in the back you shouldn't be mouthing off to.
I hear you. Many are doing that, perhaps not in an organized way, but Germans are leaving in droves as are the Irish. Australians check. Americans Check. Even the Belgians! Check!
We also have to consider that many members display an almost Stockholm-Syndrome-like fawning for their tormentors. Many Catholics are unfortunate victims of their own geographical place of birth. Born in Italy, you are likely a Catholic, etc.
I would be lying if I didn't say I do have sympathy and even empathy for many Catholics who are stuck.
Wait, did the pope leave a bag of candy behind? I didn't know the pope ate candy, wait, hey little boy, you have candy on your face...
Sorry to burst your bubble, atheist, Catholic here. 3rd generation Irish, Roman Catholic and still go to the same Catholic church that my immigrating ancestors went to. I worked for a Catholic health organization for over 20 years and saw nothing but good works.......from Nuns. My male family members were altar boys for generations and nobody was touched, fondled, raped, assaulted or, flirted with by clergy. Again, sorry to burst your little bubble.
I think the reason you're not hearing from a lot of Catholics here today, is because a seeming majority of you are displaying the IQ of a sewing needle.
farmall48,
Feel free to point out anything I said that wasn't evidence-based. And certainly feel free to be proud of an accident of your place of birth. And while evolution helps explain our tribalistic pleasures, I am no respecter of mere unearned happenstances.
Lastly, good works doesn't mean Hell, Heaven and the rest of it is true. I care about what is true, not what makes me comfortable.
Farmall, are you suggesting that if you didn't personally witness it, it can't possibly be true?
Not suggesting that at all, Goodness. However, commenters painting the Catholic Church, the parishoners, clergy, et al with a broad brush certainly demonstrates a lacking IQ.
As for you atheist, I'm darned proud to be an Irish-American, Roman Catholic so, the pity you feel may be more self-directed.
I used to think like you, farmall48. I no longer do. I think your type of proudness is perilously close to the same feelings of chauvanism, nationalism, and more distantly racism. I understand why you say what you do, I just think if you break it down, you are probably proud of what you or your ancestor did, not what country your ancestors necessarily conceived you in.
I don't find any menace in your post. It's just a point of observation.
atheist
The reason why believers like me are reluctant to get into discussion with people full of bitter hatred like you is that you do not want to discuss - you just want to vent your hatred.
May God help you find some internal peace and look on the world with a little bit more of love and a little less of anger
God bless you and all your family
maciej,
My conscience tells me that it is moral and dutiful to hate the actions of willing criminals who cover up sex crimes against babies. If that is hatred, I'll wear that badge honorably.
But more to your point, in my experience, believers tend not to get into discussions with people of no faith because they can't follow the rules of a rational argument let alone decide on the first axiom to accept.
Don't get me wrong, the dialogue dance is only limited by the skills of the interlocutors. But in the end, the believer will ALWAYS say, "well this is my faith."
I'm glad you are not choosing to provide evidence for your claims. It's a futile exercise and I have dogs to walk.
Cheers.
The Catholic Church is doing a lot to stop the pedophilia problem and has been for years.. Protestants need to do the same, as well. All organizations who deal with kids need to look to this problem.
atheist
When the treatment of abusive priests was concerned, the Church has sinned - no argument there. It has sinned before on other points and - sadly - it will sin again, because even if based on the Word of God it is a human institution, made of human beings, who are all sinners (me and you included). Still, condemning the whole Church, made of about 600 thousand priests and more than one billion believers, for the crimes of a handful and a bad call made by an even smaller handful, well, I believe it is an exaggeration.
Also, the Church ultimately cleaned its act and changed its ways. Now I am still waiting for other organised religions, as well as Education Boards in the 50 states and all other institutions dealing with children to open their files and wash their own dirt.
As for the question of discussing faith, it is indeed pointless. Faith is irrationnal and trying to discussing it rationally is a waste of time. Still, if I may suggest something, no matter how much you dislike the Catholic Church, do not let it influence your judgement on Christian faith itself. God is greater than the Church and greater than Christianity - and there are many ways to find Him. Let not your dislike for "men in black" (and in purple, red and white) hide you the greater picture...
Once more, God bless you and your family
There is much I agree with in your reply, maciej. Thank you for it. As far as changing their ways, that is a faith claim. You simply cannot know that. Their history belies this fact. Fool me once...
I would never let a child be alone with a priest. EVER. Again thank you for your somewhat measured reply to what surely is a dispicable crime on the part of your Church's leadership.
hey stinking athiest keep your comments out of it you dont believe so dont comment.i would not allow anything near a athiest POS
Hey "I agree with soildier." Did you ever consider that it's the people who "don't believe" who can see things a little differently, if not much better, from outside of the religious haze? Have you surrendered all of your objective thinking to the idea of god?
MAC,
The Pope is a man that has claimed to be God on Earth (Divine infallibility). The history shows us that whether the God is evil or good is written in history. Read the"Dark History of the Popes", by Lewis and you will see that the Divine Comedy and Dante's Inferno was written with the Roman's bloody history as a direct model. The Horrors of the Seven levels of Hell are already written into the history of the Holy Roman Empire and the line of Popes. During the dark ages, the Roman Catholics committed out in out Genocide of every Cathar, and all classes of Pagans (unbelievers). because the corrupt Romans could not stand the light of truth or the competition of other faiths that over shadowed them in the eyes of the public. Their answer was to poke the eyes from the common man through every vice imaginable. The Romans brought Hell to earth and called it Christ.
There is a new strain of catholics in Mexico that are reported to be the drug cartels and they depend on the church to absolve them for all the murders, and crime that they commit. The only price is a large amount of money donated to the church. The priest absolves them so they can go out and kill more and so on.
Lazarus
yo - i agree (which I don't, but whatever) so you prefer a diet of placebo pap served up by your "church" instead of REAL investigation into the PROBLEM? how very "catholic" of you (true, don't tar them all with the same brush, but provide a double coating where applicable. PLUG your ears and run away screaming "LALALALA I CAN'T HEAR YOU LALALALA I CAN'T HEAR YOU LALALALA I CAN'T HEAR YOU..." but that won't make it go away...
Jesus teaches,a bad tree can't bear good fruit,so wars can't be good and
bad,some being just others not,and a good tree can't bear bad fruit,so wars
can't be all good,God ends all wars,says Isaiah 2:4.So wars can only be all
bad,bad fruit from a bad tree,and Jesus says you will know them by their
fruits.Wars with Drones,wars fought by robots,have the potential to increase the
number of wars because they are thought to be safer for people and countries.So
they don't make for smarter Governments.
All wars are not "good". Some may be necessary such as in the cases of self defense or defense of another.
There has NEVER been a "good" WAR or a "bad" PEACE... (yes, some are necessary; however, IRAQ and AFGHANISTAN were NOT NECESSARY!)
Now the Catholic church can let gays server as priests, bishops, cardinals and popes. Oh wait a minute, most of the priests, bishops, cardinals and popes are gay! I guess it will be openly now. Be scared little boys, nothing for you has changed.
wendy,
Most are?
Sources please, or was your remark just hate?
Just hate, NC. As per usual for today, no links.
and yet, can you deny that there are undoubtedly SOME gays in the church heirarchy? Statistically, it has to be due to the large numbers
The Episcopalian church elected the first gay bishop YEARS ago. Or did everyone forget that "shocking" event and how it almost "tore" the Anglican church apart? And did everyone forget Jim and Tammy Bakker, and the other Protestant televangelists who also had affairs and/or embezzled money?
Finally we hear a somewhat honest explanation of why the pope stepped down. Yes popey, it certainly will be good for the church when their leader is no longer a nazi pedophile.
Yes, he says he is too old to do a good job. Very honest of him.
Hey Leroy Brown,sounds like a little racist comment.Well,maybe you would like the pope to be an illegel wet back,or maybe a n...i...g...g...e...r who will steal all the jewelery and silverwear.I know why dont have a pope who is a illegal wet back n...i...g...g...e...r mix be pope.
W.T.F. What race was I denigrating? I can see you saying my comment showed bigotry toward catholics perhaps, but racist?? Please explain. BTW, I'm not black, pure German ancestry in fact. Like you, many assume I am black; unlike you most don't call me the "N" word
the nazis are the liberal scum and thier hero obame
i agree lives in a delusional world, evidently. VERY likely not even a speaker of English as a native tongue...
He's retiring. BIG DEAL. Who cares. It doesn't mean anything.
To the pedophile comments: You're more likely to be raped BY YOUR OWN FATHER. But you're not anti-dad, are you?
My dad doesn't claim to have moral authority over me. Fail. And furthermore, if my dad raped people I would most certainly be anti-dad. What a bizarre attempt to defend the indefensible.
Lol, that's probably true Ellie. One can always find a stat to back up their point of view. It is also true that fathers as a group have a far lower incidence of members who rape children, their own or otherwise, than catholic priests as a group. Child rape has been running rampant in the catholic church for centuries.
I was molested by my atheist uncle/ aunt Bob!!
I'm sorry to hear that Mike40MD. Was your atheist uncle also a priest? Ever hear of the Clergy Project? It's a place for priests to find safety when they no longer believe and wish to leave their congregation.
If your uncle truly molested you, I hope you are ok and I hope he faced secular justice.
Atheist,
Your dad should have had moral authority over you. He failed you.
Atheist, you are so against the Catholic Church that you did not realize that Mike said he was molested by his atheist uncle. You were probably molested by your dad and that's why you do not believe in God. It's human nature to blame God for eveything!
lagig21,
No. I comprehended the post. What I asked was if his atheist uncle was a priest. The Clergy Project proves that hundreds of clergy are actually atheists trying to escape.
The Pope is a man that has claimed to be God on Earth (Divine infallibility). The history shows us that whether the God is evil or good is written in history. Read the"Dark History of the Popes, by Lewis and you will see that the Divine Comedy and Dante's Inferno was written with the Roman's bloody history as a direct model. The Horrors of the Seven levels of Hell are already written into the history of the Holy Roman Empire and the line of Popes. During the dark ages, the Roman Catholics committed out in out Genocide of every Cathar, and all classes of Pagans (unbelievers). because the corrupt Romans could not stand the light of truth or the competition of other faiths that over shadowed them in the eyes of the public. Their answer was to poke the eyes from the common man through every vice imaginable. The Romans brought Hell to earth and called it Christ.
Lazarus
Just waiting for this sick religion to disappear from the face of the earth like so many before it.
Isn't it funny how the pope, the 'intermediary between god and humanity' is voted on like any politician in any country? You'd think some divine intervention would select who is the communication line between the two. How can a group of men decide WHO god 'channels' through? How arrogant is it not?
Sick religion full of sick people with dark secrets. Humanity will be far better off without this religion poisoning equal rights for all.
Don't hold your breath........
Personally, I'm waiting on the baptists to go first.
I think you will be waiting for a long time. There never was more Catholics and there never was more Catholic priests in the world than in the Year of Grace 2013
God bless
Accountable,
Not likely to happen. It is still the largest single religion in the world.
Who said the Pope is the intermediary between God and man? The Catholic Church does not say that.
We believe that the Pope is elected via the intercession of the Holy Spirit/ aka God.
So many fairytales the Catholic Church (and others) have used to infect objective thinking in this world.
Where do I begin? How about with the Lady of Fatima; the virgin birth; purgatory (where un-baptized babies' souls go); heaven; hell; the devil; green and brown scapulors (sold to us in Catholic grade school to ensure a fast pass to heaven if you suddenly died).
Really people. Get a mind of your own. It's a beautiful thing.
I looked up the definition of 'pope' and that is what it said.
AND btw, if I or YOU said we picked someone or something via intersession of the holy spirit/god, we would be labeled insane would we not?