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Argentina's Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio is new Catholic leader
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Same corruption of Christianity - different guy. No change. Until the faithful demonstrate in open revolt, change will never come.
They aren't called a flock of sheep for nothing. Mindless lemmings.
Pontifex Franciscum orationem ducere ecclesia est secundum humilitatem Domini nostri Jesu Christi pia diligatis invicem
I'm not Catholic so it ultimately doesn't affect me, though I suppose in an existential sense, all living things are connected in one way or another. I find the notion of one man being called the closest man to God to be an impossibility. I read a lot of the comments from the No voters. Change happens from within. If you want a Pope that ushers the church into 1900's and allows women to be preach, clergy to marry, accepts contraception, etc then you are held accountable as Catholics to force change from within. Its like employees who just constantly blame management for a company's shortcomings. We are all held accountable to fight for what we believe and force change. The will of the people cannot be restrained forever. The problem is, I suspect, a majority of catholics believe in those tenets.
Though I was initially happy they picked someone outside of Europe, I see no change in message. The Church will stay back in the dark ages with no progress. I give up.
The other option is not to join the Catholic church if you don't agree their teachings. There are plenty others.
God Bless the Pope. He appears younger than 76 years and also appears energetic.
Another caretaker until there will be nothing to take care of.
I'm not Catholic, I would never be Catholic, but I sort of feel like it's turning into anyone who believes in any religion, regardless of what faith it might be against everyone who doesn't. Since I am religious, from my reading I'm pleased with this guy. It seems like he's going to stand up for what is right, regardless of what the ungodly scream about.
Sorry, accidental repost
To all the liberals spewing their usual venom because they didn't get their way (i.e., a "progressive"): First, the Catholic Church is NOT a democracy (thank God) and the choice of Pope is NOT open for debate. If you really are a believer, then you believe the choice was made by God Himself, manifested through the conclave and therefore shouldn't be questioned. If you are not, then you shouldn't care. Either way, opinions on the matter are totally irrellevant.
If you don't like the choice, or the policies of the Church, then go found your own church or join a different church, or believe in nothing as you see fit, but if you cannot celebrate with us, at least grace those of us who do believe and are practicing Catholics by being silent for once.
My God watch over Pope Francis and guide him through what will surely be trying and turbulent times.
Just as long as you don't try to legislate your beliefs onto the rest of us. Get it? And that's exactly what the Church is trying to do. It should lose its' tax exemption.
A number of RCC bishops, including that new one from Los Angeles, have spoken out in favor of repealing the US Constitutional Amendment that guarantees a separation between Church and State--that guarantees that no single faith, no denomination of any religion, shall be required and demanded of all of the country's citizenry.
The question then becomes: if the RCC Hierarchy were to get its way, and if we are all required to be members of a particular religious faith--which one should we be forced to follow? The RCC? A Protestant denomination? Orthodox Catholic? Coptic, Judahism, Muslim(Shia or Sunni?)? How about Wicca? Animist? Agnostic? What? I don't want anyone demanding that I follow their belief system, thank you. Most Americans don't either--and our forefathers who hated religious wars chose valiantly and with godly vision to take us on a far more enlightened, sacred and peaceful path.
I will try to keep an open mind regarding Pope Francis...he has a LOT of work to do to clean up the RCC hierarchy-made messes.
However, some of his past statements regarding women, LGBT, married-priesthood, etc--are deeply troubling and strongly indicate that this RCC leader may not have the progressiveness and diversity-embracing-attitudes required to reinvigorate, to initiate a true renaissance within the RCC.
Francisco I, como Jesuita y activista en pro del pobre y los marginados en el mundo, promete mucho en términos de darle al mundo una nueva luz hacia un mundo mas equítativo, y justo. Para aquellos de nosotros que ansiábamos un líder internacional que representara el fín de la ignorancia, el odio y el evangelio de Jesús, no podríamos tener un pontífice mas dedicado a esos principios!!
El movimiento Jesuita le dió esperanza a las masas de Latino-America que se han quitado el yugo Estado Unidense y ahora se encaminan a crear mas equidad en sus sociedades, mientras la influencia transnacional erode mas y mas las oportunidades de el ciudadano común, dentro de los Estados Unidos. Donde en los últimos cinco años, hemos visto que la sociedad beneficia al rico con 97 % de las ganancias nacionales, se ve al mismo tiempo que mas de 50% de la población gana menos de $33,000.00 para una familia de 4. Más de 16% gana menos de $22,000.00 para una familia de 4. Eso quiere decir que casi una famila en cinco esta debajo de la taza de pobreza.
El transnacional, piensa global. Pero operan politicamente en cada pais, para reducir reglamentos de sus bancos y otros intereses financieros. De esa forma los gobiernos nacionales se encuentran paralizados, ante la influencia transnacional. La oficina del pontifice si es actiovista en pro de la humanidad, podria crear una voz y luz que conmueva a las poblaciones nacionales a exigir cambios nacionales que reflejen el crecimiento de la oportunidad economica, el crecimiento de inverciones presupuestales en nuestras infraestructuras y tecnologia, educacion pública al nivel universitario, ampliacion de las penciones publicas para la proteccion de los pensionados cuando loas personas mayores terminan sus es fuerzos laborales.
Francisco I, hizo historia en ser electo. Hizo historia, al pedir la bendicion del pueblo antes de dar su propia bendición. ¿Podria ser él, el que le de a los feligreses esperanza y guía para luchar para un mundo mas equitativo? Yo como seguidor de Jesús, espero que sí. Mi corazon se alegra.
Hehe....Pope Frank
It's tougher to get voted into the NFL football Hall of Fame.
This choice was not a good one for the church. He is anti gay, anti gay rights, anti gay marriage, and thinks that is the act of the devil for gay people to adopt children. He is a throwback to the days of the inquistion,and will do nothing to take the church and revamp the many needed
issues that need changing. He is also accused of doing little to help the victims that were killed and tortured an Argentina's last war. The church picked another Italian even though he is from Argentina. It is business as usual and will keep the church from progressing. We are very disappointed.
Bill....have you read the Bible?
I do not believe he is anti any of the things you mentioned. He does however believe that homosexuality is a sin and that it is not in God's design. You simply cannot square being pro-gay marriage and pro-homosexuality with believing in the Word of God.
This doesn't mean that we must hate homosexuals, because all of us are sinners. We can indeed hate the sin and love the sinner.
Then you're really ignorant and know nothing about Bergoglio's record.
He's such a hater that the President of Argentina publicly rebuked him for spreading hate against gays.
Being against gay marriage, does not make you hateful of gays. Again you can hate the sin without hating the sinner.
Right......just because you think gays should be 2nd-class citizens who are denied the same rights you enjoy doesn't make you a greedy bigot or a hater.
Brent, you sound exactly like the racist Southern Baptists and racist Mormons who wanted mixed-race marriage banned, based on their religious beliefs: "Being against mixed-race marriage does not make you hateful of blacks."
So let me get this straight, there are a bunch of people complaining about the Pope and Catholicism not supporting gay marriage or abortion.
While I don't always support the way they proclaim the message, you cannot read and believe the Bible while condoning homosexuality or the taking of an innocent life.
We are all sinners and no sin is above/below another. The greatest commandments are to love God and love your neighbor. Thus, we can love all, even if we do not agree with their choices. If the Catholic (or any other Church) supports gay marriage, then they are working against God's design for mankind. We were created to be joined One Man and One Woman together, as one flesh. Throughout the Bible there are warnings of giving into the desires of the flesh and specifically homosexuality. Marriage as defined in a Christian sense can only be between one man and one woman.
While the above is true, there are a large number of Christians with the wrong attitude toward homosexuals and others. We as Christians should not turn our back on our neighbors because they sin, as we sin daily as well. We must reach out and bring them to the good news of our Savior. That though we are all sinners, God has made the ultimate sacrifice in His Son, Jesus Christ. Christ who rose from the dead, so that we may find God's grace. Jesus loved the sinner to make them righteous, we should as well.
Regarding abortion, I can honestly say that completely moral people can have feelings both ways. I believe that every human is created for a specific purpose and that we should value that life. Let me just leave with a quote from Mother Teresa regarding abortion:
"The greatest destroyer of peace is abortion because if a mother can kill her own child, what is left for me to kill you and you to kill me? There is nothing between."
The sharia laws of your silly cult belong in your life and shouldn't be enforced by our secular government.
No one gives a crap that Catholicism doesn't perform religious weddings for gays (or divorced people), but we do care that your cult spends millions lobbying against marriage equality. Your cult has even filed two amicus briefs in support of DOMA and Prop h8, in order to deny the civil rights of gays.
skrekk....Marriage as a government practice was enacted in order to promote the joining of a mother and father to raise their children together. If we no longer agree that the optimal environment for a child to be raised is within the confines of a marriage between a mother and father, then I completely agree with you. The protestant churches have outsourced marriage to the government. If as a society we no longer feel it necessary to promote a 1 father 1 mother family, then let us end it as a government practice.
Regardng abortion, I am pro-life because I value the life of the child. There are perfectly secular reasons that abortion should be extremely rare and not promoted as a form of birth control.
Ohh I am also not Catholic, but the RCC is not a cult and they have the right to lobby the government just as much as you do.
Actually it's always been primarily about property and kinship rights, both in the US and in Argentina. Marriage isn't necessary to have kids at all, but it's noteworthy that the President of Argentina publicly condemned Bergoglio for spreading hate against gays, and for lobbying against their civil rights - including adoption rights.
Sounds like he's just as big a bigot as you are. The sharia laws of your cult belong in your life, not the lives of other people.
skrekk....How exactly have I been a bigot? What because I disagree with homosexuality as an accepted norm in society?
The only one spewing hate and calling names is you.
For the record I would be fine if the government enacted Civil Unions for everyone and left marriage to the Church.
Double posted there. Let me use this space a minute.
I for one see homosexuality the same as any other sin. The Bible is pretty clear.
By the way where do you get your sense of right and wrong?
BrentAZ - No they do NOT have the right to lobby our government. They are a tax exempt non profit organization. And they most certainly should not be telling their parishoners , from the pulpit, who to vote for!
Given that you think you deserve special legal rights and privileges which you want denied to gays, I'd describe you as a greedy bigot.
It's clearly wrong (and unconstitutional) to treat some lawful citizens as second class persons, but apparently your cult has a different concept of right and wrong.
Cardinal Bergoglio not only vociferously opposed liberation theology but he supported Argentina's brutal dictatorship during their dirty war when 30,000 Argentine dissidents and other civilians disappeared, only to have some of their corpses discovered decades later in mass graves. Most however were dropped in the ocean and will never be found.
Doesn't seem like much of an improvement at all from the Nazi Pope.
http://www.businessinsider.com/pope-francis-has-links-to-dirty-war-2013-3
He also vocally opposed the civil rights of gay Argentinians and lobbied extensively to try to get the government to enforce Catholic sharia laws about marriage. Fortunately he completely failed in that regard and Argentina was able to achieve marriage equality in 2010. The President of Argentina even publicly rebuked Bergoglio for spreading hate.
Jesus himself said a man should not lay with a man as with a woman. But this man has humbled himself and ministered to "the least of these". He never turned his back on the sick. poor. or gay people. Cut the feminist crap. I'm a woman and I'm sick cf of you so-called feminist saying nothing when a woman is insulted when you disagree with her political views. She can be called filthy names and you feminists say nothing. Get over your selves.
Humans like power, and the best road to power is to suck in the poor, the hungry. You feed a stray dog, and he is yours for life. Some use politics. Others use religion.
What they should do is take everyone out of there and get a younger
WOMENS CROWD IN THERE
DID U notice that the church does not have one single girl in there??
wonder why?? THEY ARE ALL gay or they are all child sexual molesters who all need
to be locked up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
guess the Argentinian POPE wont be going home.any time soon <:)
I guess this is his new home now
he wont be able to go back home and sell his last belongings at his
sex abuse yard sale <:)
My guess is they had to pick a pope from South America it was long pass and now they can get the new world off their backs for the next 5 years then they will pick a near death pope from Africa and another from Asia . After 15 years they will pick another pope from Europe. The way to keep the church stuck in the Middle Ages has been figured out. Nobody will rock the boat with these caretaker popes. I am happy they did pick a pope from South America and maybe I hope I am wrong about this guy, he could be the pope they wanted but in the end could be the pope we needed to move into the modern world
This was not a good choice for the Catholic church. This pope is anti gay, anti gay rights, anti gays and their rights to adopt. He is also accused of not supporting the victims of the last war in Argentinia. He is back in the dark ages and will do little to help the church and the many issues that need to be worked on such as the issue of birth control , abortion, women in the church, the many scandals concerning the clergy and young boys and men. It is business as usual for the church. Pope Francis the First is an Italian from Argentina. He is has brought is conserative ideas with him and little will happen to change our church.
He sounds just as bad as the Nazi Pope, especially given his support for Argentina's brutal dictatorship.
I think he finally apologized for that support a year or two ago, but it was a rather lame apology given that 30,000 people were dropped in the ocean or buried in mass graves.
skrekk..so you are suddenly an expert on Argentian history? You have only one side of the story and most likely a high-level version of it. Obviously, Pope Francis was no Dietrich Bonhoeffer, but so few of us humans really are that strong.
Sounds like a rather lame apology given that the Catholic church fully supported the dictatorship.
More here:
So you read a few paragraphs of opinion on something that happened decades ago and believe you know the truth?
I contend that the situation was most likely much more complicated, although I will agree that more should have been done. However, hindsight is always 20/20
I know.....I always have a hard time deciding whether to publicly support a brutal dictatorship which murders dissidents, as the Catholic church did.
Actually I know more than a little about the topic, and am well aware of how many Argentinians view the role of the Catholic church. Let's just say this is one of the big reasons so few Catholics in Argentina go to church these days, even though the vast majority of the country is Catholic.
skrekk...I don't know the situation and there are plenty of travesties that the Catholic Church (and others) have been a part of. It seems to me however, you are anti-religion more than anything else.
I'm anti-sharia law, no matter which cult your sharia laws come from. But I don't give a crap if you have an imaginary friend or engage in the ritualistic cannibalism of your deity.
As I said up thread, your silly cult belongs in your life, not my life, not my gay daughter's life, and those sharia laws definitely shouldn't be enforced by a secular government.
And I totally agree with President Kirchner when she condemned Bergoglio and his cult as "medieval."