idk why: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-21411304

2/11/2013 6:08:33 AM

Good riddance, bring on the next scumbag to rule the Catholic fiefdom from his opulent palace.

Why didn't he just ask God for the strength to continue, right?

2/11/2013 8:45:37 AM

k now I know

like he's older than the last guy was when he died

2/11/2013 9:00:41 AM

It would be neat if they elected some young liberal hipster with new ideas to take his place

Instead they will elect some old white dude who could also drop dead any minute.

2/11/2013 9:18:17 AM

They're probably going to select someone considerably younger than Benedict was. No matter what media outlets are saying, this is a bit embarrassing for the church.

2/11/2013 9:55:53 AM

Whatever happened to the resident Catholic absolutists of TSB?



[Edited on February 11, 2013 at 10:10 AM. Reason : lookin good moose]

2/11/2013 10:10:03 AM

I'm pretty sure that was mostly just Wolfpack2K.

Benedict XVI resigning can only be good. When they chose him, it was basically the equivalent of the good-ol-boys network choosing one of their own. One of the most memorable things about JPII was his work with the Polish during WWII. Benedict XVI, in comparison, was in the Nazi army (though his participation was most likely mandatory).

Heck, his plan for moving forward with the church was to purge all parishioners whom he deemed not pious enough.

I'm sure there will be tons of speculation into him stepping down for other reasons (aka the mess with his secretary or book-keeper).
I fully expect to see a more progressive pope this time around.

2/11/2013 10:21:00 AM

To be fair, he wasn't in the "nazi army" he was a member of the Hilter Youth.

2/11/2013 10:39:15 AM

As much as I disliked Ratzinger, let's not be inaccurate. There was plenty to dislike about him without accusing him of active participation in the Nazi movement. Membership in the Hitler Youth was mandatory for all 14 year old boys at the time.

2/11/2013 10:42:14 AM

It does feel like there is some kind f scandal underneath this.

But hasn't ratzinger been a little progressive? They've embraced technology and birth control in a limited sense i thought, as well as evolution.

2/11/2013 10:56:13 AM

I think outside groups need to lobby hard for a progressive candidate for this position. It could pay off big time.

Also, yes, of course there is a scandal underlying this move. Catholics will go through denial in the next few days but the inner cynic in them is already dreading the inevitable leak. No one ever keeps a secret worth telling.

2/11/2013 11:52:20 AM

It's hard to imagine them being able to pick a Pope who is more anti-gay than this one has been, so I expect any change will be at least marginally good news on that front, or at the very least neutral.

2/11/2013 11:56:50 AM

I don't know that I'd try to read some underlying scandal into it but it is interesting. I guess I would have thought they'd go the route of having him serve a more advisory role while he delegated responsibilities out to others.

I'm not sure I get the notion of appointing a more liberal pope. If God is unchanging I'd think his church's positions would be relatively unchanged over time... unless the angle is that the church leaders have misinterpreted God's will, the people weren't ready, etc.

2/11/2013 12:47:37 PM

Quote :

"But hasn't ratzinger been a little progressive? They've embraced technology and birth control in a limited sense i thought, as well as evolution."

The Catholic Church has embraced Evolution for decades. It was 1950 when Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (or Pius XII) proclaimed that it was not in conflict with Christianity, not that I agree with him.

It's just an important point to bring up to mouth-breathers that associate Evolution with atheism (not referring to you here).

Quote :

"I'm not sure I get the notion of appointing a more liberal pope. If God is unchanging I'd think his church's positions would be relatively unchanged over time... unless the angle is that the church leaders have misinterpreted God's will, the people weren't ready, etc."

You mean it's all a made-up farce for exploiting gullible parishioners?

[Edited on February 11, 2013 at 12:52 PM. Reason : .]

2/11/2013 12:48:12 PM

I guess so. I mean on the one hand you have people wanting to speak from the pedestals of infallibility and perfection. It's hard to justify a change from perfection and still call it perfection.

The Catholic church was one of the few that clung to ideals like homosexual relationships being wrong in the eyes of god while many were ready to change their beliefs to adjust to today's target market.

[Edited on February 11, 2013 at 1:03 PM. Reason : -]

2/11/2013 12:56:58 PM

And when demographics shift enough they'll budge on that too. Religion is a joke. They act like their ancient scrolls are sacred and then ignore them (I mean "use the Holy Spirit to interpret more correctly now") when it suits their purposes.

[Edited on February 11, 2013 at 1:59 PM. Reason : .]

2/11/2013 1:38:43 PM

I wish this was Art Pope

2/11/2013 2:46:15 PM

^^^I thought there were plenty of Protestant denominations that still hate gay people, esp. the Baptists.

2/11/2013 4:12:01 PM

I know I'm going out on a limb here, but I predict they will pick a white anti-gay male senior citizen.

[Edited on March 12, 2013 at 1:10 PM. Reason : .]

3/12/2013 1:09:53 PM

they are all pro-gay behind closed doors though

3/12/2013 1:11:59 PM

Ba-ZING!

3/12/2013 1:15:09 PM

A new pope has been picked. The white smoke is pouring out. So much talk has been about the possibility of a Pope from Africa or Latin America or a younger Pope open to change in the church. We should know within an hour.

3/13/2013 2:17:41 PM

The new Pope is Jorge Mario Bergoglio from Argentina, who took the name Pope Francis (possibly "Pope Francis I").

[Edited on March 13, 2013 at 3:18 PM. Reason :

3/13/2013 3:16:13 PM

From Wikipedia on the new Pope talking about a marriage equality bill:

Quote :

"We are not talking about a mere bill, but rather a machination of the Father of Lies that seeks to confuse and deceive the children of God." He has also insisted that adoption by gays and lesbians is a form of discrimination against children. This position received a rebuke from Argentine president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who said the church's tone was reminiscent of "medieval times and the Inquisition"."

3/13/2013 3:20:44 PM

I don't understand why they change their name. Where does "francis" come from? Why not Pope Jorge?

3/13/2013 3:32:27 PM

And he's an arrogant fucker; had to be the first Pope Francis.

^The Pope picks it himself. It's stupid.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_name

[Edited on March 13, 2013 at 3:38 PM. Reason : .]

3/13/2013 3:37:08 PM

3/13/2013 3:40:35 PM

^^^ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_name

Basically, long time ago, an elected pope was named at birth after a Roman god and decided that would be an inappropriate name for the head of the church, so chose to take a new name. The idea stuck.

^^It's also relatively common in a number of organizations and cultures to choose (or receive) a new name for various significant events. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assumed_name#Cultural_or_organizational_traditions

[Edited on March 13, 2013 at 3:45 PM. Reason : asg]

3/13/2013 3:40:41 PM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_of_Assisi

3/13/2013 3:41:50 PM

BREAKING NEWS: OLD GUY WITH WHITE HAIR AND LIGHT SKIN ELECTED POPE. MORE AT 7:00.

3/13/2013 3:44:42 PM

^^Not a Pope. Why post that?

Quote :

"^^It's also relatively common in a number of organizations and cultures to choose (or receive) a new name for various significant events."

Just to be clear, it's dumb in all those other instances as well.

[Edited on March 13, 2013 at 3:47 PM. Reason : .]

3/13/2013 3:45:49 PM

The tradition of picking a new papal name started with Pope John II in 533, who was born Mercurius and didn't want the name of a non-Christian god (the ancient Roman god Mercury) heading the Catholic church; it became more commonplace in the 10th Century, as Popes wanted to commemorate significant people from the past or signal continuity with previous Popes (like Benedict XVI wanted to commemorate the WWI-era Pope Benedict XV and also St. Benedict, and John Paul II showed continuity with his short-lived predecessor, who had honored his own predecessors John XXIII and Paul VI), and the last Pope to use his birth name was Marcellus II in 1555.

[Edited on March 13, 2013 at 3:46 PM. Reason : ^Pope Francis could have decided to commemorate St. Francis of Assisi.

3/13/2013 3:46:07 PM

^^ There is a slight twist of irony that comes from a guy named disco_stu declaring people choosing names for symbolic reasons to be dumb.

[Edited on March 13, 2013 at 3:52 PM. Reason : dgj]

3/13/2013 3:52:32 PM

I don't go around calling myself disco_stu, bub. It's an alias for an online forum, not some magic bestowment of title.

Also, irony doesn't mean that.

3/13/2013 3:58:29 PM

Quote :

"^^Not a Pope. Why post that? "

That's who he is named after.

3/13/2013 4:05:28 PM

Ahhh, yes, Supplanter and many other liberals are complaining that the new pope is, well, Catholic. Seriously, man...

3/14/2013 6:52:02 PM

I'm disappointed the new pope isn't an atheist.

3/14/2013 7:55:46 PM

^^^I thought he was named after the OTHER Saint Francis.

3/14/2013 8:09:45 PM