Pope Benedict Resigns

[MarchHare]

Originally Posted by nik-

Most are, strictly following ancient doctrine is ######ed.

I agree, but in the eyes of His Holiness, refusing to accept and adhere to all the Church dogmas makes you a heretic, a "crime" punishable by excommunication.

[Cheese]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/16/op...owd.html?_r=3&

The 44-year-old Catholic, who still attends Mass with his family at the same church, now called St. Cyprian, is the first U.S. prosecutor to charge a church official for a sickeningly commonplace sin: Endangering children whom the Roman Catholic Church was supposed to protect by shuffling pedophile priests to different parishes where they could find fresh prey. Williams, the first African-American elected district attorney in Pennsylvania, was an orphan given up by his unwed mother. He was put into two foster homes before he was adopted at 20 months old by a Catholic family.
“I grew up treating the hierarchy of the church kind of like rock stars,” he said in his 18th floor aerie, where he keeps a small iron crucifix and a cross fashioned from Palm Sunday fronds. “If you’re going to meet the cardinal, you’re supposed to kiss the guy’s ring, all this stuff. But it is what it is. I wish I knew the Latin translation for that.
“There’s no get-out-of-jail-free card for raping, sodomizing, groping, doing anything wrong to kids.”

[nik-]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

I agree, but in the eyes of His Holiness, refusing to accept and adhere to all the Church dogmas makes you a heretic, a "crime" punishable by excommunication.

oh well.

[pseudoreality]

Originally Posted by Bmuzyka

I would love to be alive when and if the Vatican Archives ever where unsealed

Anyone with proper academic credentials can access them. No big top secret spell for everlasting youth or anything like that in there.

Accessing pedophile records on the other hand...

[Traditional_Ale]

Is the rebel alliance crushed? Is Skywalker one of us?

[GP_Matt]

Originally Posted by Dion

This post doesn't really make sense to me. He isn't putting his confidence in the glass so much as not trusting all of humanity.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by nik-

oh well.

Christ, you really are catholic.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by GP_Matt

This post doesn't really make sense to me. He isn't putting his confidence in the glass so much as not trusting all of humanity.

He obviously doesn't trust or have confidence that the Lord will save him should trouble arise.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by gargamel

According to oddsmakers (yes, you can place bets on this), this guy is the early favorite to be the next pope.

Originally Posted by Thor

token black guy

Pope Urban?

[GP_Matt]

Originally Posted by Dion

He obviously doesn't trust or have confidence that the Lord will save him should trouble arise.

I think there is a joke there about a religious man praying to win the lottery several times and cursing god when he doesn't win when God responds that he should meet him half way and buy a ticket.

Trusting God and taking basic precautions don't seem at odds to me. Religious people still wear seat belts.

[chemgear]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

refusing to accept and adhere to all the Church dogmas makes you a heretic, a "crime" punishable by burning at the stake.

fyp

[Dion]

Originally Posted by GP_Matt

I think there is a joke there about a religious man praying to win the lottery several times and cursing god when he doesn't win when God responds that he should meet him half way and buy a ticket.

Trusting God and taking basic precautions don't seem at odds to me. Religious people still wear seat belts.

Or the joke about the guy on roof of his house after a flood praying for help......

When you put it that way I can see your point.

[CaptainCrunch]

I think one of the Cardinals that was interviewed today made a interesting statement.

"The next Pope is going to have to hold the Church together"

I'm wondering if Benedict was a divisive force behind the scenes. He was certainly a controversial figure. When he was first elected he was hailed as the great reformer and a moderate. It turns out that wasn't true at all.

I'm beginning to think that he was asked to step aside for the good of the church.

[puckluck2]

Half of CP thinks he's been signed to a new contract.

[Daradon]

I don't think Popes step aside or the Vatican would even want them to.

Worst case scenario they just wait him out. It wouldn't take long. It's not like the Church ever moves fast on anything. And it's not like anything bad would really happen in the meantime. I do think they know they need an update on their image, but I doubt it would ever cause a situation like this where they hint they want him out, or force him. As was mentioned, it hasn't happened in 717 years. Catholics and the Vatican believe in tradition pretty heavily.

I think maybe it was more a personal reason on his part, with a lot of these stories and scandals coming out as has been mentioned.

[Minnie]

Originally Posted by Daradon

I don't think Popes step aside

It's not common but it happens. From Wiki:

Papal resignation is an uncommon event; only five popes have resigned, all but one between the 11th and 15th centuries, with disputed claims of four previous popes having resigned between the 3rd and 11th centuries. On February 11, 2013, Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation, which is set to take effect on February 28, 2013,making him the first pope to resign since Pope Gregory XII in 1415.

[Daradon]

Well I understand that, as I did say it hasn't happened in 717 years. (Which was the quote I heard, though it is slightly different than yours) I just meant, they generally don't and aren't encouraged to. They probably wouldn't ask him to step aside just to update their image, or fix a scandal. They haven't in the past, don't know why they would now.

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by Daradon

Well I understand that, as I did say it hasn't happened in 717 years. (Which was the quote I heard, though it is slightly different than yours) I just meant, they generally don't and aren't encouraged to. They probably wouldn't ask him to step aside just to update their image, or fix a scandal. They haven't in the past, don't know why they would now.

One gets the feeling there is something else coming that will explain this, as being a drooling doddering old cripple has never been barrier before.

[Minnie]

Well, one could argue differently that they are indeed asked to step aside, if you consider Pope Gregory. His appointment as Pope was negotiated via the conclave, under the express understanding that should the Anti-Pope Benedict XIII renounce his claim to the Papacy, so too would Pope Gregory, thereby allowing an entirely fresh election to be held. This was negotiated to end the Western Schism.

Both popes were deposed as schismatical, heretical, perjured, and scandalous and Alexander V was instated as Pope later that month. So if you want to get somewhat technical, that entire thing was negotiated because of their image and the scandal of the political infighting with two men claiming to the be the true Pope - it was a holy mess, so to speak.

[afc wimbledon]

The pope is supposed to be chosen by god, as such asking them to 'step aside' undermines the whole theological foundation of the church. In fact his resigbation under any circumstance undermines it, essentially he/they are admitting either he wasn't picked by God or God screwed up and picked the wrong dude.