The Pope resigns / New Pope discussion
 

Surprised this isn't up yet.

Pope Benedict XVI cites age a factor in decision to resign


An octogenarian resigns from perhaps the most pointless, out-of-touch "leadership" role in the entire world, the first to do so in nearly 600 years. I bet there's much more to it than "health" too. /myopinion

I was going to post this but I had to get to work.

Yeah, this is interesting. I really would like to see who will be the next Pope. But it could be guaranteed that it will be another hardline conservative preaching the same absurdities.

Oh without a shred of doubt. Don't try and bring the Vatican into the 21st century or anything.

Well, I can see this thread is already going to be a waste of time.

And you wonder why there's no discourse in Free Your Mind.

It's not promising, that's for sure. It's difficult to start a rational or meaningful conversation when the opening salvo is so openly derisive and dismissive.

I mean I'm not going to deny it is an odd time for him to retire but cobbler pretty much start this thread accusing him of child molestation

Not everyone is Australian and lives 16 hours ahead in the future.

How must the Hawaiians feel? The day has already happened when they wake up.

To be fair, though there is no evidence that Ratzinger himself ever engaged in child molestation, there is lots of credible evidence to show that he, at best, knew that priests were molesting kids and did nothing, or at worst (and the evidence leans somewhat more towards this), he knew and actively sought to cover it up.

Again, I'm not saying he isn't worth of derision, but not sure it was mandated so quickly.

Oh he's not resigning until the end of the month? The timings not as strange as I thought in that case. still Easter, it is weird.

True, and that evidence will overshadow his papacy. That along with his refusal to ordain women as priests and harshly criticizing gay and lesbians.

Honestly, I can't think of anything good Pope Benedict did during his papacy. Pope John Paul II was credited in helping bring down the Iron Curtain and for traveling to practically every corner of the globe to meet with Catholics. He was a hard act to follow, granted, but this Pope didn't do much that was admirable.

Indeed. He's doing this during Lent. Ash Wednesday is this week.

So the cardinals are going to choose a new Pope right in time for Easter? The timing is suspicious to me.

The quote says something along the lines of the timing is a hypothesis they don't know for certain that they will have a new pope by easter

I'm not Catholic personally and I was never all that fond of him. Even my utmost staunchly Catholic friend frequently referred to him as Pope Paparazzi so no I don't think he was overly popular.

You have to admit, he had great taste in shoes. And male companions.

I can guarantee that any potential successor to Benedict will also refuse to ordain female preists. It's a thing.

For now.

Maybe that's ok only under certain circumstances? No discourse, that is. Don't see any complaints about it, other than you bringing that up. I mean that in a positive way about you in that regard, just so there isn't any confusion.

I don't think he was necessarily accusing the Pope of child molestation, maybe he meant more about coverups? There's no question or doubt about the Pope's role in that, but I don't know what could come out that hasn't already. Don't think it's all that unusual for an 85 (soon to be 86) year old to have to quit any kind of work, let alone that one. I'm the last person who would defend the guy, but I hardly think that's in need of any sort of conspiracy theories just yet.

I think you misunderstand. Peef was the one complaining about how one sided fym threads are.

I'm merely pointing out the more than obvious reason why that is.

Well, a news thread is a news thread. I just hated that the GOP thread and other "ongoing discussion" type threads had become a bunch of liberals bitching about conservatives with no actual trading of ideas going on. Caleb and INDY have returned, which I think is a good thing.

I understood that completely, that's the point I was trying to agree with you on.