David Gibson, national reporter for Religion News Service, describes the scene in Rome as the Papal Conclave convenes to determine Pope Benedict XVI's successor -- and the odds of local favorite Cardinal Timothy Dolan.
David Gibson, national reporter for Religion News Service, describes the scene in Rome as the Papal Conclave convenes to determine Pope Benedict XVI's successor -- and the odds of local favorite Cardinal Timothy Dolan.
Comments [24]
Benedict retired not due to his health but in the old Roman tradition of falling on one's sword, doing institutional damage control...http://theweek.com/section/nfcartoon/239999/cleaning-house
Some balance is needed among all these comments. I recommend the commentary of Dr. Edward Mulholland:
https://mail.google.com/mail/?shva=1#inbox/13d5ee9c1a41f7a0
The amount of hype given to this event is almost offensive to me. The media seems to ignore how disallusioned and disengaged most Catholics have become in the developed world. As an ex-Catholic, I could never, ever consider this religion (or any other) valid until women and gay people are given equal opportunity to lead worship services, and mandatory celibacy is abolished.
I just finished watching Season 1 of The Borgias. Some things have changed, but others haven't. During this period, Pope Alexander VI (Borgia) had four kids, all "legitimized" by papal decree with one mistress. He had other kids, too. A lot of the cardinals had the same. My friend in Spain taught English to a priest and his acknowledged girlfriend. Allow the priests to marry.I would also like to see the Church give back a lot of their stolen lands and riches and redistribute them to poor people. Also, read "Galileo's Daughter," what the church did to this amazing scientist and others. At least they didn't burn him at the stake for advocating a solar-centric world.
You let's call it as it is, Ratzinger is a failure, he failed as pope and frankly he should have removed himself from the running back in 2005 conclave. What did he expect? He lived and worked in the Vatican most of his life and knew the situation there 100%. His age was a problem and right from the beginning he looked tired and ill and unhappy. These guys dwell in misery and live a life of penance as if just being alive is a sin and some believe that. They can't wait to die and be reborn into heaven with christ. Blagh!
Christ would definitely not support the Catholic Church.
WOW - there will NEVER be a woman Pope in our Lifetime - strong statement
Does caller Amy know that Dolan is accused of covering up for or nto aggressively pursuing sex abusers?
Fr. Guido Sarducci for Pope!
maybe a jewish pope would be nice
I would like to see the Catholic Church modernize, and leave the Middle Ages behind. Many of the dictates are from the Church itself, and have no basis in dogma.
I am not a Catholic. I am a Jew. I don't believe one has to be an active Catholic to care about who is the next Pope. There are many secular issues on which the Pope has significant influence: AIDS and birth control (esp. in Africa); the church's attitude towards secular authority vis-a-vis child abuse; social justice and the Pope's relationship to liberation theology. The list goes on.
Bob from Brooklyn makes some good points that I agree with... not all but some especially on Dolan.
Look, Scola was moved from Venice to Milan, a very rare kind of move and this could be a maneuver to get him into the Vatican to sweep out the dust, since as the Venetian Patriarch there is a kind of "stain" since John XIII and JP I were from Venice and considered troublemaking "liberals". So moving him to Milan removes that "stain". But he probably IS the Italian who can clean up an "Italian Problem" in the curia.
Why the hell should we care about an infallible monarchy full of 'virgins'?
I'm a Catholic that Cares. I want to see the Vatican dissolved and tax exempt status here in the US revoked.
The Vatican is the enemy.
@ RUCB - LOL LOL LOL
Tina Turner 4 Pope
Cardinal Dolan should be brought up on conspiracy charges.
BL - You make it sound like a modern ThunderDome - 115 men enter, 1 Pope leaves.
The Vatican is a palace for the wicked.
It was so refreshing not to see this story here on the BLS but here it is, yuk. Who cares who the next pope is, catholics? You only make people important if you pay attention to them. If you ignore them (yet keep an eye open) you make them impotent.
2000+ years of European popes? Will the hordes of non-white Catholics try to pathetically justify this?
The Cardinals are about to go behind the Green Door for a little private time. wink wink
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