Category: News and Views
XVI. The 78-year-old former Cardinal was a close confidante and adviser to the prefvious Pope and holds similar if not more conservative views of church doctrine and issues. (meaning you shouldn't expect any softening of the stance on gay marriage, female priests, priest marriage, or birth control in the near future) He is described as a quiet, modest, gentle man, not as outgoing as the last Pope. As a Catholic, I can't say I'm thrilled about his election. I would like some changes made within the church (see aforementioned issues) and I'm not sure how this very old man will connect with Catholic youth like me. The future of our church hangs in the balance and it's important to get young people interested if you want to keep the instintution alive. Pope John Paul II did this very well, but how will Benedict? Only time will tell I guess.
Well I’m not a catholic but I think that there are a lot of things that need to change. However, I don’t think that these are changes that can happen over night. The catholic church can’t turn around tomorrow and say, gay marriages, abortions and contraception for all, because what ever the views are of some of the more libral minded catholics, there are still a lot of the old school out there who still believe that the way of the church is the right way. The reality is that change needed to start happening a long time ago, because change needs to happen gradually in order for those who are opposed to it to accept it and take it on board.
But where do you start. A lot of people are of the opinion that the changes need to start with contraception, based on the increasing aids pandemic in Africa. I grew up in Africa, south Africa to be precise, and remember the absolute outcry there was when pope jp2 came over and proclaimed that the Africans should not wear condoms because condoms were contraceptives and that was a bad thing in the eyes of the catholic church. But if only it was that simple, if the church could turn round and say .. ok, all wear condoms now, and the AIDS crisis would begin to resolve, then we could campaign for change on that basis. But it isn’t nearly that simple. The reason AIDS is so rife in Africa goes far deeper than the involvement of the church. It has to do with culture, with what is and isn’t acceptable. In most African culture, a man takes a wife to bear his children. And the more children she can bear him, the more fruitful their lives are. However, while a woman is pregnant, and also while she is breastfeeding a child, it is deemed unacceptable for her husband to be intimate with her, and it is therefore deemed acceptable for him to seek satisfaction elsewhere. Therefore, with women in Africa generally having several children, usually more than 5, promiscuity is rife among the male African population, and therefore so is the spread of HIV. In fact, when AIDS first became known, and the prospect of wearing condoms was introduced into Africa, the black population hit back against it saying that the white people were trying to prevent them from having children. Sadly, in order to do something about the AIDS crisis in Africa you have to change culture, and that cannot be done by the catholic church.
the only affirmative action the catholic church needs to take,for a start.. is to admit the existence of paedophile priests and sadistic nuns ...a film called The Magdalen sisters should be required viewing for these close minded bigots.
What I find a little bit strange is that they elect a pope who is already a 78-year-old man. You would imagiine him being able to serve effectively for, well anywhere between 1 and 10 years at the very most, most people would've been 20 years retired at age 78. That being said I have no positive or negative views on the man.
As for child abusing priessts, yes, sadly there have been horrific incidents that the church should take a serious look at as an organization. But I also do not understand why victims are demanding millions of dollars as compenstion and certainly if one is awarded that amount of money more people will come out and claim to have been abused and some of them will just be doing it for the reward. I don't doubt that absuese did take place and it's horrible but at the same time I don't see why a victim should be awarded enough money to live the rest of his life flying first class around the world, sleeping in 5-star hotels and never having to work because of the sufferings they went through. I think they should be awarded some money as compensation but I think a large part of this payout should go to some type of charity or policing program or some type of community program to insure this doesn't happen again.
cheers
-B
well from what I heard the reason they elected such an old one was because they didn't want this one to be in power as long as the last one. As for the child abuce issue, maybe if celibacy wasn't such a big issue, then priests wouldn't feel the need to go round having sex with children, they could take wives and have sex with them instead. just a thought.
As if it's that clear cut paedophiles who are not in the church still sexually abuse children and regularly have sex with their wives girlfriends or even prosititutes ...because of the way religion turns a blind eye to abuse, the catholic church, is the safest outlet for these perverts to indulge their sick needs many paedophiles join the catholic faith just to abuse children...
This pope is a neonazi who was in the Hitler Youth. I'm not shocked though, since catholics have been known to mistreat jews. Also, he's just as much of a racist as the last pope who told Africans not to wear fcondoms so they'd all die of aids. Hopefully Prince Charles will divorce his wife in a few years, announce he's marrying someone else and then the pope will as a consequence die just like the last one did this year and nearly did in 1981 with Charles announcing his intention to marry a few months before on both occasions.
I think the only reason why this one was selected was he was such a close advisor to the previous Pope and that he's strict in some areas. I heard that if elected, the church wanted John Paul II to be given a fast track to sainthood as it takes 7 years to process and all that other stuff that comes with it. Neather the less I can't really comment on this one yet as I hadn't seen anything yet.
wel to be fair back then no one really had a choice about joining hitler youth ...
Exactly, he was drafted into the Hitler Youth as were many other people in Germany at the time. Plus he deserted the German army in the middle of the war.
We have a new pope. i'm ok with it but he should fallow Pope John Paul's actions and continue with it. i know his a German and that matter does not bother me
Good luck to the New Pope Benedict The 16th
The only reason the vatican chose an ultra hard line conservative pope, was to ensure the protection given to paedophiles could continue,and the sadistic nuns would also escape scot free,who the hell could follow a faith which actively condones sexual/physical emotional and psychological abuse, against children!
Jeez, where exactly in the bible or the doctraine of the catholic church is sexual abuse against children condoned. So we have 1.1 billion catholic people we have, perhaps 10 or 20 places where such abuse took place, how exactly can the whole faith be condemned by those proceedings, the accusations have in some cases not even been proven. Granted, there's a lot about this brand of Christianity I don't get, I thnk it unnatural that the preasts cannot marry a woman just like everyone else and I think that is seriously wrong. I think the church plays too big of a role and the idea of saints is almost like creating the church's own gods rather than following one God like, well Christianity claims so I'd have to say there are werid things going on in the church as a whole, but for someone who is so quick to defend people that stand up and kill most of their class mates I think goblin's rant against sexual abuse of children is somewhat uncalled for, but he has a strong point in that the cover up was nasty and gives the church as a whole bad rep. But that does not carry over to the faith itself or the message of that religion .. I'm afraid one who does not know that lreigion very much can't criticize what it condones and does not condone and the vast majority of catholic preasts and organizations are working hard for the betterment of humanity.
So, yes, some criticism is in order but I found the last post way out of line in terms of prejudice and generaliztion.
cheers
-B
Many people inGermany avoided been a part of Hitler Youth without been punnished. In the bible, it also doesn't say go and commit mental geneside by telling Africans "don't wear condoms" so they become extinct.
I cannot believe the person who said this pope should carry on his predecessors work ..of course he should continue protecting paedophile priests and nuns who batter children..of course he should prevent catholic women from having a say on how to conduct their lives...and I would heartily agree that he should bribe victims of abuse to keep quiet in the name of god!.
I cannot believe the person who said this pope should carry on his predecessors work ..of course he should continue protecting paedophile priests and nuns who batter children..of course he should prevent catholic women from having a say on how to conduct their lives...and I would heartily agree that he should bribe victims of abuse to keep quiet in the name of god!.
While I'm not thrilled about the choice of Ratzinger myself, the Nazi accusations are ridiculous and unfounded at best. Honestly, 20 years after Rick Mayall satyrised it brilliantly in the Young Ones, people still throw "Nazi" and "Fashist" around as lazy argument clinchers when what they mean is "I disagree with you personally but can't be bothered/don't have the inclination to argue the point rationally." And no, I'm not commenting on Naziism, just the flippant and downright irrelevant way the term is thrown around in pseudo-political/sociological arguments. As for Pope Benedict, I recently read a quite convincing argument stating that the election of a strictly conservative but elderly pope, at a time of discention in the Vatican is actually sort of a compromise, delaying the election of a progressive for a longer term until the political climate is more settled. I wish I could remember where the article was, since I'm not explaining it well.
He was in the Hitler youth, that's what makes him a neonazi. And he's admitted that his beliefs are different than those of the church on some issues, but he's putting the church first. In other words, he's not going to allow his nazilike attitude to have too much influence on the Catholic church. Isn't the pope though supposed to adopt the views of the church? He shouldn't have any other views surely as a devout catholic.
Um, I think you'll find that membership of the Hitler Youth was compulsory for all children from the age of 9 upwards. While some did manage to avoid participation, they were by no means the norm. Would you assume to know the political views of everyone who happened to be of a particular age-group in Germany over 60 years ago? There is also his desertion in 1944, only a few months into his compulsory active service if I remember rightly. Does that strike you as the actions of an enthusiastic supporter of naziism?
Everyone was deserting in the final years, but if they'd won, I'm sure he'd have gone on to be a proud nazi. Afterall, he was brainwashed with those ideas, that's why he's got two points of view on everything, one been that of the church and another been the one of the Hitler Youth.
it's a little bit harsh to suggest that just because someone came from somewhere, or was born in a certain era, they necessarily have adopted the views/approaches of that era. the fact of it is, he did dessert, and surely that's all that counts. I grew up in south africa, and I am white, does that make me a racist? I don't think so.
A lot of people were deserting when it was obvious the Germans were going to lose, but if it was obvious they were going to win, I don't think he'd have done the same.