Normally rumours surface - but no one had an inkling apparently.

He is the first Holy See to resign in over 600 years. I think its quite a brave decision to recognise his failing health and let his followers be lead by someone (probably) much younger.

I predict the Church will pick a safe pair of hands for the next Pope ... someone not too controversial ... Archbishop of Milan, Angelo Scola ?

In The Know wrote:
let his followers be lead by someone (probably) much younger

Probably?

They're hardly going to pick a chap over 85, are they?

In The Know wrote:
I think its quite a brave decision to recognise his failing health

It now emerges that the Pontiff has had a pacemaker fitted.

Do they install "compassionmakers"? If they converted his pacemaker to a compassionmaker, he might allow the Catholic church to rate LOVE higher than GENDER BIGOTRY.

Ben 9 wrote:
In The Know wrote:
let his followers be lead by someone (probably) much younger

Probably?

They're hardly going to pick a chap over 85, are they?





It wouldn't surprise me one bit. I expect they will choose someone who is old, stubborn and resistant to change.

honey!oh sugar sugar. wrote:
I expect they will choose someone who is old, stubborn and resistant to change.

... and why should they "change" ?

If you dont like the rules of the club - dont join - dont expect them to be re-written just to suit you !

In The Know wrote:
honey!oh sugar sugar. wrote:
I expect they will choose someone who is old, stubborn and resistant to change.

... and why should they "change" ?

If you dont like the rules of the club - dont join - dont expect them to be re-written just to suit you !

I didn't actually say they should change, although i rather like the idea of reforms just to suit me. I would have them appoint Richard Chamberlain in his "Thorn Birds" gear.
I am happy for them to follow the teachings of the bible exactly, or, i am equally happy for them to reform the church completely. Half measures seem illogical to me.

In The Know wrote:
If you dont like the rules of the club - dont join
We won't - but we can comment.

Just like you do on so many other things you know nothing about.

One thing is clear - to have on OAP running an organisation with 1.5B members is clearly wrong.

A new 'management team' of some sort must be brought in - and the Pope should just be a figure head, like QE2.

Every continent has different issues and a 'new' OAP is not the answer.

The Vatican needs radical change, not least because of the mishandling of abuse by priests - all over the world.

have read some extraordinary and vicious criticisms of The Pope including re-prints of that great phoney Christopher Hitchens who Naom Chomsky described as a "religious fanatic" due to his worship of aetheism...which eh says is aS religiously fanatical as those who 'worship' the market place (not that anyone on here would..would they ITK ?)...

they blame the Pope for child abusing priests..when what he did was the norm for the time everywhere...basically cover-up the problem and move the priests out of children's way.

The police, social services, the media, politicians ...they were all part of this denial but blaming the Pope for actions that were normal at the time is just weird.

Otherwise we must blame our ancestors for not standing up to all the terrible things done in the past (not dear Uncle Dickie of course).

hedda wrote:
they blame the Pope for child abusing priests..when what he did was the norm for the time everywhere...basically cover-up the problem and move the priests out of children's way.

The police, social services, the media, politicians ...they were all part of this denial but blaming the Pope for actions that were normal at the time is just weird.

The Vatican is constant and stable in an ever changing fickle world.

Memo to new Pope -

Its time my ancestor, Blessed William Howard, 1st Viscount Stafford was Canonized !

(He was beatified in 1929 by Pope Pius)

In The Know wrote:
He was beatified

What is this - is it painful?

In The Know wrote:
Memo to new Pope -

Its time my ancestor, Blessed William Howard, 1st Viscount Stafford was Canonized !

(He was beatified in 1929 by Pope Pius)

he should have been battered after beatifing...a right bastard according to family legend.

hedda wrote:
beatifing...

from Latin beatus, blessed

Did they do Latin at your (approved) school (or just teach you to fill in benefit forms?)?

hedda wrote:
a right bastard according to family legend

Yes, he also had that reputation at St. John's College, Cambridge - and left without a degree.

hedda wrote:
In The Know wrote:
Memo to new Pope -

Its time my ancestor, Blessed William Howard, 1st Viscount Stafford was Canonized !

(He was beatified in 1929 by Pope Pius)

he should have been battered after beatifing...a right bastard according to family legend.

Ignore them ITK

Ben 9 wrote:
hedda wrote:
a right bastard according to family legend

Yes, he also had that reputation at St. John's College, Cambridge - and left without a degree.

Ah, St John's, the Derek Smalls of Cambridge colleges.

In The Know wrote:
Archbishop of Milan, Angelo Scola ?

Another religious academic...never worked out of Italy (Rome, Venice, Milan)...nearly 72...poor health.

The man to lead start leading an outdated Church (with serious problems), living in the past.

And 1.8B people?


Probably.....