Pope Benedict to retire for health reasons

[Pink Ranger]

Originally Posted by James

The next guy will have a deep voice and bad asthma.

Or some prettyboy crybaby from Vancouver who will be famous for five years and then will be quickly forgotten about.

[KalMart]

Originally Posted by Spider-Who?

Ah. I must have left my sense of humor hanging by a belt in my closet this morning. It's monday...



It's definitely out of the blue, though can we really say if the previous Pope was in worse health? Age isn't necesarilly a factor, as old age doesnt automatically equal poor health. Hell, my friend's grandfather lived to be 98, and was remarkably healthy for his age (still pretty spry, full mental capacities). People age differently, but to be honest, I don't know much about this Pope.

Maybe he's doing the smart thing by not letting himself be a near-zombie up there for his remaining years like the last one.

[Paradoxium]

Maybe it requires too much energy to cover up the pedophiles.

[KalMart]

Can't help but wonder if there's a connection.

[Darthphere]

Dude was old when they voted him in, nothing has changed but him getting older. I doubt this has anything to do with any of the scandals. Why would he start caring now?

[Paradoxium]

Originally Posted by KalMart

Can't help but wonder if there's a connection.

It's not like he hasn't done it before.

In 2010, as outrage built over clerical abuses, some secular and liberal Catholic voices called for his resignation, their demands fueled by reports that laid part of blame at his doorstep, citing his response both as a bishop long ago in Germany and as a cardinal heading the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which handles such cases.

In one disclosure, news emerged that in 1985, when Benedict was Cardinal Ratzinger, he signed a letter putting off efforts to defrock a convicted child-molesting priest. He cited the priest’s relative youth but also the good of the church.

Maybe it is me, in picking a new people on basis country/ethnicity, they should pick one who doesn't coverup pedos.

[Gotham's Knight]

I think the next pope is obvious:

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:

Morgan Freeman

[KalMart]

Originally Posted by Darthphere

Dude was old when they voted him in, nothing has changed but him getting older. I doubt this has anything to do with any of the scandals. Why would he start caring now?

Maybe because of the fact that he knows more about them than anyone in the world, since for decades he was the head of the office that dealt with every single one of them. It's possible that the more recent public furor over it and, most glaringly, the Vatican's coverup, is 'breaking the dam' so to speak of what he's had to conceal all these years. The weight of his conscience.

[Darthphere]

Originally Posted by KalMart

Maybe because of the fact that he knows more about them than anyone in the world, since for decades he was the head of the office that dealt with every single one of them. It's possible that the more recent public furor over it and, most glaringly, the Vatican's coverup, is 'breaking the dam' so to speak of what he's had to conceal all these years. The weight of his conscience.

Again, nothing in regards to that has changed.

[Piper Maru]

he's probably tired of all the Palpatine jokes.

[Darthphere]

Originally Posted by Piper Maru

he's probably tired of all the Palpatine jokes.

Thats a lot more likely than all of a sudden growing a conscience.

[KalMart]

Originally Posted by Darthphere

Again, nothing in regards to that has changed.

But public awareness of both it and the the full knowledge of it by the church has. That's the point.


You want to take conscience out of it, fine....maybe if he wrote a tell-all book about it later. But he might realize that this is something he can't endure.

[Marvolo]

Originally Posted by KalMart

Maybe because of the fact that he knows more about them than anyone in the world, since for decades he was the head of the office that dealt with every single one of them. It's possible that the more recent public furor over it and, most glaringly, the Vatican's coverup, is 'breaking the dam' so to speak of what he's had to conceal all these years. The weight of his conscience.

Yeah, Pope John Paul II put him in charge of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith which was called the Inquisition (yes, that Inquisition) until 1904. When all the pedo scandals started heating up he had every single case file come to his desk and only his desk. This dude is up to his eyeballs in a quagmire of scandal.

And recently his Butler was caught up in that scandal of releasing pontiff correspondence.

This is very interesting. Im not catholic, but this is history we are witnessing.

[the_ultimate_evil]

Originally Posted by Spider-Who?

Ah. I must have left my sense of humor hanging by a belt in my closet this morning. It's monday...

no worries mate. its just in my nature im protestant from northern ireland its in our blood to make jokes about the pope

[Kaleb]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prophecy_of_the_Popes

The Prophecy of the Popes, attributed to Saint Malachy, is a list of 112 short phrases in Latin. They purport to describe each of the Roman Catholic popes (along with a few anti-popes), beginning with Pope Celestine II (elected in 1143) and concluding with current pope Benedict XVI's successor, a pope described in the prophecy as "Peter the Roman", whose pontificate will end in the destruction of the city of Rome.

interesting,states that the next pope will be the final one.

[terry78]

Originally Posted by the_ultimate_evil

no worries mate. its just in my nature im protestant from northern ireland its in our blood to make jokes about the pope

Is that why the lightning strikes are so frequent over that a way?

[KalMart]

Nah...it's just generally the rainiest part of the world around there.

[Piper Maru]

clearly it's the work of thor.

[Marvolo]

Originally Posted by Kaleb

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prophecy_of_the_Popes


interesting,states that the next pope will be the final one.

How rude of them not to let the mayans in on this secret.

[The Apocalypse]

[Schlosser85]

Originally Posted by Darthphere

Thats a lot more likely than all of a sudden growing a conscience.

That's my feeling as well. You don't spend decades protecting pedophiles and suddenly, bam, one day you are burdened with guilt about it.

[KalMart]

Originally Posted by Schlosser85

That's my feeling as well. You don't spend decades protecting pedophiles and suddenly, bam, one day you are burdened with guilt about it.

The weight of concealing it, and it blowing up in his face, perhaps?

I realize that for some, the idea of conscience somehow implies there's some sort or moral decision that breaks through...something to look at positively, or finally the 'right thing to do'. I don't quite mean or look at it that way....because he's not claiming to resign because he admits to perpetuating a lie or deception. If he's in any way influenced by he molestation issues, voluntarily stepping down because of 'health reasons' isn't exactly an acton or contrition. In that respect, it's indeed doubtful that after decades of concealing it and rising to his position, he's having a change of heart and refusing to perpetuate such-and-such. But he could feel that he's no longer up to putting on a public face.

[Gotham's Knight]

Originally Posted by Kaleb

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prophecy_of_the_Popes


interesting,states that the next pope will be the final one.

Thank God (just a saying, not actually). Only one more to sit through, let's do this! Pope Morgan Freeman!

[KalMart]

Elton John.




Blast Benny And The Jets when they introduce him.

[danoyse]

Originally Posted by KalMart

Elton John.




Blast Benny And The Jets when they introduce him.

Not "The B**** is Back"??