Poop from the Pope
 

Vun Bible, vun Religion, vun Leader.....I mean Pope.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/...e=search_story

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/...e=search_story

What a peacemaker.

"I have come here today to inform you that our brothers and sisters around the world are all GOING TO HELL!"

Didn't you know? He speaks for God.

Well, I think he is the most conservative pope in quite a while and he has no problem showing it.

What a total jerk. Really living up to his chosen name it seems isn't he? (not).

I think most people know I'm no fan of religion, but even I can see that man is about as divine and concilliatory as plank of wood.

:D Chock

Cardinal Ratzinger aka Pope Benedict XVI was the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith - The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is the warm fuzzy name for The Inqusition.

Its only the second time in the history of the papacy that the head inquisitor's gotten the job.

Any bets on when he'll bring back indulgences???:hmm:

Where is martin Luther when you need him most!

So does the Brittish Queen apparently.

Let's face it, all organised religions are nothing but a business full of judgementle hypocrits.

God would be disgusted with us all.

Exactly. Its like what Ghandi said about Christianity.

"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."

He can say whatever he wants, doesn't bother me as long as I am not forced to be Catholic. Nor would I force any *insert religion or non-belief here* to become Orthodox.

He's doing his job, and as a side-effect also meets public demands:

There IS a demand for more leadership and clear definition of religious basis instead of far-leading arbitrariness and indiscriminate tolerance (people want leadership), there IS a certain ammount of demand for holding traditional masses in Latin again (the rite is what gives people a home), and there IS a very urgent need for the Christian West to speak with less diverse voices, that partially are even lacking any clear orientation at all (as should be clear with regard to Islam's challenge of Europe). One must not be Catholic to see all this.

There must be reasons why Protestantism in the past years and decades has lost attraction much faster and to a wider degree, than Catholicism. And there must be a reason why people in germany's protestantic north are less at home in their religion and seem to live in a subjectively-felt more broken spiritual health, than people in the catholic south - a regional difference that travellers, and literats and artists time and again have described in their works, since generations. One can think of church and freedom, rulership, catholicism and the pope whatever one wants: but more people in the south seem to get more satisfaction from their way of catholic religion, than people in the middle and the north. Their world seem to be more "unhurt". Especially the rite and celebration in Catholicism is what makes it attractive for many. And the lack of this (the lack of clear structure, so to speak) is what has turned many people away from protestantism.

Let noone assume I say this because I'm a Catholic - I'm not, and will never be.

what do ypu expect from a ex member of the hitler youth and a man who previous department in the vatican was the same that started the inqusitions

Yes, all Germans are Nazis, and eating Jewish babies for breakfast is our most preferred way to start the day.

Watching this old German war movie, "Die Brücke", maybe would cure you a bit from your disease, Mickey.

From wikipedia:

Following his fourteenth birthday in 1941, Ratzinger was enrolled in the Hitler Youth — membership being legally required after December 1939 — but was an unenthusiastic member and refused to attend meetings

Ratzinger wurde 1941 mit 14 Jahren – wie alle Seminaristen seit 1939 – zwangsweise in die Hitler-Jugend aufgenommen. Nahezu alle Jugendlichen wurden zu diesem Zeitpunkt gemäß der Dienstpflicht des Gesetzes über die Hitler-Jugend (1936) in die Jugendorganisation integriert. Ein Zeitzeuge berichtete der FAZ, dass die Seminaristen für überzeugte Nazis ein rotes Tuch waren und verdächtigt wurden, Widerstand gegen das Regime zu leisten.

The indulgences never left. They are still a part, albeit a small part, of the Roman Catholic Large Catechism.

Regarding committies, it is correct: Up until the late 19th century, the Congregation for the Doctorine of the Faith was called The Holy Office of the Inquisition. Ratzinger is, in effect, the former Grand Inquisitor of the Church.

Regarding the death of Protestantism, the effect is the opposite in the United States. In the past decades, Protestant denominations, particularly the Southern Baptist, Mormon and non-denominational congregations, have experienced a ground swell of new membership, while Catholic, Orthodox and more traditional Prostestant branches have seen a decline. This has been the cumulative effect of the type of proclaimations seen from the Doctorine of the Faith earlier this week, as well as scandals of various nature.

For the record, the Pope did not issue the statement in question. That was done by The Doctorine of the Faith, which is able to act on its own accord, much like the State Department or Homeland Security in American government. However, the Pope has to pass off on any statement made, so it did recieve his nod. It seems to have blown away the past decade of ecumenical dialogue that had passed between Catholics and non-Catholics. What a silly thing to do, and quite off the wall, as it were.

Not really. His predecessor John Paul II. also have made statement like this, and confronted the German protestant church some years ago in preparation of a super-confessional conference. Like now, it caused quite an uproar when John Paul claimed the leading and dominant role of the the chatholic church and said something like catholicism being the true home of all other confessions as well. The Protestant representatives back then nevertheless travelled to Rome - explicitly saying that they do that not in acceptance of the vatican's demand for being the only and final authority in Christian religions, but in spite of this - as they necessarily must have seen it - affront. In fact, the demand of the Vatican to be the only true church there is, never was gone away, only became a little bit more silent for reasons of sheer pragmatism.

And my occasional sympathy for this or that detail of the churches is for pragmatic reasons only as well, and acceptance of what many people seek in when "doing" a religion. And that is not so much about experiencing the Divine themselves, but getting confirmed in what they believe is the divine essence of their life. In other words: not God is wanted, but confirmation of what one believes God is. Saying that with quite some years of daily experience in teaching meditation.

Who was it who said something like "The church is all that Jesus has taught - not."