Pope to Resign (Page 2)

I think they will meet after February 28.  So there will be an interregnum until the new pope is elected.

BTW, conclave comes from the latin con clavis, or with a key.
By my understanding there was an interregnum some centuries ago that went on for years. Finally, the cardinals were locked in a room, con clavis, until they finally had a new pope. Since then as the story goes, the papal election has been called a conclave.

Don't know. Don't think so.

It is interesting timing though, isn't it.  Ash Wednesday is the day after tomorrow. We should have a new pope by Easter if all goes well.

John Paul II died on the eve of Divine Mercy Sunday, the sunday after Easter.  There was a lesson in his death and its connection to the crucifixion and resurrection and the mercy of Jesus.

Maybe there was messaging in the timing of Benedict's announcement.  40 days of fasting and praying. Preparation for the resurrection.  A lesson about the seriousness of our times.

Worth meditating on.

That reminds me of the joke where a bishop wanted to do some research, so he goes to an official and asks to look at the original texts instead of the copies.

After a lot of deliberation, the bishop was allowed access to the originals.

He disappears for a few days, and when they go to look for him, he is crying over the manuscript.

"What's wrong, brother?", they ask.

The bishop looks up and says:  "The correct word is CELEBRATE!"

twomarks

I do find it interesting and agree it brings Lent to us with something to pray on.  

Maybe Scientology made him a better offer

Giggle.  I think I've heard that before!

Is the Vatican considered a nation?  Does it have a representative to the UN?

Also keep all these poor old Cardinals in your prayers.  They do tend to be older and it seems like in the process some die of jetlag, foreign food or stress.  Although wisely none over the age of 80 is allowed.

I read one article that said the college will start the initial stages (nomination, etc) now.  As you know, you cannot campaign for pope. 

That right there's funny...

I am curious as to why you say this. What harm will come to your children because the Pope has resigned? Is this an issue in their school? 

I would not think children would think much of this.

I would guess that my children don't even know who the Pope is. The Pope is discussed in one Sunday School lesson that I am aware of but we don't discuss the Pope at home at all. The kids could tell you about God and Jesus but the Pope - not so much.

I'm not stating this as a good thing but even as an adult, born and raised Catholic all of my life, I don't really feel the presence of the Pope in my daily life. This news does not have a significant impact on me today. I'm not in the greatest place with my Catholic faith at the moment though either so take this with a grain of salt.

Cardinal George of Chicago said a couple of years ago:

I expect to die in bed, my successor will die in prison and his successor will die a martyr in the public square. His successor will pick up the shards of a ruined society and slowly help rebuild civilization, as the church has done so often in human history.

The Church is being persecuted around the world. We don't hear about it much here. I think that's because it doesn't fit the narrative of the Church being an oppressive, patriarchal, corrupt, sinister, washed up institution of the dark ages that will soon be washed away by progressive history.

The extent to which we experience the persecution here is to be fed that nonsense of a narrative over and over again, and occasionally to have legal issues such as the attack on religious liberty in the form of the HHS mandate. Also some pretty nasty tweets on a day like today that are already streaming.

Pretty mild stuff of course compared to what our Christian brothers and sisters are experiencing in Asia Africa or the Middle East these days, where they're witnessing to the faith with blood.

It's in the air though. The mildest form my kids will see in the media and hear via their friends is that what the Church claims to be true is not true.  It will take the form of language kids can understand:

• There are many paths to God. All of them are valid
• How can anyone belong to a Church that won't have women as priests?
• It's fine if a man wants to marry a man or a woman wants to marry a woman
  that's just being tolerant 
• A woman should have the right to choose whether she wants a baby or not

It goes on and on from there.

I think what Don is referring to is the tendency of some in the media to attach anything that happens in the Catholic Church to scandal.  For example, if I tell someone I was once an altar server as a kid, what's the first joke they use?

If my kids were Catholic and went to a public or non-catholic school, I'd have a talk with them before they left for school as well to keep them from retaliating when someone makes some nasty comment at them. 

I refer you to two articles posted in the last 4 hours:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/12/world/europe/pope-benedict-xvi-says-he-will-retire.html?_r=0  The comments range from respectful to outright bigotry.

and this article that shows that the Daily Beast writer should stick to defending Richard III which was a good article.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/02/11/pope-benedict-xvi-bows-out-of-his-contract-with-god.html

Exactly, Matt.

Often the nastiest comments come from Catholics themselves, marginal in the faith though they may be.

The old chestnut, "the last acceptable prejudice is anti-catholicisim" is true, although for some reason the Amish take their licks as well.

In social circles around these parts, progressive East Coast professionals, it's OK to be Catholic as long as you hate what the Church teaches. Crazy, right?  

If you're against the faith then you're acceptable. You can go to Mass and go through the motions. Just don't pretend that you actually believe that stuff.

If you believe in the faith, then you're a homophobic, misogynistic, irrational, enemy of progress.

Maybe because NY is so diverse religiously/ethnically, etc. 

But in MD, if you went to a catholic school, you wore the uniform to school/athletic events, you heard it a lot.

In the south, Fuggedaboutit.  You get really harrassed.  Mostly by my new brothers in the Evangelical church who think Catholics "worship Mary" or "Pray to the Pope" or "Pray to the Saints".

I wouldn't call that persecution.  Frankly, most of what you wrote in this post and the one before I wouldn't call persecution.  Bullying, yes.  Ignorant and mean spirited, yes.  Persecution, no. (coming from a non-practicing Catholic who still proudly boasts of being an altar boy).

Don was referring to "Bigotry"  which is defined as:

Got it.  Read too fast.  Amazingly, the two coffee's this morning are STILL not working. 

Yeah, I think you were on to something.

(Pope-Lent.jpg)

I did find this to be a strange comment as well but understand better having read further in the thread, as well as recalling my own childhood.  I went to the separate schools (catholic as opposed to not catholic, basically teach religion and have a relationship with the church, still publicly funded though, not sure if that is how it works in not Canada), and even there we had the less then devote who would make rather ignorant statements about religion, which of course in my young righteously pious mind I took to be a little strange coming from someone who was baptized.

With the prevalence of atheism and the ready availability of good arguments against the existence of god and as well as ones that point out the detriment that religion has had on society, I imagine you children are faced with a much greater challenge. 

I guess this comment has been a bit two faced but that was insightful for you to speak to your children about that.

That's great!!

SNERK!