I don't have much information and I'll update later with "official sources" but us Catholics have a new Pope. He was a cardinal from Argentina and has chosen the name "Francis". He's Pope Francis I. So the first Francis ever! Also the first Jesuit Pope from what I've heard.
The Pope will do as he always does. Make speeches, be a symbol, but nothing greatly new I expect. Will wait and see.
i'm really excited to see how Pope Francis handles the church. i hope that his humility really inspires the christian world. i'm pleased with what he's practiced in loving others, though i'm saddened that while he has extended some compassion to homosexuals he still remains very conservative concerning marriage equality and the adoption of children by homosexual couples. there are a couple of things i'd like to see cleared up surrounding his pre-papal life haha but overall i just hope that he is able to send a message of compassion and humility through the church. some things i'd like to see emphasized include (but are not limited to):
I must ask this, is the pope mentioned anywhere in the Bible? I mean, it almost appears like a form of politics more then religion from what I have seen. I mean yeah, good for the Catholics on getting a new Pope, but why is it so important? As long as you have God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit in your heart, mind, and soul, why need the figure head?
Nope, he' s not in the Bible. Well, not per say, the word pope isn' t there, but Saint Peter is. The word pope appeared much later but they' re suposed to be Peter' s successor at the head of the Church. It is very much politics : although the Church is essentially a business (ike any other religious institution) the Vatican is also the smallest state in the world. It is not a part of Italy, and the pope is its elected King.
So, despite his suposed modernity, a quick glance at his speeches made it clear his positions were as rusty as Silent Hill. Same old same old, nothing to see here, move along. Or so I thought : Apparently he (and/or the ones pulling his strings, who knows) finally realized that the huge disconnect between their unmoving dogma and modern day catholics was spelling their eventual doom as surely as 2+2=4. Gotta keep swimming if you don' t want to drown. I' m not sure how to take it. I was quite happy to see them crumble real fast, so fast it was noticeable in my own short lifetime, but then if it can make their political influence and their actions in the countries where they' re still relevant slightly less ******ed maybe I should welcome it.
Oh wow, I actually agree with the Pope on something ? I' m liking this guy more and more. I can' t help but notice that the catholic church isn' t exactly poor though, far from it (I would know, my uncle managed their properties for a living). It also loves to evade taxes. But then I' m not sure the Pope has much control, if any, over the way the Vatican uses its money.
