Imagine that you are now the pope. What are the top three things that you would change about the Church?

[jmcrae]

As Pope, I would definitely get rid of the Novus Ordo Mass. There would be two options for people of the Western Rite from then on out:

1. TLM
2. Anglican Use Rite (which I would rename the Anglican Rite)

I would just adopt it as the Ordinary Form - that way, it could be used in non-English speaking areas, too.

Also, I would create a Patriarchate, specifically Patriarchate of Britain and elevate the Archbishop of Canterbury to this new role. This would give +Cantuar the authority to ‘smack down’ (good theological term) the theological liberals within the Anglican Communion.

The Archbishop of Canterbury is not under the authority of the Pope, so it is not possible for the Pope to “elevate” him to anything at all.

There is already a Catholic bishop in Canterbury - the Pope could (if he chose) elevate that guy to a Patriarch, but I think the Anglicans would have an absolute fit, if he did.

I would allow Anglicans to receive the Eucharist at any Roman Catholic parish and I would allow Anglicans who, even if they do not wish to become Roman Catholic, to become full members of Roman Catholic parishes if there is no available or acceptable Anglican parish for them to join (i.e. say a staunch Anglo-Catholic in an extremely liberal Episcopal diocese).

I am trying to figure out why they would want this. They spent a lot of time, money, and energy trying to kill us all off (and still are, in some parts of Ireland) - now they want to join our parishes?

 

[nsper7]

i’m the imaginary pope and i want to change 3 things, yet you are having such a hard time with this. does it make you more of a believer with the bells and whistles of life, or are you willing to sell off everything and give to the poor and follow jesus? the art work and things are not sinful, its your tight selfish grip on them that is being exposed as sin.

Sorry for my rudeness earlier, but you have to understand a few things. First, the Pope does not ‘own’ any of the artwork or the Vatican itself. In that, he is similar to the President of the United States living in the White House or the Queen of England living in Buckingham Palace…they have the use of all the stuff, but it is not really their’s. Second, where is the sin in keeping works of art and such?

 

[meandean]

Sorry for my rudeness earlier, but you have to understand a few things. First, the Pope does not ‘own’ any of the artwork or the Vatican itself. In that, he is similar to the President of the United States living in the White House or the Queen of England living in Buckingham Palace…they have the use of all the stuff, but it is not really their’s. Second, where is the sin in keeping works of art and such?

 

[meandean]

Sorry for my rudeness earlier, but you have to understand a few things. First, the Pope does not ‘own’ any of the artwork or the Vatican itself. In that, he is similar to the President of the United States living in the White House or the Queen of England living in Buckingham Palace…they have the use of all the stuff, but it is not really their’s. Second, where is the sin in keeping works of art and such?

look, this is an imaginary thread, so as imaginary pope, i will be the imaginary owner of all the art work,artifacts and peters chair. now, if you want me to change, for real, the catholic church, you would hate me because i would challenge all of its doctrine. but i’m not here to do that. suppose i were to cut the vatican up in 1 inch squares, and then sold them for 50 bucks each, how many would you buy?with all its memories, even non catholics would purchase them.now remember this is just imaginary. the root of my intention is to take care of those who can’t possibly look after themselves. there was a rich young ruler who came to jesus and ask good teacher what must i do to inheirit eternal life?so he said to him, why do you call me good, noone is good but one, that is god. you know the commandments; do not commit adultry, do not murder, do honor your father and mother,do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud. and he said all of these things i have kept from my youth. then jesus loved him and said, one thing you lack,go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven. and come, take up the cross and follow me.but he was sad at this word and went away sorrowful for he had great possesions. mark 10:17. it s not a sin to own things. it is a sin when they consume you. that is why jesus said it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to inheirit eternal life, do you see the sin now?

 

[Steeltemplar]

The art and treasures of the Vatican serve to honor God Himself. When God instructed the building of the temple in the Old Testament, He specified a work of spectacular scale. Then Christ Himself addressed the matter of honoring Him with human riches:

1 Jesus therefore, six days before the pasch, came to Bethania, where Lazarus had been dead, whom Jesus raised to life. 2 And they made him a supper there: and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that were at table with him. 3 Mary therefore took a pound of ointment of right spikenard, of great price, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. 4 Then one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, he that was about to betray him, said: 5 Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?

6 Now he said this, not because he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and having the purse, carried the things that were put therein. 7 Jesus therefore said: Let her alone, that she may keep it against the day of my burial. 8 For the poor you have always with you; but me you have not always.

The poor may be cared for and God honored at the same time.

Let me ask you, though, meandean: Do you practice as you preach? Do you have a nice car? Do you have a nice house? Do you have a nice computer? Do you have broadband internet? I would ask that you let us know when you have sold your possessions and decided to live in poverty.

As for me, I will say that I would not have my home be better than the churches which are built to honor Our Lord. He deserves the greatest honors which man may offer as both a sign of our faith and a demonstration of His glory to all mankind.

 

[Aramis]

1. allow married priests in all Sui Iuris churches. Including the Latin.
2. require a sunday a year where the other Rites and Churches in Union are required to be commemorated, and their patriarchs, Major Archbishops, Governing Metropolitans, and Governing Eparchs mentioned by name in the commemorations in the liturgies. Including the Latin Rite patriarchs of Lisboa and Jerusalem.
3. establish the Faithful Trads (ICRS, FSSP), incoming Anglicans and Lutherans into 3 new Sui Iuris churches.

 

[DixitDominus]

1. Abolish the practice of Communion in the hand.
2. Abolish the use of extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion except out of very extreme necessity.
3. Mandate kneeling for Communion in the Latin Church.
4. Make the 1962 Missal the ordinary form of the Mass of the Roman Rite, and the 2002 Missal the extraordinary form.
5. Mandate the 2002 Missal to be said entirely in Latin, that the Roman Canon be used on all Sundays and Solemnities.
6. Promulgate a document explicitly stating that the documents of the Second Vatican Council must be interpreted in light of Tradition.

 

[aggiecatholic05]

1. VaticanII gone
2. prochoice=no sacrements+excommunication
3. tell p.e.t.a. to go to hell

 

[reff]

1. Return to the Extraordinary form, however keep it in the vernacular so people actually know what’s going on. But have it just like the Tridentine Mass (priest facing ad orientem, gregorian chants etc.)
2. Try to promote unity with the Eastern Catholic Rite by attempting to institute the Latin Rite as universal.
3. Institute Dogma that if you are against the Pope and the Magisterium, like SSPX and many of the trads, than you are against the Church.

 

[benedictgal]

The art and treasures of the Vatican serve to honor God Himself. When God instructed the building of the temple in the Old Testament, He specified a work of spectacular scale. Then Christ Himself addressed the matter of honoring Him with human riches:

The poor may be cared for and God honored at the same time.

Let me ask you, though, meandean: Do you practice as you preach? Do you have a nice car? Do you have a nice house? Do you have a nice computer? Do you have broadband internet? I would ask that you let us know when you have sold your possessions and decided to live in poverty.

As for me, I will say that I would not have my home be better than the churches which are built to honor Our Lord. He deserves the greatest honors which man may offer as both a sign of our faith and a demonstration of His glory to all mankind.

That’s the same point I made several posts ago. Besides, wasn’t the one complaining about the expense Judas? Did Judas really care for the poor? Reading that part of St. John’s Gospel would make it highly unlikely that Judas did.

Remember, too, that the first commandment, and the greatest, is to love God. Loving God means giving Him the best that we have: worship, art, music, everything.

 

[Lepanto]

Abolish the handshaking after the Our Father.

I’d be happy if my parish would just drop the forced hand-shake that they make us do BEFORE Mass begins.

 

[Lepanto]

not that i’ll ever be, or that i have the arrogance to think i could do a good enough job, but if i had the option:

1. Abolish the CDF and return power back to the Pope and all the Bishops where it belongs, as well as having representitives of the laity in the church so that the whole church could decide on controversial theological matters in the church, thus adding important democratic elements but not democritizing it entirely.
2. Make it so that any catholic man could enter the conclave and not have it traditionally restricted to the Cardinals or those who are seen as “pope material”
3. reintroduce marriage as an option for all members of the church, including the Pope, and encourage responsibility and guidance along with it as well as promoting celibacy
4. reintroduce the women’s deaconate and encourage the roles for women we already have in the church
5. lift some of the restrictions for birth control, but not all (i.e. in the case of aids, stds or the couple cant financially afford to have a child. as i see it NFP when used correctly does aim to prevent pregnancy, and is just as effective if not more so then condoms or the pill. it really doesn’t matter on the method, and yes we should always be open to life, but there are some extreme cases as i have mentioned where i am sure God is compassionate and understands. the law of double effect in moral theology would probably come into play here)
6. reform papal infallibility so that the whole church would have to decide if what the pope feels has been revealed to him by god is authentic and proclaim it, and extend this not to just the pope but the laity and clergy as well. god may reveal to each of us, but it would take the magisterium to help discern if such a revelation is authentic and thus infallible.
7. scrap the scapulars and medals and the mediatrix nonsense which is clearly offensive and blasphemous to our Lord and our mother, return marian doctrine to proper christocentricity and promote mary as mediator (in the same way as the saints or anyone else who prays for another person, stressing the small m and dropping the co as its dangers to ecumenism and borders on blasphemy, and losing the we have to go through mary to reach christ nonsense), evangelist and sacrament (in her we see the deeper reality of the Holy Spirit working within)
8. encourage faith reason science and religion to work together and to encourage theistic evolution in all schools
9. issue an encyclical that would prohibit the denial of sacraments unless the case was most extreme- the person needs that grace, not to be denied it. let god do the work and dont be so quick to judge
10. drop the idea of temporal punishment as it mocks christ’s work on the cross since he took away all punishment, including temporal, due to sin and instead realize that purgatory is man entering into God and that God Himself is purgatory, cleansing man of his sin with the wrath of his grace
11. redifine indulgences as something that the entire church can ask god to give to a person and leave the amount and type up to him. stress that it is only christ’s merits being used, not the merits of mary or the saints which clearly contradicts pauline theology. no steps would have to be taken in order to obtain and whether or not it is granted would be left up to god. grace, whether sacramental or extra sacramental, is a free gift. no strings attached. furthermore it would be understood that it is god who grants the indulgence, not the church.
12. undo everything Benedict has done in regards to the reform of the reform and return things to the way they were with the exception to allow the latin mass to be celebrated but with caution that it does not override the NO. both must be appreciated equally.
13. get Hans Kung to the Vatican and hammer things out until it is determined he can have his licentia back.

I think Martin Luther beat you to it!

 

[Lepanto]

you’d be surprized what a yardsale would bring. people were buying parts of the berlin wall like crazy when it came down. god would provide the buyers, but you would have to decide to do with the people, just show them the art pieces and send them on their way? now is that what you really want to do? or love them as commanded?

OK, you first…give away your home and all your possessions. Then we’ll talk.

 

[reff]

Oh and also I would require special prayers be said after Mass, and special Holy Hours during Eucharistic Adoration be dedicated to the Holy Souls in Purgatory. They need our prayers BADLY.

 

[meandean]

OK, you first…give away your home and all your possessions. Then we’ll talk.

it is obvious you see the poor and the orphans all over the world and you close your eyes as you pass by,and wont listen to them , what would make you stop to listen to me?

 

[meandean]

The art and treasures of the Vatican serve to honor God Himself. When God instructed the building of the temple in the Old Testament, He specified a work of spectacular scale. Then Christ Himself addressed the matter of honoring Him with human riches:

The poor may be cared for and God honored at the same time.

Let me ask you, though, meandean: Do you practice as you preach? Do you have a nice car? Do you have a nice house? Do you have a nice computer? Do you have broadband internet? I would ask that you let us know when you have sold your possessions and decided to live in poverty.

As for me, I will say that I would not have my home be better than the churches which are built to honor Our Lord. He deserves the greatest honors which man may offer as both a sign of our faith and a demonstration of His glory to all mankind.

these questions you ask me are really for you, they center at the root of your heart.as for what the lord has blessed me with, i have given it back to him for his glory. if i chose to hang on to the blessing for myself, it would control me, and i would become insincere, hard and without love for the poor,helpless and defenseless. i would only pay lip service to the poor and send them away. see, the problem we have here is i am willing to take care of the poor by any means, and you are not. you would rather salute god from a building and wish the poor well. and thats a hard heart.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

it is obvious you see the poor and the orphans all over the world and you close your eyes as you pass by,and wont listen to them , what would make you stop to listen to me?

You know what, I’ve been keeping a bit of an eye on what you keep saying with regards to this but now I’m a little irked.

With all due respect, I find your proposals ludicrously sappy.

Following your reasoning, the President of the United States shouldn’t be living in the extravagant White House, nor should he have his own private jet. For is it not the duty of a nation’s leader to sacrifice all for his people?

Yet why is it you choose to focus only on the Vatican and its collection?

Double standard anybody?

 

[Steeltemplar]

these questions you ask me are really for you, they center at the root of your heart.as for what the lord has blessed me with, i have given it back to him for his glory. if i chose to hang on to the blessing for myself, it would control me, and i would become insincere, hard and without love for the poor,helpless and defenseless. i would only pay lip service to the poor and send them away. see, the problem we have here is i am willing to take care of the poor by any means, and you are not. you would rather salute god from a building and wish the poor well. and thats a hard heart.

I would suggest that you invest time in reading comprehension. If you did, you would note that I said that the poor can be cared for and God may be honored at the same time.

Second, I would say that you know nothing about me, what I have or have not done for others, what my financial situation is, or anything else really. Yet you presume to say if my heart is hard or no. I think this is exactly the kind of judging of others that we are meant to stay away from.

Still, you decline to tell us if you have sold all of your luxuries first before advising others. Why is that? Is it because you do not practice what you preach? Do you have many luxuries? Do you plan to give them up for the poor? Answer plainly, please.

 

[Steeltemplar]

I have noticed that there are people out there who could be called “arm-chair saints”. These people sit around and tell others about what they should be doing for the poor or how a cathedral is too extravagant, etc. All of this instead of acting themselves and leading through example.

Truth be told, the real Saints spent their time in living the faith, not finger-pointing at others.

I personally have no use for arm-chair saints who are more loud than they are charitable. If you have something to say, then let your actions say it first and most clearly.

 

[Arnobius]

it is obvious you see the poor and the orphans all over the world and you close your eyes as you pass by,and wont listen to them , what would make you stop to listen to me?

Why should we listen to you? I believe Christ had something to say about splinters and beams.

Moreover, if the Church were to try to sell all these things, accumulated over 1000 years or more, would it not require people to buy them… and divert money away from the helping of the poor?