Not sure about confirmation...

[jmcrae]

I wonder if my friend will find anything about it then. He got that information from his grandmother who is very Catholic…I’m interested in what he’ll come up with.

What are Papal elections? (thanks for the list.)

When a Pope dies, a conclave (gathering) of the Cardinals is called.

They remain gathered together until they elect a new Pope.

It’s a very simple kind of election. What they do is they write the name of the person that they want to have as Pope on a piece of paper and put it in a bowl. Two of the Cardinals then count up the votes to see whether anyone has gotten a majority. They keep voting until one of them gets a majority, and the one who gets the majority becomes the new Pope.

When they have a new Pope, they make white smoke come out of the chimney, which tells the people to gather together in St. Peter’s Square, and then when the people have gathered together, they come out on to a balcony and they announce who the new Pope is.

 

[Bebekoualy]

So many things are said about the Pope. A guy who belonged to an independant Church (absolutely not Catholic, not Protestant… I dunno what exactely) told me that Benedict XVI belonged to the Devil himself!!! And he even told me that I shall stop praying Virgin Mary, that I didn’t even have to keep any picture, any statue, etc.

I was really shocked, just as you were, when you were confronted to so many different churches. Of course, now I try to avoid to spend time with these people. I want to know well about the Catholic Church before meeting them.

Don’t worry. Ere, your faith is still weak. You need to feed it, I would say. I’m still weak, sometimes I’m doubtful, but It’s absolutely normal, you don’t have to worry about it. Just try to know more about what you wonder. And don’t hesitate to meet fervent Catholic people! yeah, they’ll tell you why they chose this church (particularly those who were converted, not the one who followed their parents, like me)

I haven’t gone through the Confirmation yet, but I’m aware that the Catholic Church is the one I chose, with the help of the Holy Spirit. It was a big struggle, but I got out of it. I’m eager to be confirmed!!!

Don’t be afraid, and pray a lot!
Maybe you could spend some days in a Monastery, or any place to pray and try to hear what God wants to tell you.

God bless you!

 

[HalfAngel_18]

When a Pope dies, a conclave (gathering) of the Cardinals is called.

They remain gathered together until they elect a new Pope.

It’s a very simple kind of election. What they do is they write the name of the person that they want to have as Pope on a piece of paper and put it in a bowl. Two of the Cardinals then count up the votes to see whether anyone has gotten a majority. They keep voting until one of them gets a majority, and the one who gets the majority becomes the new Pope.

When they have a new Pope, they make white smoke come out of the chimney, which tells the people to gather together in St. Peter’s Square, and then when the people have gathered together, they come out on to a balcony and they announce who the new Pope is.

I thought the Pope chose his successor, I didn’t know it was a vote. That makes me a little confused…when Jesus said He was going to build His church on this ‘rock’, Peter, He ‘chose’ Peter, there wasn’t a vote among the apostles. So why do they have a vote on the next pope instead of the previous pope selecting his successor?

Also, I’ve heard it said that Peter was our first ‘pope’ but then I’ve also heard that the term ‘pope’ hadn’t even come up till several hundred years later or something.

 

[Gem]

Prophesies about popes?? This is what I’m talking about. Such stories are just that - stories. Everyone likes conspiracy theories, especially about the Catholic Church. So they get repeated without any real basis in truth.

Again, when some wild accusation like this comes up from your friends, search this site for it, and you will see how it is not really true.

Think about it, Protestant groups are made up of former Catholics or the children of former Catholics. On some level, they all have to justify their existence as a church by casting doubt on the Catholic faith. Go ahead and engage them in their questions. But if you haven’t heard of something before, say you’ll get back to them on it and take what they say with a grain of salt. Then do your homework. It is most likely not true or at least inaccurate. You will learn in the process.

And I’m glad you’re getting confirmed. It will be a special day.

Gem

 

[thomasf]

I thought the Pope chose his successor, I didn’t know it was a vote. That makes me a little confused…when Jesus said He was going to build His church on this ‘rock’, Peter, He ‘chose’ Peter, there wasn’t a vote among the apostles. So why do they have a vote on the next pope instead of the previous pope selecting his successor?

Also, I’ve heard it said that Peter was our first ‘pope’ but then I’ve also heard that the term ‘pope’ hadn’t even come up till several hundred years later or something.

The term Pope comes from the word Papa, which means father. The Pope is the father of the church on earth. That’s all that means. Peter and his successors might not have called themselves pope but they were seen as fathers of the church on earth.

Jesus selected and appointed all of His original Apostles. But here’s the question. What happened after Judas betrayed Jesus and hanged himself? The Apostles cast votes to elect and appoint someone to take his place. And they chose the person that won that vote, not the candidate that was most popular. This is how the Pope is chosen. The cardinals, who are the highest office holders in the church, cast votes to chose who shall lead them. The cardinals are the successors to the Apostles. And the Pope is the first among these, the first among equals, the bishop of Rome and the leader of the church.

After Peter was martyred, Jesus was not present here on earth. So the successor to Peter was chosen from among the living Apostles and bishops in the church at the time. And take note, it wasn’t always the most prominent member amongst themselves. It is not a popularity contest or a succession. It is a vote of the highest members of the priesthood, and it is guided by the Holy Spirit.

Now, back to the real problem. Stop listening to myths and misconceptions about the catholic church. Do you really think the last pope is going to be the antichrist? Do you not know that Jesus promised the gates of hell shall not prevail against the church? When people bring these things up to you, you need to start questioning their motivations. Then realize that most people outside the church have horrible misconceptions about the church and don’t know what they are talking about. Then go and do the research and learn the truth for yourself. Like you’re doing here. You’re lucky you found this site, it is a wealth of knowledge about the catholic faith!

 

[Jean_Anthony]

This thread is closed. Thank you all.