BEAUTIFUL!
I see what you’re saying and I agree for the most part. There is something to be said however, for the idea that having a non European Pope (assuming he’s equally orthodox and qualified) who non Europeans can better identify with. I’d be ecstatic if there was an American (US) Pope, but that won’t happen for practical reasons (even though it isn’t like there aren’t any qualified candidates). To put it bluntly since the US is the last super power, there would be accusations (especially from Muslims) that the Catholic Church is in league with the US and that wouldn’t help anyone.
I cannot agree more. I think it’s absurd that the West (Europe/US/Canada) is being ignored. You are correct. For years the Catholic populations in Asia, Africa, Latin America have been self-sustaining. It’s the industrialized world that is most at risk and which also has the most likelihood of becoming a more dominant force, culturally, than countries & continents whose residents are struggling for survival.
The first person on the Tribune’s fabricated “short list” is supposedly a liberation theologian. I’m just going by the summary, which may or may not be accurate.
Both JPII and BXVI were cardinals before they were elected and, by all accounts, neither one wanted the appointment. Pope Benedict actually tried to retire both when JPII appointed him to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and when he was elected Pope.
I don’t think cannon law allows for that.
Pope Benedict is from Germany the Catholic faith there still declined during his papacy, It doesn’t follow that if you elect a Pope from a region/country, it’ll reinforce the Church in that area.
True, but I think if you (or anyone) assumed that singledhandedly a Pope could reverse rapidly what has been a slower & steadier decline, was fooling himself/herself. Second, I was really talking about the industrialized world as whole, not a single country. Third, the issue of the U.S. is more pressing, given that our isolation is far more problematic when it comes to identification with Rome, combined with trends toward heavy secularization and the deliberate marginalization of traditional Catholicism by the ultra-powerful American media.
Do you honestly believe that BXVI had no interest in being Pope? I can believe it of JPII since he came out of nowhere. But Cardinal Ratzinger, was by far the most likely choice based strictly on his political power before the death of JPII. Perhaps I am being overly cynical. But the fact that the college of Cardinals have not selected anyone outside of their ranks for so long greatly disturbs me.
Having a Pope from the US won’t change any of that. He’d still be treated exactly the same by the secular media and the cafeteria Catholics will still be voting the same way. As I said, just look at Germany.
Yes, I do. Not only are there eye witness accounts, but he even set himself up for this day when he wrote that he was in favor of a Pope stepping down for health reasons instead of staying in office for the rest of his life. That position isn’t just glame and glitz, it’s a strenuous and arduous responsibility on a daily basis, not just physically, but mentally and spiritually.
Cannon law = Latin rite.
That’s your opinion, which you are stating as predictable fact. It is not fact, despite your preference for prophecy.
Should anyone be surprised that the US (and many other countries) are having such difficulties with Evangelization and Catechesis when Bishops are not promoted based on their abilities in these fields? The best way for the Vatican to help us is to get out of our politics and let us chose our own Bishops based not only fidelity to Orthodoxy (not just the conservative side of Orthodoxy that conservative cafeteria Catholics like to chose, but all sides of orthodoxy), but also based on pastoral abilities and ability to reach out to every Catholic of every persuasion and beyond.
That is true. The person selected doesn’t even need to be a priest when he is chosen, although he would have to become a priest in order to become the bishop of Rome.
Say what? My memory is there was plenty of speculation about him due to his close collaboration with JP2. Of course in the same breath his age was usually mentioned as being against him. But I certainly never got the impression that he was an out-of-left-field choice as Wojtyla was.