Pope given last rites

[miss.myra]

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe...pe1/index.html

[ja_raul]

The 84-year-old pope suffers from a number of chronic illnesses, including crippling hip and knee ailments, and Parkinson's disease, a progressive neurological disorder that can make breathing difficult.

perhaps its time for a new pope? seems like the old ones falling apart

[Only_Glory]

may god save him

[Silverwinged]

Well...
he dodged the bullet (no pun intended) in '81...
maybe he'll get better all of a sudden this time too...

[J o e l]

I wonder what the qualifications to be "the pope" are. do you have to be born into it or can anyone be the pope?

[Only_Glory]

i think i pretty much qualify

[impure]

i wanna be the first female pople.
haha.
like that will ever happen.

[Carrie]

*bows head*

i'll pray for him

[dabbler]

the pope is over rated. he should have been replaced 20 years ago, he's made some horrible decisions in his career.

[wum]

the next pope empowers the anti-christ

[wum]

how'd he get a urinary tract infection?

[DJ Ponz]

Originally Posted by J o e l

I wonder what the qualifications to be "the pope" are. do you have to be born into it or can anyone be the pope?

Popes are elected from the a league of Vatican cardnals. Qualifications to become pope involve: leadership potential, political prowess, learnedness in matters secular and spiritual, and, although I'm uncertain how they determine this, holiness. In the coming months, I'm certain all of us will see the election of a new pope; there will undoubtedly be extensive media coverage on the intricate and complex process, a process rich in symbolism and tradition.

Originally Posted by dabbler

the pope is over rated. he should have been replaced 20 years ago, he's made some horrible decisions in his career.

Pope John Paul II has been one of most progressive popes of all time. I challenge you to name one "horrible decision" he's made during his papacy. Bear in mind JP is, in theory, infallible with regards to matters spiritual, so while you may dissagree with his decisions on abortion or contraception, he recieves guidance on these matters from God directly. I don't subscribe to any of it, and as an outsider, I'd hesitant to pass judgement on any spiritual leader - from the Dali Lama to the pope. If you make comments like that, you need to qualify them with "I don't know my ass from my elbow, but I think the pope is over rated....."

[DJ Ponz]

Originally Posted by wum

how'd he get a urinary tract infection?

Bitches and hoes.

[dabbler]

his decisions on abortion or contraception

that's it right there.
his decisions may be "handed down from god"
but that doesn't make them right.
actually, it makes them fucking wrong.
purely because his "decisions" are based on a 2000 year old book
and an outdated concept of a higher being, they are WRONG



(IMO) haha

[wum]

Originally Posted by dabbler

his decisions on abortion or contraception

that's it right there.
his decisions may be "handed down from god"
but that doesn't make them right.
actually, it makes them fucking wrong.
purely because his "decisions" are based on a 2000 year old book
and an outdated concept of a higher being, they are WRONG



(IMO) haha

the Pope is the head of a religion, not a politician trying to appease his constituents you tool.

[dabbler]

yes exactly, and he's the head of a religion i dislike

[dabbler]

and it doesn't really matter who the fuck he is, he makes decisions that add to problems in other countries, all because of a stupid "ideal". i'm sorry, but no god should want people to suffer needlessly.

[sungoo]

My catholic friend told me, the cardinals all go into seperate rooms and pray to god, asking him who they should elect as the new pope.
and if they all don't agree, they go back into the rooms and pray again until they all agree on the same person.

[wum]

Originally Posted by dabbler

and it doesn't really matter who the fuck he is, he makes decisions that add to problems in other countries, all because of a stupid "ideal". i'm sorry, but no god should want people to suffer needlessly.

i'm not Catholic so i don't really know what you're talking about. what kind of decrees did he lay down anyway?

[dabbler]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2005Jan22.html

[dabbler]

also, see his stance on gay rights and abortions.

[dabbler]

this is also an interesting read

http://www.monbiot.com/archives/1999...-spreads-aids/



Every year the Pope kills tens, possibly hundreds of thousands of the world’s most vulnerable people by the simple expedient of forbidding Catholics to use condoms. While his imprecations are dismissed by most churchgoers in the First World as a load of papal bull, in countries in which there is little access to alternative sources of information and in which women have few rights, every papal decree against contraception sentences thousands to a lingering death.

[wum]

Bush touts African AIDS triumphs

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – Tuesday President Bush will step off Air Force One into the dry, summer heat of Senegal, one of Africa's oldest democracies and the country with the lowest HIV-infection rate on the continent.

[...]

Senegal was one of the first African countries to aggressively combat the epidemic through a variety of actions. Behavior-modification campaigns were launched encouraging youths to delay their first sexual experiences or to use condoms.

Religious leaders from the country's two main faiths, Christianity and Islam, were encouraged to help educate the public. And prostitutes were targeted with safe-sex campaigns and frequently tested for AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.

[bl0nde]

Originally Posted by wum

the Pope is the head of a religion, not a politician trying to appease his constituents you tool.

exactly.
i went to the vatican last year and saw the pope.. i found it very interesting.

[dabbler]

and?

lowest HIV infection rate = PER CAPITA. meaning they have more than everyone else, but because of the high population numbers....

that and senegal is only one country