Pope, Unable to Speak: Time To Step Down? Your View.

[Prince]

Pope, Unable to Speak: Time To Step Down? Your View.
With Pope John Paul II\'s failing health, serving as a minister is not only cumbersome but getting to be impossible.  It is one thing to serve God, but quite another as a minister and a Pastor to a vast number of faithful.  I think it is time for him to step down and have the day to day adminstration of the church fall into some younger and more capable hands.  I know I\'m gonna attract a lot of flak for this one, but hey, what else is new?  That\'s my opinion, what\'s yours?

Pope, Unable to Speak, Blesses Pilgrims.
By NICOLE WINFIELD, Associated Press Writer
2 hours ago

VATICAN CITY - Pope John Paul II delivered an Easter Sunday blessing to tens of thousands of people in St. Peter\'s Square, but the ailing pontiff was unable to speak and managed only to greet the saddened crowd with a sign of the cross, bringing tears to many.

Aides had readied a microphone, and the pope tried to utter a few words from his studio window overlooking the square. But after making a few sounds, he just blessed the crowd with his hand and the microphone was taken away.  
Details: http://wtopnews.com/index.php?sid=407549&nid=105

[Honeybunnie]

You just have a knack for picking the right topics, and giving them the kind of wording that provokes a barrage of responses....I like it. This is a very tricky issue, I am not a Catholic, and so I might not be making very informed comments on this since Catholic rever the Pope more than I do. My first question is , what is the role of the Pope, why do Catholics close to worship him almost, why is one man chosen to be the Pope, and why is it such a big deal for the current Pope to step down and have someone else take over especailly since he is really sick. I think the Pope needs to move aside and let someone else that is capable do the work, then again I am only talking from an outsider\'s view. He must think that he is the only one that can do the job in the meantime, and that is probably why he isn\'t trying to give it up or he probably feels like the right person hasn\'t been chosen yet. On the other hand, you have to wonder, since the Pope is a spiritual leader, and there can only be one, maybe he really needs to be allowed to finish his time here on earth.

[Prince]

Hey, Hb, thanks for noticing.  That\'s the idea behind good writing; to provoke thoughta and attract comments.

The Pope is the President of a county called Vatican City.  His adminitration is the vatican.  He has embassies and ambassadors in all the nations, including the United Nations.  It has eveything other nations have, including the military, the Swiss Guards, as his army is called.

[Amaka]

Catholics believe Jesus founded his Church on St. Peter (on you peter I build my rock). Peter is considered by Roman Catholics to be the first visible head of the Christian church and the first pope. Currently the pope is elected for life by a vote of the cardinals who are under the age of 80, so it?s a big deal. The reigning Pope John Paul II who is sick was elected at the age of 58. When the pope dies the rule of the papacy passes to the Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, a new cardinal will be appointed by the Pope. Pope is not God to the Catholics nor close to who God is. I agree the time has come for a new pope to be appointed, but it?s just a huge responsibility. The pope is not only the president of Vatican. He is also the spiritual leader of all the Catholic Churches in the world. All amendments in the Catholic Church are done by him; they wouldn?t elect some Vatican who will accept Gay marriage or abortion tomorrow. Catholics see the hierarchy of rank and leadership as Peter>pope>bishop>priests. I know I don?t know much but that?s how it goes. A new pope needs to be elected but if that hasn?t been in their agenda, it will be a big problem if the pope dies.

[Prince]

Amaka, you might say you don\'t know much, but I think you\'re doing just fine.  You explanation was on the nose.  The reason I didn\'t include the spiritual role of the pope is because Most people already know that.  Most people think of him as just the spiritual leader and head of the Catholic church, worldwide.  But few know him as a an intellegent politician at the head of an influential and powerful nation.

Did you know that Pope John Paul II was an international soccer player?  You see, when you see a man in the light of international stardom and now, almost everybody sees him as this bent over invalid, it is very painful.  I\'d prefre to remember his as the man I read about who worked miracles on the soccer field.

[Honeybunnie]

THat is quite interesting, I didn\'t realize the guy had played soccer also. That\'s really good, the thing that impresses me about him is that he speaks as many as about 15 languages if I\'m correct. I remember when he had visited Abuja, people went crazy. I went to see him and he was just normal , but he prayed and all, I mean he was stronger then.

[Prince]

You see why I\'d like to see him as he used to be.  I\'m not a Catholic, at least not anymore.  I love the man for his life and activities.

\"Karol Josef Wojtyla (pronounced Voy-tee-wah) was born in Wadowice, Poland on May 18, 1920, to an administrative officer in the Polish army and a former schoolteacher. As a young man, Karol was athletic. He enjoyed playing soccer as a goalie and took daredevil swims in a flooded Swaka River. He also was an excellent student and he served as president of his school sodality.\"

I think he has nine lives.  He survived an accident when he was hit by a car, 1944; knife attack which left one of the Bishops around him wounded; and a gunshot assasination attempt, which took a 6 hour surgery to pull him through.  He was a stone-cutter.  He was an active adventurous gentleman.

[kenmartins]

Hey, what would the Pope be doing when he resigns?. I don\'t see no reason why he should step dowm for the so called young cardinals.
he should keep on hanging on there until the last minute.

[fresco]

I think Amaka n Kenmartins are right on the money. As a devoted Catholic, since he\'s not dead, there\'s no reason to replace him. Although he\'s not able to do things at his age, but the trend needs to be followed. Like Amaka said, Peter-Pope-cardinals-Archbishop-Bishop-priest.  I believe there has been too many things that he has endured. The assassination , Parkinsons etc. He represents God and like Jesus was, we are like shepherds to him. When Jesus was on around, he was a master to all his disciples and as he ascended into heaven, he passed the athourity to Peter and then peter to pope. For him to be replaced, some of the Cardinals need to be appointed. This person must have same beliefs in regards to abortion, gay marrige etc..... then vote is taken among the Cardinals. There has been rumor that the next pope will be from Africa or rather Black...... this has not be confirmed yet.

[ozy]

i heard the same news too.  that the next pope will be from Nigeria.  Just a hearsay not sure yet.

[Susia]

Ozy, i heard that too today!!!!!!!!!, but being that i am not a catholic, i didn\'t even inquire more as to where from Nigeria. Again its not confrimed yet.

[Honeybunnie]

OKay Fresco I see you are a Catholic. I had said something earlier in my post that you have clearly expressed, and I need to understand it.

He represents God and like Jesus was, we are like shepherds to him. When Jesus was on around, he was a master to all his disciples and as he ascended into heaven, he passed the athourity to Peter and then peter to pope.

So I am guessing that to Catholics he is almost good enough to be worshipped. I don\'t understand this thinking, if the Pope is one that is anointed and appointed after several meetings of different people within the papacy, why is he worshipped almost like he is Jesus Christ. I had said something earlier about that and I sensed a dissention in Amaka\'s reply

Pope is not God to the Catholics nor close to who God is.

I just haven\'t researched the Catholic faith but this topic on the Pope has brought up a  lot of questions that I need to do some research on, hopefully I gain a better insight on the Catholic religion. I just don\'t understand how a man (Human Being) can represent God, in essence he is like God\'s contact on earth or something. I don\'t understand this especially when the Bible says you can get to God in prayers.

[fresco]

Hb, we are not no way close to worship him. We just obeying him and doing what he says. You read the relationship Christ had w/ his disciples, it is same thing we are doing. In the actually Mass, we always mention that Christ hear his prayers n his intentions, to show you that he just represents God..... The big difference btwn both is that God is perfect whilst Pope is not. He does go to confession to the Cardinals.
  Probably im not expalining it more clearly.... you might go ahead and research more.

[Prince]

Honeyb, I don\'t know how to put this.  All Catholics have this huge mythical ring around the pope, and to them, it\'s almost sacrilegious to touch this ring.  One time in my high school days, I had just begun to investigate some of the Catholic beliefs.  I told my father a biblical truth that disproved one of the Catholic doctrines.   He almost took off my head.  I think he disowned me that day.  

My mother, and most of my associates who are Knights, back home, will be the first to tell your that the Pope is God\'s representative on earth.  Even as old as I am, today, if I wanna eat in the house, I better not sas the Catholic Church within my mother\'s hearing distance.

I tell you, Catholics are confused on the issue of papal status.  Some say he is God, others say he is not.  While some say he is human, and therefore, imperfect, many believe in the infalability of the pope.  Go figure.  ?

It doesn\'t matter which pope succeeds whom; their doctrine remains the same.  They have a set doctrines diametrically opposed to bible doctrine.  God is not a God of confusion, but the Cathlics do their very best to make him out to be one.  How can he be God\'s representative and yet teaches an opposing doctrine?

[chizor]

:twisted: prince.. i dont know where on earth you got that from, but i\'ve never heard anyone/catholic say that the pope is God. it really pisses the hell out of me when people make  silly remarks like that  about catholics, cos i\'m one. give me the contact of anyone you\'ve heard say that and i\'ll have a discussion with whoever that is. :twisted:  :evil:  :evil: