New pope? Argentinian ? Hummmm God Bless Italy!?

As an ex catholic now pagan I wish the new Pope the best of everything.

Problem is I do not see anything much changing

Positives are he is not of the "Vatican Mafia" so he may take on that & begin the long long process of getting that cloistered club moving towards the 21st century & maybe reduce its head-in-the-sand overbearing influence

- & good luck with that one.

He brings a more worldly experience from his life & work in South America so maybe will have a little more sympathy with the real world problems of the Catholic Church hang-ups of birth control, abortion & divorce & ………….. need I elaborate ??  

If he continues with his (reported) frugal life style it might begin to move the church away from the over the top super-high church mumbo jumbo.

Downsides are he is an older man & given the frailties of life he could be gone in less time than his predecessor.  I do not think he has either the time or inclination to tackle the big issues of the basic church structure & all the baggage that the church needs to - one day - sort out.

Is he the new Patron Saint of Malvinas?

The penguins should be told

Debs

Pope Frankie after pope Benny. Going for a franchise perhaps.

And your source is????????????

Not for the first time, I'm in complete agreement with Tim on this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTIorwtJbhE

(A tiny bit sweary)

The "Argies" should be moaning about Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, one of the biggest morons to ever gain the title "head of state" - not the Falklands.

In the famous words from Casablanca, "Round up the usual suspects"...  It is little surprise that on this Forum the response has been a pretty predictable sticking the boot in.

I think Mike Hughes is making a 2nd, 3rd or 95th-hand allusion to an accusation that derived from the Galtieri Junta (you know, the Falklands, the 'disappeared', etc...) that in the 70s, as Jorge Bergoglio he was somehow linked to the abduction and 2-week detention of two fellow Jesuits by the Junta.  This is of course disputed.  And those who now rake up this one alleged 'blot' seem to lack the wit to work out that the Jesuits were then (and are now) a key positive force for good and voice for the poor and disenfranchised in Argentina and throughout South America (ever heard of liberation theology? the Jesuits invented it), and that therefore it would suit the Junta to propagate such claims to try to destabilise the Jesuits and thus (was the hope) their influence.

How about the Bergoglio's track record of describing inequality as "a social sin that cries out to Heaven" and emphasising the Church's duty to serve the poor and disenfranchised.  And his personal example of living in great simplicity.

(I am not a Roman Catholic.)

interesting how the new pope looks like Jim Bowen (magic, super)

maybe it is him?

Someone on the Radio Sheffield, Toby Foster show made the same observation this morning.

Looks chubbier than the Jim Bowen I remember.

The former host of teatime darts gameshow Bullseye. "Keep out of the black robes and stay in the red, nothing in this celibate game for two in a bed. Now let's see what you could have won – it's a shiny Popemobile-cum-speedboat 

Seriously?

Dear James,

Quite, and why I have refrained from posting anything substantive. I remain optimistic though.

ATB from George

Yes, just a tad sweary but the sentiment is one that I suspect many people would have sympathise with.  And, gosh, Tim M must have worked pretty hard to memorise and deliver those lyrics as slicky as that!

MDS 

His cross is made of tin.

I doubt if there is a man or woman on this earth that hasn't committed some sort of wrong-doing. So rather than rake out the remnants of some relatively minor and unproven past error, I suggest we give the guy a chance and judge him on his future performance over the next six months.

cheers

Don

Yes, Don. The guy seems to me making a good start eg eschewing the pope-limo and pitching up at his hotel to settle his bill in person. Must have given his flunkies a worry.  So, yes, everyone should give him chance to see if he can break the mould.

MDS      

I'm hoping he might move the Easter holiday back a month. The weather's a bit hit and miss at the end of March.

He's already gone a fair way to fixing that for next year - 3 weeks later - 18th April = Good Friday and 21st April = Easter Monday. Good start IMHO, even if in the "Big Picture" this is a somewhat trivial issue, so don't expect him to sort it each and every year !

Cheers

Don

Don't get it.

My prediction is that this new idiot will bring the Catholic Church to its knees within 5 years. He is a disastrous choice as Pope and what we are now seeing is the beginning of a 'perfect storm' scenario   Yep, it will all kick off in Argentina. 

Is that an oxymoron?

I think its a pun, but bloody funny, none-the-less !

Cheers

Don

Ella no es el Mesías, que es una chica muy traviesa..!

A Jesuit priest kidnapped by the Argentine junta in the '70s "was not denounced" by Pope Francis as his detractors have claimed.

From the horse's mouth:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/new...by-Pope-Francis.html