Francisco Pope Of The Poor??? Aparecida Brazil

[pauper]

What's your point, Rich One? Is the Pope a racist? I don't think so. He's been reaching out to the poor for a long time. What would you have him do different? How better can he show solidarity with the poor?

I certainly can't think of anything else he could do for the poor. He's got a lot on his plate riding around smiling, waving, kissing babies and reinforcing superstition.

 

[Dublin2BuenosAires]

Maybe he could take it upon himself to force the religious orders in Ireland to pay into the contribution fund for the victims of the Magdalene Laundries in Ireland.

Government apologises calling it a national shame and sets up a compensation board, just recently the poor cash strapped religious orders of Ireland (who carried out the shameful incarceration and abuse over decades) have point blank refused to cooperate.

I genuinely believe he is a good man, but if I could have 10 minutes of his time I would love to know what he thinks of the sick abuse scandals in Ireland, and there are many. I would want to know why proper apologies, excommunications and financial compensations were not immediately forthcoming.

 

[Jaredberryman]

Loved the cover of Fortune Magazine:
New CEO in chief.
Is the pope good or bad? Nice debate for the dinner table. Kind of like asking if you would liket to drink a beer with a politician.
Is the church good or bad? That is the question. Is the church corrupt? Does its policies cause harm? Does it hurt women? Does it fetishize sex and virginity? Cult of shame cause guilt? Is it the biggest arms dealer in the world?
I see this pope as a last stand to reverse the dropping numbers of Catholics. Lets see if it works of if people start thinking for themselves. I say this as an ex-Catholic: after quiting smoking, best decision I ever made.

I don't mean to offend, but your post seems rather naive. I am not Catholic, yet you seem to imply that Catholics cannot think for themselves. This is utter nonsense. Some of the most intelligent, logical people I have ever met are Catholic. Also, the Pope is also not a CEO. He is a remarkable authority figure, yes, but I highly doubt anyone thinks just because there is a new leader that all of the sudden everyone will become Catholic again. If they do think that, then they are silly. I also find your comment highly dubious when you compare Pope Francis to a politician. Have you taken an oath to be single, live in poverty, and dedicate your life to the poor (this man has actually done that and helped many escape drug addiction)? I don't think anyone on this forum is in a position of moral authority to criticize someone like Pope Francis.

Also, saying the "church" is good or bed is also naive and irrelevant. What that really is asking is if people are good or bad. And the answer, of course, is complex. Of course people are bad, though sometimes good. So when bad things happen in the church, it's really not surprising that they do happen. Because people are part of the church. What do you expect. As far as the women issue, sex, and arms, I have no idea of what you are talking about so I won't make a comment on that (I'm not Catholic and so don't claim to have insiders knowledge).

Finally, you seem to be implying that guilt is a bad thing. Guilt is good, because guilt is part of something we have that is called conscience. Conscience informs us when we do something morally wrong. If the church makes us recognize that we are guilty when we have done something wrong, then that is good. However, some people hate this sort of thing. Guilt reminds them that what they are doing is wrong, and that they should quit. But they don't want to stop, so they find ways to stifle their conscience. If you do that, at some point, you will succeed.

Once again, I do not mean to offend you with my comments.

 

[ajoknoblauch]

The Pope leads the Cámpora of the pious.

 

[EdRooney]

Congrats to Knoblauch for finding a way to crowbar the K's into this. Any chance you can connect the dots on how they're responsible for the train crash in Spain and Weiner's sexting?

 

[pauper]

The Pope leads the Cámpora of the pious.

I find that comparison to be in very poor taste. Maxi and the Cámpora look decidedly third rate alongside the Catholic church in terms of theft, plunder, and expropriation.

 

[Montauk_Project]

@tex
I want to get the argument beyond if the pope is good or not. Or if one priest is good or not. I want to look at the institution.

The Catholic church just doesn´t mess with its followers.
It messes with countries. Argentina is officially Catholic, meaning that the Church in Argentina is state funded. So every bit of your tax money goes to this business.
It gets money based on the number of Catholics, which is counted by the number of people baptized.
There is a small but growing movement in Argentina to get yourself "de-baptized" so you stop being counted. Of course, the real solution would be to make Argentina a non-religous state. Crosses in court rooms? Not cool. Fighting sex ed? Not cool. Fighting abortion and causing lots of deaths? Not cool. Against gays, condoms? Not cool.
And yes, there are many people thinking this will make people more Catholic, that is the idea of youth rallies, etc.
And yes, the Church is the largest financial institution in the world. We don´t know how much money it has, but it has a lot, even in conservative estimates.

Are there nice Catholics? of course. But if you ask me, constant criticism and viewing the world with open eyes beats blindly following dogma. That is my humble opinion.


The cult of the virgin costs many women their sexual freedom. It also costs men, as they are not able to have as much sex as women really want to have.

And don´t worry, a pleasant debate is never offensive! I appreciate your contribution Tex.

And now I leave you all with this gem:

http://youtu.be/XLgYAHHkPFs

 

[ajoknoblauch]

Congrats to Knoblauch for finding a way to crowbar the K's into this. Any chance you can connect the dots on how they're responsible for the train crash in Spain and Weiner's sexting?

Well, let's just say that the papacy is a model for Peronism.

 

[GS_Dirtboy]

All institutions have the potential to be corrupt and "The Church" is no exception. In fact, it might be the poster child for institutionalized corruption and abuse. I've never been fond of The Pope(s) because I've always seen them as propagators of this abuse. I see similar politics and self-serving in institutions like the Southern Baptist Convention. And, I'm Baptist so my critique isn't only aimed outward.

The Catholic church has a long way to go in regards to human rights and I disagree with them on their scriptural interpretations vis a vis many social issues. However, I do see many good things in this man. From what I've heard and read about what he stands for and, more importantly, what he actually does, are the things that Christ said should be done. You may not agree with those things, or even in the existence of God, etc, etc. But, The Church needs leaders who act like Christians, not like CEO's or entitled Pontiffs. Christ didn't play golf with business leaders or have dinner with heads of state. He shared his heart and food with the "lowest of the low" in social standing. I think we Christians would have a much better track record and following if we actually treated everyone the way Christ said we should.

 

[Rich One]

Wonder full moving event in Copacabana today.

The Pope has plenty of messages for the world Governments and the Corporations to take care of the young, the poor and the the unemployed ...!! Preach and Practice. Charity starts at Home....!!

Suggest the Church sells the expensive real estate in towns worlwide and build emergency structures in the villas for the priests to be near the poor, with the proceeds build and operate Comedores. Sell The Nunciatura Palace in Avenida Alvear ,$$ could feed many.

Sell the fleet of limos and have the clegy ride the buses.The Think Tank of the Vatican should develop ideas on how to generate employment, like the Banco of the Poor from Mohamed Yunus http://en.wikipedia..../Muhammad_Yunus

Cut the living standards of the Curia Vaticana and bishops worlwide that lives high on the hog,far from the poor, be poor like St. Francis of Assisi was.