The Pope Is Argentine

[sleslie23]

Oh c'mon... I do respect your not liking him because of his stance against gay marriage or abortion, but please ... not the 70s AGAIN! Who knows what you guys would have done during the dictadura?

I was just thinking how silly it was that people were so cheerful about the smoke coming out, and then minutes later, when they announced that Bergoglio was the new Pope, I felt so happy... I really dont care much about the Catholic Church, but maybe this will be good for Argentina somehow...

At least Cristina is not the most important person in Argentina anymore and THAT made my day.

I understand what you are saying, but I think you are missing the point. We aren't talking about a plumber or a school teacher, or even an attorney in Santa Cruz. The choices an individual makes for self preservation are sometimes difficult to criticize.

However, we're talking about someone who was supposedly the moral authority of the entire country (which itself is an unfunny joke) who is now supposedly the highest moral authority on Earth (if you're into that sort of thing).

I don't think it really matters who won the popularity contest. Maybe there are good things about him being the first non-European, but I think it says a lot about the organization when the previous leader was reported to be a Nazi, the current one reported to be complicit in a brutal dictatorship, and the whole thing mired in a pedophilia scandal.

 

[sergio]

You mean those chaps with special powers of critical thinking - I assume he'll close down the whole shebang tomorrow then.

I'd say that he is atypical of the Jesuits - not especially intellectual and far more conservative than most. I have never warmed to him. Like the Kirchners, he is a populist and authoritarian who has little tolerance for those who disagree with him. Like the Kirchners, he claims to represent the interests of the people. I'd say that with Bergoglio there is a good deal more sincerity than with CFK when it comes to this. Like the Kirchners, he can be opinionated and narrow minded. Rather than obey the former Pope's instructions to permit and encourage the revival of the Latin mass, he worked hard to suppress it in BA. He just didn't like it - and I suspect he has no soft spot for Benedict XVI - and used his authority to go against the Pope's wishes when it came to traditional liturgy. Expect someone with strong populist tendencies, an advocate of a kind of global socialism (Benedict actually is also highly anti-Capitalist) but a conservative on moral theology. He may open the door to married priests, though. i'm not sure where he stands on this. Most Catholics are not aware that celibacy is a discipline and a tradition but not a doctrine. The celibacy requirement can easily be lifted.

 

[Rich One]

 

[scotttswan]

However, we're talking about someone who was supposedly the moral authority of the entire country (which itself is an unfunny joke) who is now supposedly the highest moral authority on Earth (if you're into that sort of thing).

I don't think it really matters who won the popularity contest. Maybe there are good things about him being the first non-European, but I think it says a lot about the organization when the previous leader was reported to be a Nazi, the current one reported to be complicit in a brutal dictatorship, and the whole thing mired in a pedophilia scandal.

Was he not only the leader of the Jesuit sect/group/whatever at the time of the dictatorship? From what i have read as soon as he became the head argy catholic he issued apologies on behalf of the catholic church in Argentina for not doing more during that time?


There's quite a lot of conflict on what he's supposed to have done and what he's supposed to not have done.

 

[sleslie23]

Was he not only the leader of the Jesuit sect/group/whatever at the time of the dictatorship? From what i have read as soon as he became the head argy catholic he issued apologies on behalf of the catholic church in Argentina for not doing more during that time?


There's quite a lot of conflict on what he's supposed to have done and what he's supposed to not have done.

He was. I didn't mean to imply he was cardinal at that time. However, he was certainly head of the Jesuit order at that time. There were two Jesuit priests who were detained and tortured. One of those later implicated him as being complicit in their detention (according to an article in the Guardian).

I don't think there is much conflict about what he didn't do. That's pretty obvious and what I would consider a "sin" of omission (or inaction) by someone of supposed moral authority.

 

[expatinowncountry]

I hope we do not have him in cadena nacional para todos every single Sunday morning. It was enough with CFK during the week days.

 

[Rich One]

 

[JamJam]

And where is the voice in Argentina speaking out against the moral corruptness that is the catholic church?

 

[dennisr]

Pope
Woulda, coulda, shoulda done? Like the big-guy said, " ....without sin cast the first stone." Hind sight is always 20/20.
Argentina desperately needed a national hero and Bergoglio fills the bill. Congratulation Argentina.

 

[Gringoboy]

Let's not forget what Peron did to the church in 1955 when many churches were burned down by Peronists after the church spoke against the government.