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Paul Bearer

5. Pope Francis

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The Daily Mail claims it has damning documents indicting the Pope for his role in the Dirty War.

 

France 24 also claims that the Junta would have informed the Church of any arrests of priests and wonders if the Church will apologise for its sins in Argentina.

 

This other article has a more positive view of the Pope and feels he may have even been courageous in organising the priests' eventual release but then goes on to discuss the Jesuits themselves in more detail:

 

If he had become pope 50 years ago, there would have been another, greater issue at stake in his past. This would be his unique Jesuitical background. Many 19th Century historians termed the Jesuits the great collective villains of the post-Enlightenment era, blaming them for everything from snuffing out the Renaissance to driving Protestantism out of half of Europe, even to plotting murders of monarchs who struggled with the Church. Trained to an incredible level of discipline and obedience, members of the order were reportedly obliged even to commit mortal sins if told to do so by their superiors. It was always a matter of the end justifying the means, and an organizational rigidity that, even its Catholic critics noted, “admitted no alteration except in a more rigid direction.”

 

Two centuries later, history takes a brighter view. There have been important Jesuit biologists and astronomers, linguists, naturalists and sociologists. Their schools and universities supply decent education to Catholics and non-Catholics alike, all over the world. Many modern Jesuits were strong supporters of Liberation Theology.

 

But big questions remain: what sort of supreme religious leader can a man trained in the Jesuitical traditions of moral casuistry and probablism — sanctified moral relativism and Machiavellian duplicity — end up being? For that matter, how does the practice of lifelong utter obedience avail you when you are at the summit of the billion-person global power structure? How does a tradition of utter rigidity prepare you to run a Church direly in need of so much change?
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Of course the Daily Mail were hammering it about the Argentinian junta day after day even before 1982. Hmmm...

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It turns out the whole "one lung" thing was an exaggeration - only the upper part of his right lung was removed, rather than the entire lung.

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Admits that there is a "gay lobby"/velvet mafia in the Curia. Also says that he is too unorganised to do reforms.

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Gone to Brazil and won't use an armoured Popemobile.

 

Conclave anyone?

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Gone to Brazil and won't use an armoured Popemobile.

 

Conclave anyone?

 

I heard he won't be using the Popemobile this time round as he apparantly goes against his belief of putting his faith in bulletproof glass instead of "God". Although if I heard correctly, he's asking for his followers to pray that his flight goes safely.

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Gone to Brazil and won't use an armoured Popemobile.

 

Conclave anyone?

Gone to Brazil and won't use an armoured Popemobile.

 

Conclave anyone?

 

A home-made bomb has just been discovered near a shrine he is to visit...

 

 

By the way, the new Pope showed his true colours last month:

 

 

"This fraternal mood is also true as far as ecumenism is concerned. Francis talks a lot about Christian unity and emphasizes the importance of common prayer and brotherly relationships. Technically, this is what “spiritual ecumenism” is all about, i.e. unity that is expressed in joint prayer, although he has not been using this language so far. All non-Catholic counterparts, from Liberal Protestants to many Evangelicals, seem to like this and have the impression that he is rather easy-going as far as unity is concerned. He recently told the audience in St. Peter’s square that he had spent half an hour in prayer with an Italian Evangelical pastor (June 19th). Less people paid attention to what he had just said before, i.e. that unity means being in fellowship with the Pope and the bishops. Beyond the seemingly Pauline language, he endorsed the Roman Catholic view that unity means to be cum Petro (with Peter) and sub Petro (under Peter)."

 

 

Source: http://vaticanfiles....h-pope-francis/

 

All hail the new dictator of Christendom! Some protestants are fuming.

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In keeping with his drive to better serve the poor Pope Francis has abandoned his traditional gold cross in favour of an iron one.

 

Which is fine as a symbol of austerity but if Pope Benedict has awarded himself an iron cross there would have been hell to pay.

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In keeping with his drive to better serve the poor Pope Francis has abandoned his traditional gold cross in favour of an iron one.

 

Which is fine as a symbol of austerity but if Pope Benedict has awarded himself an iron cross there would have been hell to pay.

 

That reminds of this joke

 

Hitler goes up to heaven and is stopped by St. Peter at the pearly gates....

 

Adolf : I am Adolf Hitler, let me in

 

St.Peter : sorry mate but you've been a very naughty boy, you have to go to the fiery gates of hell

 

Adolf : If you let me in I vill give you ze Iron Cross

 

St.Peter : hmmmmm? Hang on a sec, I'll get someone with higher authority than me

 

St.Peter returns with Jesus....

 

Jesus : sorry Adolf but you're in the wrong place

 

Adolf : If you let me in I vill give you ze two Iron Crosses

 

Jesus : Hang on a sec, I'll go and see someone with higher authority than me

 

Jesus goes to see God...

 

Jesus : ere dad, there's this Hitler bloke at the gates says he'll give me two Iron Crosses if I'll let him in?

 

God : Two Iron Crosses? You couldn't handle a wooden one let alone two made of iron you prat!

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This is shocking news ! I expected Pope Francis to live at least another 10 years.I thought Benedict would go first .That's why he took over !

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He expects to live another two or three years and may retire if he feels too weak:

 

http://www.theguardi...ears-may-retire

 

I'm not surprised. Over the years he would have learned a lot of valuable lessons about when to quit, 'cause of all those couples who decided to gamble and lost everything when they should have just taken the prizes.

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I note that all 4 of Pope Francis's younger brothers have died,s o longevity is not a family trait !

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