Benedict XVI

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I can't believe there isn't a thread on this yet. The new pope. What are people's thoughts on this? I'm a little confused over the selection myself. There are a lot of pressing issues in the Catholic Church today, and I'm not too keen on selecting a pope who is 78 years old. Does he have the ability (or even the longevity) to take on these issues? Selecting a German also surprised me.

Here's the link

 

From all I have heard, he is perhaps even more conservative than John Paul II and should make a good choice to provide a continuity with the departed pontiff.

The age doesns't seem to be too much of an issue to me...he seems pretty spry for 78...besides...if he lives to 93 it would be a 15 year Ponificate.

Interested to hear what chev thinks of a German Pope.

 

On the radio this morning, they had a news story that there had been a typo in the name of the new pope and that he was actually called Cardinal "Rap Singer." They went on to say that the world now had its first hip-hop pontiff, and that his papal name would be Pope Daddy. Other news was that he was going to have the Popemobile lowered and a big stereo put in.

Anyway, back on topic, all I have heard is that this guy is pretty conservative. But aren't all senior Catholics conservative? Isn't that what they are supposed to be?

What impact will this guy have on our world then?

 

In a way he won't have any impact because he is conservative. There will be no radical changes in doctrine. Changing the Roman Catholic doctrine would not be an easy thing to do in any case. Anyone who thinks otherwise is being naive.

I await Chev's comments.

 

Why would anyone want to change the doctrine? Isn't the doctrine the doctrine and that's that? If they change the rules, surely it wouldn't be the Catholic church anymore, it would turn into something else.

 

Of course the doctrine won't change. In the end Benedict XVI himself wrote it when he was still named cardinal Ratzinger.
He'll conserve it - and that's what conservatism actually means in the literal sense of the word.

Not necessarily a bad thing, even though I have to sleep over Benedict XVI a few night to find out wether I like it or not.

 

The Catholic Chuch has changed immersurably over the last two thousand years, and has often recanted it's previous stances on a multitude of issues. So I don't really see the merits of this view. The Church changes; it merely changes a hell of a lot slower than everything around it, and often quite belatedly.

On the main subject; I wasn't particularly suprised by the choice of Ratzinger, but I was surprised by the speed of the election. I had expected something quite drawn out, over a week or even more.

The problem is though, that he has a lot to live up to after JP II. JP II was, whatever you want to say of him, a man of charisma and warmth. Ratzinger does not have, as of yet, either of these in abundance.

In that sense, he'll really appeal to the 'core vote' on his doctrinal stance alone, and he'll go down great on that basis in places like Africa and The US. But it's nigh on impossible to imagine him being a great reformer or having the 'pastoral' skills of JP II.

 

How important are those pastoral skills to his role?

 

Well, they're more important in a modern Pope than they've ever been. Most Catholics a century, or even fifty years ago, might never have seen the Pope in person, and may only have visited Rome once in a lifetime, if that.

JP II visited masses of countries, attended tons of open-air events and masses, and was a very 'visible' Pope who many Catholics could personally and obviously relate to, and who many held in great affection because of it. He was 'media saavy' to quite a large extent. His Polish connection also helped him form a very particular focus for all of this, and gave him a special 'diocese' if you will.

Ratzinger has no really sound basis for any of that. He's a 'scientist' who has spent the last twenty years in the Vatican. He's not a 'people person.' His age is also against him here, even though his health seems to be quite sound at the moment.

He's not really a natural choice for the modern Papacy in this sense, irrelevant of his doctrinal and theological views. You get the impression that he would have been a good Pope three hundred years ago.

And Catholics will be expecting him to live up, at least to a fair extent, to JP II's legacy of connecting with people over the world. He's not incapable of doing that, but it's going to be a challenge for someone with his background.

 

The old age is something pretty strange, this pope might not rule that long and will certainly not be able to travel as much as John Paul II. I don't know much about Ratzinger except that he's conservative so I doubt much will change in the Catholic Church for a while which I consider unfortunate.

EDIT: The new pope not being Italian is a bonus but a non european would have been a nice sight. Oh well this pope will most likely not live very long so perhaps the next pope will be from outside Europe.

 

Well, the saying is 'After a fat Pope, a lean Pope'. Although there's nothing stopping Ratzinger concievably living into his nineties, I suppose.

 

Does anyone know what his job description is? What he actually does, so to speak?

 

What does it matter if he doesn't go out and meet people? How would that affect his ability to fulfill his role as Pope? Would people leave the Catholic Church if he wasn't as warm and fuzzy as the last pope?

 

It matters because Catholics nowadays want a Pope they can admire, and I suppose, love. The Papacy cannot be considered some kind of job where the Pope is a glorified bureaucrat who is there to stamp documents and issue encyclica. I don't think that is seriously an option anymore after JP II.

He is a spiritual leader, for god's sake. He is there to give guidance, and uplift Catholics, be a source of inspiration and leadership. This, of course, depends on his own actions and personality. No-one is going to desert because they have a Pope they don't like. But it's important to recognise that the Pope has a very personal role in confirming and strengthening people's faith through the extent to which he connects with them as individuals.

 

Out of curiosity, how much does he get paid per annum for being a 'spiritual leader'?

 

$0.00

 

Predictably nothing will change. As Ragusa said - Ratzinger was the theological power behind John Paul's throne. They were a close-knit tandem, with Paul being the philosoph and Ratzinger the sophisticated theologian.

Also his Pontificate is supposed to be mainly a time of transition. His 78 years of age will come in handy there. A liberal heading the Vatican right after such a conservative as the late Pope would be too disruptive, they say. Necessary reforms or no.

Personally, I feel somewhat uncomfortable with a German Pope. :/ I feel spiritually exposed. At least I am not RC.

Indeed. But then again he hasnt said much. Oh, the fun...

 

I'm not sure if he gets paid anything. What could he possibly spend it on?

 

Booze, fags and chicks .

 

Drink! Feck! Arse! Girls!