New Pope???

[MrsKreamer]

Ok a new Pope will be selected soon and Dh and I have been discussing some things.
1. Do you think this pope will be as liberal as Pope John Paul II? I know we may think of him as ultra conservative but if you know anything about the second Vatican, he made a TON of changes. Many called him liberal and some Catholics even ignore Vatican II and practice the old way(mass in Latin, priest facing the other way, women's head covered...etc).

2. Pope John Paul II was the most traveled pope in history. He visited many countries where Catholicism is rare religion. Will this pope travel as much? Will he reach out to other religious/world leaders as PJP II did?

3. Will this Pope make any MAJOR changes? Whoever this pope is, do you think that female Catholic Priests and/or maried priests are in our near future?

 

[pfishgirl]

I'm NOT Catholic...actually I'm Pagan...However, I think it will be VERY hard for the new Pope to measure up to the Pope John Paul II...Totally Just My opinion though...

I was a little surprized to hear that Pope John Paul II was against Birth Controll of any kind.. Especially with the population of our world today and the Millions of starving children and the Bazillion (I like that word) sexual transmitted diseases that are going around... ...threw me for a loop.. but like I said I am not catholic and I don't know if all Catholics follow this rule or not..

 

[MrsKreamer]

I'm NOT Catholic...actually I'm Pagan...However, I think it will be VERY hard for the new Pope to measure up to the Pope John Paul II...Totally Just My opinion though...

I was a little surprized to hear that Pope John Paul II was against Birth Controll of any kind.. Especially with the population of our world today and the Millions of starving children and the Bazillion (I like that word) sexual transmitted diseases that are going around... ...threw me for a loop.. but like I said I am not catholic and I don't know if all Catholics follow this rule or not..

Well the thing about that is it is a Catholic teaching that sex is for procreation purposes within a marriage. Contraception prevents procreation, so therefore has no purpose. Just what I was taught.

 

[Jamesbyr]

There's no way to tell who the Cardinals will pick. Remember (and no one says this) the last time they picked an Italian, he died 30 days later. Who can know what will go on in their conclave?

 

[julia & nicks mom]

I run our religion classes for 3rd & 4th grade and have done a TON of research for them so that we can talk about the pope and what is to come in the next few weeks -

of the Cardinal Electors - Pope John Paul II made all but 3 of them cardinals - they are all very like minded to him and it is likely they will only choose someone who is like him as well

he was the youngest pope in over 100 years and the 3rd longest Papalcy - they felt he was pope too long and it is likely they will choose an older man to be pope so that he will not live as long - it was his youth that allowed him the freedom to travel as much as he did and it might be that a new pope will not be able to travel as extensively due to age limitations

with all that said both John Pauls were shockers and relative unknowns when they were elected - the press has identified 9 likely successors - this is really anybody's game and it might be possible that we will be shocked and they will pick someone who totally bucks the current trends -

the cardinals are pretty old - the youngest one is about 55 - so they have pretty old fashioned views - they are also mostly from Europe and they are not facing the same priest shorage that we are here - the urgent need we feel for reform is not as strong to them

 

[MrsKreamer]

 

[pfishgirl]

Well the thing about that is it is a Catholic teaching that sex is for procreation purposes within a marriage. Contraception prevents procreation, so therefore has no purpose. Just what I was taught.

That is what I figured the reason was behind it...

 

[Viking]

The pope was liberal?
Are we talking about the guy who just deceased?
The guy who helped spreading contagious diseases by putting a ban on condoms?
The guy who thinks homosexuality is a sin?
The guy who still denies women the right to become priest?

We seem to have different definitions of 'liberal' or you mixed him up with someone else

 

[BuckNaked]

The guy who helped spreading contagious diseases by putting a ban on condoms?

Pope John Paul II didn't "put" a ban on condoms - he simply upheld the ban that has been there for years.

The guy who thinks homosexuality is a sin?

In the Catholic Church, homosexuality isn't a sin, the homesexual act is a sin.

The guy who still denies women the right to become priest?

There is no "right" for anyone to be a priest, male or female.

 

[golfgal]

US Catholics are also much more liberal then Catholics in other nations. At one time there was even a push from some group or other to separate the US Catholics from Rome because they felt Rome was too conservative-didn't happen obviously. Divorce is still illegal in Ireland as far as I know. Just because we in the US want some changes in the church doesn't mean that is the feeling worldwide.

 

[BuckNaked]

US Catholics are also much more liberal then Catholics in other nations. At one time there was even a push from some group or other to separate the US Catholics from Rome because they felt Rome was too conservative-didn't happen obviously. Divorce is still illegal in Ireland as far as I know. Just because we in the US want some changes in the church doesn't mean that is the feeling worldwide.

Exactly. I've long thought that eventually the U.S. Catholic Church will break off from Rome. And I wouldn't see anything wrong with that - let those that want to stay with the rules within Roman Catholicism do so, and let the others start their own church. I'm a big believer in the individual finding a religion rather than a religion conforming to the individual.

 

[6_Time_Momma]

1. Do you think this pope will be as liberal as Pope John Paul II? I know we may think of him as ultra conservative but if you know anything about the second Vatican, he made a TON of changes. Many called him liberal and some Catholics even ignore Vatican II and practice the old way(mass in Latin, priest facing the other way, women's head covered...etc).

You've confused me a bit with this statement. Vatican II happened well before JP II became Pope.

Or are you saying he made changes to Vatican II? If so, what changes to Vatican II do you think he made?

 

[beattyfamily]

Ok a new Pope will be selected soon and Dh and I have been discussing some things.
1. Do you think this pope will be as liberal as Pope John Paul II?
2. Will this pope travel as much? Will he reach out to other religious/world leaders as PJP II did?

3. Will this Pope make any MAJOR changes? Whoever this pope is, do you think that female Catholic Priests and/or maried priests are in our near future?

1.

2. I hope so and probably yes.

3. No, he won't and no.

 

[phillybeth]

US Catholics are also much more liberal then Catholics in other nations. At one time there was even a push from some group or other to separate the US Catholics from Rome because they felt Rome was too conservative-didn't happen obviously. Divorce is still illegal in Ireland as far as I know. Just because we in the US want some changes in the church doesn't mean that is the feeling worldwide.

Divorce and abortion are both now legal in Ireland.

 

[phillybeth]

You've confused me a bit with this statement. Vatican II happened well before JP II became Pope.

Or are you saying he made changes to Vatican II? If so, what changes to Vatican II do you think he made?

I was thinking the same thing, Vatican II was in the mid-sixties under Pope John XXIII. That was when the mass changed to English, no more fasting EVERY Friday, women did not have to cover their heads in church.
I have never seen Pope John Paul II as a liberal.

 

[beattyfamily]

I was thinking the same thing, Vatican II was in the mid-sixties under Pope John XXIII. That was when the mass changed to English, no more fasting EVERY Friday, women did not have to cover their heads in church.
I have never seen Pope John Paul II as a liberal.

While he was still a bishop, he particpated in Vatican II but he took a more conservative view and approach to it.

 

[caitycaity]

I have never seen Pope John Paul II as a liberal.

the reason i think of him as more liberal (relatively speaking of course) is due in large part to his work on the death penalty.

 

[phisigprincess]

JPII was not a liberal in the American liberal sense of the word. He was a liberal within the confines of the Catholic church. Within the church he really rocked the boat.

 

[Kimberle]

I have been reading that it is a good posibility that since JP's "shoes" are so big to fill, the new Pope will be more of a "transition" one. a/k/a, they'll probably choose a much older man, hence, a shorter "term".

JP wasn't a "front runner" either, so who knows who they will choose.

 

[HomeSweetDisney]

JPII was not a liberal in the American liberal sense of the word. He was a liberal within the confines of the Catholic church. Within the church he really rocked the boat.

Exactly. We aren't talking about American liberal (or German liberal, I believe that's where you're from Viking). You wont see a Pope handing out pamplets on birth control and abortion anytime soon. But within the Catholic Church itself he was considered very liberal. If you look at his predecessors you would understand why. And I just wanted to clear something up...he may have believed that the act of homosexuality was a sin but he told people we must embrace everyone and that we should never shun homsexuals. He was very much about tolerance of others. And he didn't CAUSE contagious diseases. The Catholic church already had a stance against birth control, he was simply upholding it. As Catholics, we are taught that sex within marriage is for procreation purposes and like Stephanie said, if you use birth control it defeats the purpose. Obviously many people still use it and that's fine. No one's going to go to hell for using birth control.