Posted on 06/04/2004 3:49:33 AM PDT by Jet Jaguar
ROME — President Bush and Pope John Paul II (search ) met briefly for talks in Vatican City Friday at the start of the president's 36-hour tour of Italy.
The president nodded and smiled as he greeted the 84-year-old pontiff, leaning down to hold his trembling hands. The closed-door talks between the president and the Pope, who has expressed fervent opposition to the war in Iraq, were to focus on Iraq and the conflict in the
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
First of all, the Soviets were not waging a religious war that has "eternal" implications to inspire disaffected Arabs to become members of Al Qaeda (or any other terrorist offshoot). I don't recall the Soviet army having suicidal tendencies. Secondly, the Pope never referred to the Soviet Union as the "Evil Empire", either, yet he managed to turn Poland upside down by encouraging the workers and native Soviet puppets to embrace their right to dignity over communism. Thirdly, who, exactly would the proposed statements against terrorism serve? Not the terrorists - they don't care. Not the EU -- they don't even want God in their constititution. The only thing statements of condemnation coming from the Pope would serve is the recruitment efforts of Al Qaeda.
I did a google search and came up with Nigeria's Cardinal Francis Arinze as one being named as a successor for the pope:
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2003/10/6/235916.shtml
Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2003
African Touted as Pope's Successor
As rumors swirl around the Vatican that Pope John Paul II has little time to live, some cardinals are indicating that a Nigerian cardinal may be the next pope.
Speculation is rising that the next pope could well be an African, and Nigeria's Cardinal Francis Arinze is the only African cardinal eligible to be elected.
According to Australia's Herald Sun, rumors that the pope is gravely ill were sparked by the pope's private secretary, Georg Gaenswein, when he said that the 83-year-old pontiff could not walk or stand.
"He is a hero for the faithful," Gaenswein told the Herald Sun. "The fact he doesn't give up despite his illness makes him even more credible. ... When he is no longer allowed to travel, then dear God will come for him."
Word that Cardinal Arinze is being touted as a possible successor to Pope John Paul II got a boost when the archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, Eusebio Oscar Scheid, said that although a Latin American pope was a possibility, he would vote for an African.
His views were echoed by Claudio Hummes, the archbishop of Sao Paulo.
Even Cardinal Ratzinger, who heads the Vatican's congregation on doctrine and will play a key role as dean of the College of Cardinals that will appoint the next pontiff, has been quoted as saying he could envisage a black pope.
The cardinals have good reason to want an African pope. The Church believes its future growth lies in Africa, where it is fighting a fierce struggle with militant Islam for the hearts and minds of its people.
In his book, "God's Invisible Hand," 70-year-old Cardinal Arinze described his early life in a village near Onitsha, in British-ruled colonial Nigeria, his conversion to Christianity as a boy and his journey from Lagos to Rome to study for the priesthood.
According to the Herald Sun, Arinze, who became Africa's youngest bishop, recalled his ordeal as a "bishop on the run" during the Biafran War, his studies in London in the 1960s, and his surprise at being made a cardinal in 1985. After 18 years as head of the Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue in Rome, he was put in charge of liturgy and the sacraments last year, giving him vital experience in internal affairs.
The newspaper noted that rumors about the pope's possible successor will increase this month when cardinals from all over the world converge on Rome for a "pre-conclave" marking the pope's 25th anniversary in office.
If the rumors prove correct, the next pope will come from a nation that is not only one of the world's poorest, it is also Africa's happiest.
According to All Africa.com, a new study of more than 65 countries published in the United Kingdom's New Scientist magazine suggests that the happiest people in the world live in Nigeria.
The survey showed that Nigeria has the highest percentage of happy people, followed by Mexico, Venezuela, El Salvador and Puerto Rico, while Russia, Armenia and Romania have the fewest number.
...which pretty much guarantees he won't be Pope.
You know what they say... "Go into the conclave a pope, come out a cardinal..."
Why the Catholic Church would allow this sorry state of affairs is beyond me.
How do you recommend they change it? Mankind has a choice of paths. The Church can't force people to live their faith.
...That said, I think he would be highly desirable for the Seat of Rome.
I hope the next pope is a mixture of an evangelist like Jimmy Swagert and the current pope.
You know very well I replied in 155 to pope's comments on sovereignty.
And you know very well my position on his statements.
In my opinion they were un-called for, and polictical, they were not religious.
The pope is a big-boy, he knows that those who disagree with him don't hate him.
Nor does the President, who showed him much more respect, than the pope gave him today.
We will have to agree to disagree, and I will wait for the pope's equal and continued condemnation of the Islamic cults, vs his lectures to the US.
Huh? The man is babbling gibberish. I can't understand any of it. Someone take control please, this is painful.
We just saw a tape of it. Dang, that was bad......
I am sure the pope knows that what he says matters not in stopping the Islamic cults, but that what he says about the US and Bush, matters very much to our enemies, the "international community", the UN, the French and the Germans.
Which is exactly why he said it, to hurt the President politically. And because he knows that the US will not order suicide bombings on the innocents of Italy or the Vatican.
As with Israel for the last decades, the pope and the "international community" that he seems to believe in, believes the US also deserves a public dress-down, for fighting terrorism, and an opinion on how to fight it.
It is obvious. And my head tells me, he could say many things, in many different ways, to many different people, in many different forums.
He chose today, when being presented with a high honor from the US.
In this important time, he chose to slap the President of the US.
According to history, I think you'll find that one *tried* to retire his position. I think the short form answer is NO.
I have seen early favorites picked before, so it is not out of the question for sure.
Neither do the Protestants. My reading of Scripture is that women are instructed to have their heads covered when praying.
"But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered." 1 Corinthians 11:5-6
Why is this not the practice today? I've lately been wondering why my church does not adhere to the above instruction, but does adhere to the one regarding women not being in a position of authority over men in the church. Why enforce one instruction, but not the other?
He can not resign. Hand picked by God, we believe. He has to carry his cross as Christ carried His. Very Catholic symbolism. Can't have 2 Popes at one time.
All Pope's have the authority to resign. They can simply do so and they need no one to accept the resignation for it to be "valid". They have complete sovereign power of governance. Thus, if they decide, that's it.
At least three Pope's have resigned, the most famous being Celestine V.
No Pope can be forced to resign: he is bishop of Rome until a) his heart and breathing stop and he assumes room temperature or b) he resigns. He cannot "be retired", unless it is by assasination.
You cannot retire your father from being your father.
(From google search, written by a priest)
Possibly. I don't know why it should be of any greater significance than a meeting with Gorbachev or Arafat, however. With nearly a thousand audiences and official visits with heads of state and prime ministers, it's possible this visit means more to US citizens here at home than it does to Catholics worldwide.
=== Would Kerry be allowed to have an audience with the Pope given his stance on abortion?
With all due recognition of her donning a mantilla out of respect, the First Lady -- although not as strident as the President's own mother -- also is a pro-abort who doesn't believe Roe should be overturned.
Me thinks you're going to get flamed for such comments. I've had people make all sorts of tortured rationalizations as to why they do not have to follow God’s word here. You can do a quick google and get the gist of most of their excuses. I think it’s just a plain old rebellious spirt. Women just don’t want to do it, so they don’t.
Re-read that transcript of the Pope's statement. It was not a slap. He was very kind to GWB.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.