Posted on 04/20/2005 11:12:21 AM PDT by MIT-Elephant
By Nick Fram Opinions Columnist
Every commentator and pundit is going to tell you what the election of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger means to the future of the Roman Catholic Church. Honestly, they’re probably well-versed in the issues and problems facing the church and what the election of this hard-line conservative means to the future of the church.
But what about this name? Benedict XVI? Apart from the originality being off the chart, who’s named Benedict? Wasn’t the nerdy kid with the thick glasses in your school named Benedict?
The pope chooses his own name — and does he ever have some cool names to choose from: Urban, Innocent, Hilarius, Pious and, of course, Nicholas are just a few of the great ones. Nobody names a kid Urban or Hilarius, so this was his chance to have a name that nobody else had. Too bad.
Or he could have made up his own name. John Paul II’s predecessor, John Paul I was, obviously, the first of his nominal line. And he’s the pope, so nobody’s going to make fun of his name no matter how ridiculous it may be. Did he ever consider taking a woman’s name? How great would that be if the new pope were called, say, Mary I?
He could have done worse, I suppose. There have been 23 popes named John and 16 named Gregory, so perhaps he chose Benedict to pull into a tie for second. Maybe there’s a competition up in heaven and the Benedicts have a pretty good crew going, and Ratzinger just wanted in on it.
And here’s some food for thought: Word is that the next pope to take the name Peter (a la the first pope) will signify that he or she marks the second coming of the Lord. Who is going to go through life for some 70 years feeling that he or she is the living God, waiting for it to be revealed through a smoke signal? Come on people.
So it seems that our new pope blew it on the name front. I mean, by the year 1000 there had already been seven Benedicts. There hasn’t been a Nicholas in 500 years, but I’m not sure my letter to the Vatican urging the new pope to take that name got there in time.
What do we know about other Benedicts? The first Benedict served for only four years, from 575 to 579, and not many records remain from his ever-so-brief papacy. Benedict II went on to become the patron saint of Europe, not half-bad for a Benedict. He is remembered as a scholar and is known for his support of monasteries around the Catholic world.
My favorite is Benedict IX. It is rumored that he was only 11 years old when he became pope, although other sources say he was 18. He sold his office 13 years into his term for perhaps 650 kilograms of gold (which would be worth about $10.5 million today) so that he could get married, then regretted his decision and retook the papacy.
More recently, Benedict XIV is remembered for promulgating unpopular bulls that prompted many new converts to leave the church. Benedict XV was pope during World War I and is largely considered to be one of the least notable popes of the 20th century.
And this brings us to Benedict XVI, the first German pope in a thousand years. While he may have chosen an unoriginal, nerdy name, he is still the pope, and we should respect him for that and wish him luck over the coming years. He’ll need it.
Here's a part that makes zero sense:
And here’s some food for thought: Word is that the next pope to take the name Peter (a la the first pope) will signify that he or she marks the second coming of the Lord. Who is going to go through life for some 70 years feeling that he or she is the living God, waiting for it to be revealed through a smoke signal? Come on people.
Mr. Fram has revealed himself ignorant on the key point of Christianity. Peter was not divine; Jesus was divine. If you get the two mixed up you're going to end up on the spiritual track.
Well, he could have chosen Genghis I and carried a big mace instead of a scepter. ;)
A: Eggs ____________________ .
This article is retarded....
It needs sound effects, like the click-click of a lighter, the bubbling sound of air being sucked quickly through dirty water, the snotty gagging sounds of unsuccessful attempts to supress sudden coughing fits, and the low murmer of an Adam Sandler movie playing for the 146th time in the background.
I'm glad we're in general agreement. I didn't see much of an actual discussion, either.
College: t'ain't what it used to be.
At least comic books have pictures.
DO DO
Worthless, pointless. According to some prophecy from some monk in the middle ages, this is the second to last pope, and the next one, last one, will take the name Peter. George Noory had a guest (terrible guest I might add) on his show last night talking about it. Has Stanford significantly lowered their entrance requirements?
Apparently there was a person named Malachy who lived in the 1300s who prophesized regarding all future popes. If you match up his list with the popes who have served, Benedict XVI is second to last before the end of the world and/or the Second Coming.
I'm not too sure of my facts but a google search should turn up more.
I agree the article is pointless and unfunny. Maybe the only point was to be disrespectful, but it fails even the irreverent humor test.
I got into the habit of sleeping with the radio on at night (WABC New York), and so I hear about a half-hour of Noory through a sleepy haze each evening. Last night's was indeed very strange, and that's saying something. :)
Either Honkey I or Aryan I?...Help me out here, I just can't decide.
A: It doesn't matter; just be thankful you're not having eggs with Danny Thomas.
A lot of mafia hit men are named "Nick." What a dork. Sloppy, silly, and light-weight. Another reason we need reform of the colleges and universities.
LOL
I had learned that St. Malachy's prophecy was false, a hoax, a sham--whatever you want to call it.
BUT...
If the pontiff after Benedict is from Africa, watch out.
DO DO
In all fairness, he never suggested that Peter was devine, just that the second time a pope was named PEter that it marked the second coming which may in fact be the pope himself.
He was holding out for Pope Fonzie I, I take it?
Wrong again...Pope Benedict II is not the patron saint of Europe and did not found western monastisim, that was St. Benedict of Nursia...
If that's true, why did he use the term 'living God' to link the first Pope and the second coming?
Obviously this guy was on a deadline crunch without a decent topic.
Didn't Chelsea Clinton attend Stanford?
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