New Pope

[SuMar]

White smoke billows from the center of Vatican City. The Catholic Church has a new Pope!

 

[konradv]

The number of people waiting in the plaza at St. Peter's for the new pope to appear is amazing!

 

[SuMar]

Jorge Bergoglio taking the name Pope Francis

 

[konradv]

They've already got a Wiki page up!

Pope Francis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Intense]

Pope Francis!

Cardinal Bergoglio Is the 267th Successor of St. Peter
1st South American, 1st Jesuit, and 1st to Take Name Francis
Vatican City, March 13, 2013 (Zenit.org) | 22 hits

The bells of St. Peter's started ringing and the crowds began cheering just moments after 7 p.m. local time, as white smoke from the Sistine Chapel indicated "Habemus Papam." We have a Pope! Just over an hour later, the 267th Successor of St. Peter has been announced by the senior cardinal deacon: It is Cardinal ...

http://www.zenit.org/en

 

[konradv]

Born in Argentina of Italian parents. Sounds like a compromise candidate!

 

[t_polkow]

Jorge Bergoglio taking the name Pope Francis

The new Pope Just wonderful eh?

On April 15, 2005, a human rights lawyer filed a criminal complaint against Bergoglio, accusing him of conspiring with the junta in 1976.

He is a conservative and a jesuit. He Was in Argentina assisting the junta in the 70's.

Great first a hitler youth pope now someone who helped the rightwing Junta!!!!

 

[konradv]

Jorge Bergoglio taking the name Pope Francis

The new Pope Just wonderful eh?

On April 15, 2005, a human rights lawyer filed a criminal complaint against Bergoglio, accusing him of conspiring with the junta in 1976.

He is a conservative and a jesuit. He Was in Argentina assisting the junta in the 70's.

Great first a hitler youth pope now someone who helped the rightwing Junta!!!!

Accusations, but no proof.

 

[Unkotare]

Pope Francis has started off setting a tone of humility. Seems like an excellent choice.

 

[Big Black Dog]

Congratulations to Pope Francis.

 

[Avatar4321]

Now let's see what he will do.

 

[waltky]

Granny says is `cause o' all dem Mooslamics infiltratin' Europe...

Europe slipping out of Roman Catholic Church's hands claims report
Monday 11th March, 2013 • Iberian Peninsula, historically a Catholic stronghold, becomes hitching post for homosexuals • Roman Catholic Church is weaker in modern Europe than ever before • For many Europeans, the relevance of the church is a thing of the past

Many Europeans may no longer be considering the Roman Catholic Church relevant in their personal and public lives, according to a news report citing some controversial church decisions, including ban on gay marriages, which have not been generally accepted in Europe. A detailed report in the Los Angeles Times, which comes in the backdrop of Pope Benedict XVI quitting, cited his declaration in May 2010 in Portugal relating to the protection of families based on "the indissoluble marriage between a man and a woman". As the pontiff made the declaration, Portugal declared passing a law that would allow gay and lesbian couples to wed. Spain had granted such rights five years earlier.

The move, according to the Times, turned the entire Iberian Peninsula, historically a Catholic stronghold, into an unlikely hitching post for homosexuals. "That shows the importance of the pope's views, of the Catholic Church's views, on same-sex marriage in terms of domestic politics," the Times quoted Paulo Corte-Real, a gay-rights activist and economics professor, as saying. It goes on to show, besides "an embarrassment", that the "Roman Catholic Church, once a mighty force on its home continent, is weaker in modern Europe than ever before, its influence ebbing, its privileged status increasingly called into question". Benedict, during his eight year stint that came to a surprising end after he stepped down a first in 600 years for any pontiff to quit - tried to revive Catholicism on its home turf.

But the church, as per the report, faces a "grim reality" that Benedict's campaign has failed to reverse "Europe's slide toward what church leaders regard as godless humanism". "The clerical sex-abuse scandal has stripped the church of much of its credibility and moral authority in parts of Europe and the United States as well. When it comes to high-profile social issues such as gay rights and abortion, the church has lost battle after battle."

Therefore for many Europeans, the relevance of the church is a thing of the past. "The modern world and the Catholic Church are out of step," said Clifford Longley, a Catholic columnist and analyst in Britain. "The Catholic Church can try to re-evangelize by getting the modern world back into step with it, but I don't think that's going to work." Its declining fortunes in Europe pose tough choices to the cardinals gathering in their secretive conclave to choose a new pontiff.

Source