Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Pope Quits!!

First time a pope has resigned in 599 years!  The Pope announced his resignation yesterday.  Better folks than I have commented on this event, so here are some pertinent links:

First, Juan Cole in Informed Comment talks about the possibility of Catholics and Muslims creating greater cooperation once Benedict 16 is gone.  One the commenters to Cole's wonderful post dissents a bit and says,
Yes, it would be better if the future pope is open to all religions and works toward a better understanding between different religions, of course, but I don’t hold my breath.
Amy Goodman on Democracy Now had a wonderful interview with Barbara Blaine, president and founder of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, and Sister Simone Campbell, executive director of NETWORK, a Catholic social justice group.  You may recall the Pope coming down hard on the American nuns in Network, and the resulting "Nuns on the Bus!" tour.  The link includes the rush transcript.

Then there is Ole Phat Stu, who is hardly a champion of things papal.   I want to borrow this photo, which has run a couple of times in his column recently.....but OPS is doubtless dining out on his attitude.  Take your time, Stu....It's never a good idea to wolf down German food.
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12 comments:

  1. Stu: You just sent me the picture, but I can't find it on the original source. Not cheeseburger.com. and not on Cheezburger, either. Hmm...

    Gotta bounce in any case....Thanks so much!!

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  2. Are you taking bets on who's going to get the job?

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    1. Shammy, I don't know enough about who's a cardinal....I've sort of blocked all of that out. It makes me shudder when I think of all the uber conservatives Benedict and John Paul appointed. Only cardinals under the age of 80 can vote. And it's doubtful they would pick someone from the USA, although only Italy has more cardinals than the USA among the voters. Fingers crossed. There's a famous odds maker in Ireland, Paddy Power, with whom you can place a bet, but I won't be doing that. What do you think of the Cardinal from Montreal?

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    2. http://www.paddypower.com/bet/current-affairs/pope-betting?ev_oc_grp_ids=1178744

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  3. M.E. how is your New Year's resolution to have more fun going? I'm finding things look awfully bleak in the world -- nothing but violence and misery on the news. I'm trying to tune it all out, concentrate on the beauty of life, but it's not easy when the world seems hell bent on dragging us all into the sturm u. drang of fear and misery.

    So how is it going? What are you doing to make yourself happy?

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    1. Hey, Diana....Yes, I'm having more fun. I'm getting back into art. I just got my first painting commission (!!!), and the gesso boards arrived last night from a place in NC called Jerry's Artarama. I've made two visits to the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Old Town for inspiration, and that was great fun. I also bought a book on Spells. It's written by a nontraditional nun who for a time was CEO of a wonderfully wacky shop, Alphabets,in the East Village in NYC. Her community does not live in common, and they have periodic meetings they call "Margaritaville." She even has a cookbook out for their favorite appetizers and salads. I bought that, too. Yesterday I sent out a whole bunch of online valentines, and that was fun. I didn't think there was a way to send one to you via email, but i thought of you. If I can figure out how to forward one to you that I got in return, I will. It's a stitch.

      And you? Are you having any fun?

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  4. BTW, the Pope announced his retirement plans on Sarah Palin's birthday, the patron saint of early quitters ;-)

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  6. There seems to be some whispers that the next Pope might be from Africa - the only area in the world where Catholicism seems to be growing.

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  7. I think the next Pope should be under 30. I'm tired of all those old guys trying to tell everyone what to do.

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  8. Peggy: heaven help us.....

    Shammy: That's all that's left! how about a woman!!???

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  9. As a non-Catholic I'm probably well-advised to keep my views on some of the Church issues to myself since some of my resolutions would likely not be welcomed by many. I do appreciate reading how those in the faith choose to resolve the problems since others of us are affected to some degree, too.

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