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Status quo or radical change? Who will be next pope?

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There will be a radical change.........................It is the end of the Conservative Era marked by John Paul II and Pope Benedict.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Hasn't there been a CNN telephone poll done to the cardinals yet?

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Wow...had no idea that a Pope could resign...ironically, maybe he saw the light and realized that life is too short for this stuff

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Communism created secular believes are being adopted by new generations who try to experiment with new social allowances. But church only have to wait and everything will start to reverse on its own.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Mexico and Brazil have the most Catholics by country, funny the keep putting EUROPEAN popes??

0 ( +2 / -2 )

I was raised a catholic but want nothing to do with it now, for various reasons including seeing Benedict in one of his first ever appearances as pope wearing red leather Prada loafers under his robes. Those could have fed a poor family for a month.

The hypocrisy, corruption and treatment of women and children by the catholic church appalls me.

-2 ( +7 / -9 )

Case in point just reading the article - full of words like " left leaning", leaks, scandals, jostling for power - this is a religion??!

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

Case in point just reading the article - full of words like " left leaning", leaks, scandals, jostling for power - this is a religion??!

ChibaChick -- LOL. If you knew anything about religion, and Catholicism in particular, you would know that there are over 1.0 BILLION Catholics around the world, and any enterprise that large, and one that has existed for TWO THOUSAND YEARS, would have issues like you reference. Look at other major religions, like Islam, where Sunnis and Shiites are at odds. Or all the various Protestant faiths. Couldn't be much more different than say Baptists are to Anglicans. Heck, even the form of Buddhism folks in Japan practice is far different than other countries. But they are all religions. As a practising Catholic, I hope they do pick a younger, non-European for the next Pope. The Vatican has become way too insular. Which has probably caused some of the problems you reference.

2 ( +9 / -6 )

Religion is going out of fashion

-4 ( +3 / -7 )

Next selected pope should be younger and healthy, capable to take care of Catholic religion. He should be able to travel around the globe visiting his followers.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

herefornow- EXCELLENT POST

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Should be a South American.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Mirai, religion and fashion are two things that should never have any association with the other in the first place. Fashion changes. And while people's religious beliefs may change, religion itself does not.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Magnet...its a figure of speech, meaning that religion is not as big as it use to be.

And I beg to differ, but religion does, and has changed. Case in point, this pope has recently abolished "limbo", so apparently something that once existed, no longer exists... Amazing what the power of the pope can do...

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Too bad there aren't any Japanese cardinals alive now. There are two Chinese cardinals, a South Korean, a handful of Indians, an Indonesian, a Thai, three Filipinos and a Vietnamese. Oh, and three Australians. http://www2.fiu.edu/~mirandas/countrynow.htm

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

Well..... with the voting block averaging over 80 years old, I don't think there will be much change. Just another wizened old man to go through the motions... while the rest of the faithful find their own way.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Reminds me of the Ray Stevens song "Would Jesus Wear A Rolex".

0 ( +0 / -0 )

An African or South American Pope would be a good choice. Catholicism would be better consolidating its power bases in those areas. Ditching its status along with the Orthodox Church as the glam rockers of religion and helping the poor of those areas with its awesome wealth would raise its image. Oh, and a Pope who doesn't describe Mohammed's teachings as 'evil' would help.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Wait, then end for all of us, or the end of the Catholic Church? I've got different reactions, depending.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

@herefornow - exactly. Which is why I steer clear of all of them. But all of them are not the topic under discussion here, are they? Just catholicism. Hence my comment.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Isn't the next pope supposed to be 'the last' in terms of all the hullabaloo about the world coming to an end? Anyway, they definitely need to choose a younger pope. As for European or non-European, I hope they choose based on whom they deem most qualified, not simply because of where he or she is from. But then... the 'qualifications' don't seem to be based a whole lot of corporeal experience and objectivity. Best of luck!

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Peter the Roman is coming

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

There is no offense to anyone for saying, "I can't do this any longer." The resignation should be praised. After all, he is a human being and a representative, not a perfect human being. The average of a pope at death is 75. The Pope is 86. Thank you for your service.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Probably some guy who's good at mumbo-jumbo.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

St. Malachy, an Irishman from the 11th century, predicted the next 112 popes. Benedict XVI was the 111.

St. Malachy had written about the 112th pope:

"In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church there will reign Peter the Roman, who will feed his flock amid many tribulations, after which the seven-hilled city will be destroyed and the dreadful Judge will judge the people. The End."

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Surely the words radical change are ridiculous in the context of the appointment of a Pope. Even the ones from outside Europe are a pretty conservative (in many cases way more orthodox and doctrinnaire) thatn the Europeans.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

St. Malachy, an Irishman from the 11th century, predicted the next 112 popes. Benedict XVI was the 111.

St. Malachy had written about the 112th pope:

"In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church there will reign Peter the Roman, who will feed his flock amid many tribulations, after which the seven-hilled city will be destroyed and the dreadful Judge will judge the people. The End."

Yes, like all good prophecies it has its adherents and detractors and is also vague enough to be interpreted in a number of ways. Judge for yourselves (lest ye be judged)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prophecy_of_the_Popes

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Lets hope we are seeing the beginning of a wind down to the end of one of the biggest criminal organisations in the world.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

After the next chap takes on his role (won't be a woman, this is not an equal opportunity employer, although diversity could play a small part in next choice) the incumbent will need to revert to his old name, and hence he will be ex-Benedict.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Well you have Africa where there is a very large Christian community there as well as the Philiipines, which has the largest population of Asian Catholics. So there are two more continents where they could pick a good Pope from.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Hot tip is on next Pope from Africa! That will be a big change for this religion.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Lets hope the church somehow drags its way into modern human reality.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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