We have a new Pope!!!!!!

We have a new Pope!!!!!!
The new Pope is Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany. He has taken the name Pope Benedict XVI. He will follow in the footsteps of John Paul II, which is a VERY good thing. I am so happy we will not have to worry about the liberal ideas of priests marring, female priests and allowing birth control along with a bunch of other ideas that now WILL NOT happen!!!! Hopefully he will do away with some of the Vatican II crap that really needs to go bye bye.

This may sound off topic, but I wanted to share anyway :grin: In my education class in school we talk about current events, and of course John Paul II came up. Someone in the class said "I just dont understand how someone can say no to condoms in Africa". It turns out that over half the class didn't know why the Pope would say no to condoms! So of course, we explained it to them, and they still didnt get it. But it just shocks me that so many people dont understand these days. And if they dont understand why condoms are seen as "bad" then what else don't they understand? It makes me sad :cry: BUT I am excited that we now have the new Pope to keep things going!

Im not Catholic so I have no stake in what happens or what he does or doesnt do. But I have a question...where did the ideas that you mentioned come from? Meaning priests not marrying, no birthcontrol and female priests. What I mean is...I know the 10 commandments come from the bible, but does it say in the bible that only men should preach or those that preach shouldnt marry? Im not aware of it if it is so I wonder where those rules came from?

Re: We have a new Pope!!!!!!
The new Pope is Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany. He has taken the name Pope Benedict XVI. He will follow in the footsteps of John Paul II, which is a VERY good thing. I am so happy we will not have to worry about the liberal ideas of priests marring, female priests and allowing birth control along with a bunch of other ideas that now WILL NOT happen!!!! Hopefully he will do away with some of the Vatican II crap that really needs to go bye bye. Wow, I'm not going to fight about this or anything, but I couldn't disagree with this more. I think this is a very bad thing for the Catholic church. My opinion. Can I ask a personal question? You've actually never used birth control and are willing to have as many children as you can at any time in your life? Like - You'd have 12 or 13 children? How do people who do that (I actually don't know any) afford to raise them? That's just amazing to me. Personally. Again, just my opinion.

34 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. 35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. 36 What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only? 37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. 38 But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant. 39 Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues. 40 Let all things be done decently and in order. -1 Corinthians 14:34-40

Re: We have a new Pope!!!!!!
The new Pope is Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany. He has taken the name Pope Benedict XVI. He will follow in the footsteps of John Paul II, which is a VERY good thing. I am so happy we will not have to worry about the liberal ideas of priests marring, female priests and allowing birth control along with a bunch of other ideas that now WILL NOT happen!!!! Hopefully he will do away with some of the Vatican II crap that really needs to go bye bye. Wow, I'm not going to fight about this or anything, but I couldn't disagree with this more. I think this is a very bad thing for the Catholic church. My opinion. Can I ask a personal question? You've actually never used birth control and are willing to have as many children as you can at any time in your life? Like - You'd have 12 or 13 children? How do people who do that (I actually don't know any) afford to raise them? That's just amazing to me. Personally. Again, just my opinion. Yes. I do not use birth control and will have as many children as God will allow me to have.

34 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. 35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. 36 What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only? 37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. 38 But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant. 39 Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues. 40 Let all things be done decently and in order. -1 Corinthians 14:34-40 And you, as a woman, are OK with this?

I simply put the quote up there to show why some people beleive women shouldnt be in the church. I belong to a much more liberal church and do not beleive in taking EVERYTHING the bible says as fact for todays society. I beleive women have a place in the church, and am thinking about getting involved in childrens ministries and such. I also have differeing opinions on condoms and other topics. I do not beleive condoms should be used, but for very different reasons that what Missy has said.

Re: We have a new Pope!!!!!!
The new Pope is Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany. He has taken the name Pope Benedict XVI. He will follow in the footsteps of John Paul II, which is a VERY good thing. I am so happy we will not have to worry about the liberal ideas of priests marring, female priests and allowing birth control along with a bunch of other ideas that now WILL NOT happen!!!! Hopefully he will do away with some of the Vatican II crap that really needs to go bye bye. Wow, I'm not going to fight about this or anything, but I couldn't disagree with this more. I think this is a very bad thing for the Catholic church. My opinion. Can I ask a personal question? You've actually never used birth control and are willing to have as many children as you can at any time in your life? Like - You'd have 12 or 13 children? How do people who do that (I actually don't know any) afford to raise them? That's just amazing to me. Personally. Again, just my opinion. Yes. I do not use birth control and will have as many children as God will allow me to have. Great! You may be the one person who can answer a question I've had for 30 years that no one ever answers for me. When I was a Catholic, it was a mortal sin to eat meat on Friday's. If you ate meat on a Friday, didn't confess, and died, you would go to Hell. Sometime (in the 60's or 70's) when this "liberalism" you speak of started taking hold, somebody decided that eating meat on Friday isn't a moral sin anymore. I guess that was part of the Vatican II crap. Two questions. 1) Are the people who ate meat prior to that date still burning in hell? 2) Now that we have a new non-liberal pope, will they go back their original teaching that eating meat on Friday is a mortal sin? (No more Vatican II, right?) It seems only fair to those people in agony down there. BTW, No, I don't really believe people are burning in hell for eating meat. I don't believe in hell at all. But for Catholics who believe both, what do you think has happened to those people? Do you think it's fair that they're burning for all eternity for something that's no longer a sin?

Im not Catholic so I have no stake in what happens or what he does or doesnt do. But I have a question...where did the ideas that you mentioned come from? Meaning priests not marrying, no birthcontrol and female priests. What I mean is...I know the 10 commandments come from the bible, but does it say in the bible that only men should preach or those that preach shouldnt marry? Im not aware of it if it is so I wonder where those rules came from? http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/apologetics/ap0121.html Why Priests do not marry. http://catholiceducation.org/articles/apologetics/ap0001.html Women Priests Birth control is considered contributing to the culture of death. We should be open to life and not look on it as a burden or a obstical to do what you want to do. I am pro-life and I fully believe this. I do not use birthcontrol and will have as many children as I am blessed with.

I agree with you Tara, I think the Catholic Church could do with a little reform. If you are in a loving marriage you should be able to have sex as much as you want, but that does not necessarily mean you can afford to raise 12 or 13 kids, that is impossible. I don't think it's better to live in destitute poverty then use birth control. Opposition to abortion I understand, but not birth control. I have asked this before as well, but I don't understand where the religious prescedent comes from saying priests can't marry, I just think that's silly. I also believe women should have a voice within the church. Of course this is all JMO. I mentioned at RTVP, that it seems weird having another non-Italian Pope. I remember them ALL being Italian, I think John Paul II was the first non-Italian in about 450 years.

Re: We have a new Pope!!!!!!
The new Pope is Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany. He has taken the name Pope Benedict XVI. He will follow in the footsteps of John Paul II, which is a VERY good thing. I am so happy we will not have to worry about the liberal ideas of priests marring, female priests and allowing birth control along with a bunch of other ideas that now WILL NOT happen!!!! Hopefully he will do away with some of the Vatican II crap that really needs to go bye bye. Wow, I'm not going to fight about this or anything, but I couldn't disagree with this more. I think this is a very bad thing for the Catholic church. My opinion. Can I ask a personal question? You've actually never used birth control and are willing to have as many children as you can at any time in your life? Like - You'd have 12 or 13 children? How do people who do that (I actually don't know any) afford to raise them? That's just amazing to me. Personally. Again, just my opinion. Yes. I do not use birth control and will have as many children as God will allow me to have. Great! You may be the one person who can answer a question I've had for 30 years that no one ever answers for me. When I was a Catholic, it was a mortal sin to eat meat on Friday's. If you ate meat on a Friday, didn't confess, and died, you would go to Hell. Sometime (in the 60's or 70's) when this "liberalism" you speak of started taking hold, somebody decided that eating meat on Friday isn't a moral sin anymore. I guess that was part of the Vatican II crap. Two questions. 1) Are the people who ate meat prior to that date still burning in hell? 2) Now that we have a new non-liberal pope, will they go back their original teaching that eating meat on Friday is a mortal sin? (No more Vatican II, right?) It seems only fair to those people in agony down there. BTW, No, I don't really believe people are burning in hell for eating meat. I don't believe in hell at all. But for Catholics who believe both, what do you think has happened to those people? Do you think it's fair that they're burning for all eternity for something that's no longer a sin? I can't speak for all Catholics, but for myself and my family, no I do not eat meat on Fridays. Fish or Veggies for us! :grin:

You will be hard pressed to find a Catholic that can actually trace Catholicism back before 300 A.D. Catholicisim seems to based on many paganistic rituals that were occurring at that time. Such as priests not being able to marry. I just opened a big ol' can of worms. Discuss.

I think priests should be allowed to marry. I don't understand why not. And someone tell me .... what's the big deal about condoms?? Missy, what will you teach your kids about sex? Do you honestly think that they will simply not have sex until they're married? Or do you suggest condoms? I don't get it.

Wow, congrats to the new Pope! I wonder, though, is 78 the best age to be starting a Popedom? Interesting. Anyway, I thought I'd comment on some of the comments already made ('cuz I can't help myself! :smile: ) I'm not necessarily debating anything, and I certainly am not trying to offend Missy or anyone else (you better know that already! :wink: ); these are just thoughts that I have. Regarding married priests: It is unlikely that the Church will change this teaching at all, or any time soon, because of the many positive and practical benefits of celibacy. Here are 10 reasons why a celibate clergy makes good sense:"Good sense" perhaps, but not necessarily doctrine. Yet it seems to be treated as such. 1) It leaves the priest free to more fully commit his life to the service of the Lord and the laity. I can accept this one. Paul mentions this in 1 Corinthians. 2) The Church has found it is better to keep priests moving from parish to parish every few years, perhaps for a few reasons, including the desire to prevent a cult of personality from building around a particular priest. This situation can put too much focus on the man rather than on the Gospel message. Kind of like the way the Pope is treated, maybe? So, the Church prudently moves priests around. Can you imagine how much stress it would cause a priest to have to move his wife and family each time he is assigned to a new parish? Having a celibate priesthood also enables the bishop the full flexibility he needs to move priests around. 3) To be able to lay his life down for his flock. Because a celibate priest does not have the obligation of a wife and children, he can give of himself more easily, including his own life, if necessary. For example, Blessed Damien de Veuster of Belgium was able to work with lepers on the island of Molokai, Hawaii, because of the freedom he had in being a celibate minister. This work eventually led to his contracting and dying from leprosy. If God called him to be celibate, then that's one thing. But I've never heard of Blessed Damien de Veuster, though I'm sure he served God well. I have heard of Simon Peter (also called Cephas), however, and he had a wife. He, too, died for the cause of Christ. 4) It is a sign of contradiction and a great Christian witness to our society, which is flooded with sexually permissive messages. Celibacy surely gains the Catholic clergy a hidden respect from many people. Would it not be a better witness to see godly men leading families, especially in spite of a society flooded with sexually permissive messages. Sex within the bond of marriage is wholly approved by God, so why not have the priests sending out that message? 5) It gives the priest greater credibility when he asks the laity to make sacrifices, because the laity knows that celibacy involves sacrifice. I can't argue with this one; I certainly don't have the discipline to make this sacrifice! 6) It helps the priest master his passions and also gives him more time for prayer, which is the lifeblood of any ministry. More time for prayer is always good, but how does not marrying keep a guy from thinking about sex? Plus, I know of men and women who are married and still find time for prayer. 7) It enables a priest to be more objective when counseling married couples. Because he is not married, he is not going to project any personal marriage problems or biases onto the the couple he is counseling. It seems to me that the priest also won't have any personal experience to draw on with which to empathize with counselees. Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need So if Jesus could give up Heaven to live among sinners in order to better relate to us, why shouldn't a priest be able to marry and understand the daily struggles that families under his care go through? 8) In many cases it enables the priest to be a "spiritual father" to more people than he would as a married man (1 Cor. 4:15). This sounds like a sub-heading for #1 above to me, rather than a separate reason. 9) It allows the Church to put the hundreds of millions of dollars it saves in priestly salaries to the evangelization and charitable assistance of a needy world. Although priests do receive salaries, they are much lower than they would have to be if they had families to support. Interesting reason; I've never heard it before. I definitely have never heard of a Catholic church lacking funds, so maybe there is something to this. Still, if a priest were to get married, his wife-to-be would know what kind of circumstance she was getting into. Plus, if she works, her additional income could nullify this even being a factor. 10) It’s a foreshadowing that there will be no marriage in heaven (Mt. 22:30). Still, God himself created the institution of marriage in Genesis. If there wasn't a purpose for it on earth, why bother? No one is required to live a permanently celibate life (Mt. 19:12). The Church says that people are free to marry. In fact, the Church glorifies the married state. I'm with you so far! Only if one wants to become a priest, brother, or religious sister does he or she have to live a celibate life. The religious life, and the requirements that come with it, do not have to be chosen by anyone. However, when it is chosen, it needs to be followed in the manner our Lord and His Church requires. You lost me again. I don't see in scripture where celibacy is required by God. It seems to be a requirement of the Catholic church only.

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