John Paul II - A Quarter Century Of Irrelevence

Politics International Politics
1

We should all be prepared for the imminent demise of the Pope and live coverage of the chimney above the Cistine (sp?) Chapel in the near future.

As some in the Vatican attempt to pin the epithet “Eternal Pope” on this ageing Polish goalkeeper, we have to ask ourselves about his achievements: what has he really done for his ‘flock’? Aside from perpetuating outdated and conservative Catholic mores, he has, in my opinion, done little to enhance the lives of his followers, little to alleviate poverty and disease and merely shown that his dogma is out of date, disconnected and irrelevent.

Opinions?

BroonAmbivolent

2

:unamused: While I agree he hasn’t been the most progressive Pope, you just don’t kick a man while he’s down. It ain’t right.

3

According to the Vatican he is propped up in bed, eating cookies and yoghurt. At least I am not questioning his legacy and some might say disparaging him after he has died but as his death is most likely soon, there is nothing wrong with looking at his achievements (or lack of them)now. Nothing at all.

BroonAsks

4

BA…you and I are in complete agreement on this one.

5

Anyone know how much power a pope really has? Could a pope, for example, decide that the prohibition on contraceptives was outdated and change the policy, or would he need ratification from the College of Cardinals or something?

6

Pope John Paul II, Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher were ultimately responsible for the collapse of the Soviet Empire.

7

Ah yes…Buddy Jesus would be [i]so[/i] much more friendly and “progressive”, wouldn’t he?

:unamused:

dogma-movie.com/multimedia/dogma24fps.mov

8

The pope has unrestricted power to declare any belief the official teaching of the Catholic Church.

9

As Jesus said to the first pope, “Whatever you hold true on Earth, I will hold true in Heaven” (paraphrased, naturally.)

10

Very very true.

11

What has the pope achieved? Hmmm… let’s see…

The 10 Enduring Achievements of Pope John Paul II according to papal biographer George Weigel:

  1. Returning the papacy to its evangelical roots. Because of John Paul II
12

For me :

Pro:
-emphatically, his stand against Communism based on the worth of the individual

  • opposition to war and the arms race in general, and push for nuclear disarmament in particular
    -(including of course his very strong opposition to the Iraq War)
    -emphasising the social justice teachings of the Church, opposing unbridled capitalism, supporting the primacy of labour, and specifically insisting on the necessity of unions/labour movements ( “Solidarity!”)
    -support for the Third World, calling for debt cancellation
    -supporting environmentalism, warning about global warming
  • and, a personal favourite, supporting evolution.

Anti:
-the usual- contraception, abortion, ordination of women

In other words, he’s a very agreeable fellow when he agrees with me.

13

[quote]Pope John Paul II, Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher were ultimately responsible for the collapse of the Soviet Empire.
[/quote]

And the assasination of “God’s Banker” Roberto Calvi.

14

Complete utter bollux

15

I think there is little doubt that the Catholic Church financed solidarity in Poland at an extremely critical time. It should be given the appropriate credit for that. That’s how Roberto Calvi came to be assasinated.

16

Very very true.[/quote]

Perhaps true, but funny to hear you praising Pope John Paul II since he is a fierce opponent of Bush’s war in Iraq. He has even hinted that he suspects Bush may be the Anti-christ. He also opposed the first Gulf War…

cjd.org/paper/jp2war.html

publicchristian.com/module-p … d-53.phtml

17

Very very true.[/quote]

Perhaps true, but funny to hear you praising Pope John Paul II since he is a fierce opponent of Bush’s war in Iraq. He has even hinted that he suspects Bush may be the Anti-christ. He also opposed the first Gulf War…[/quote]
A weird extrapolation you revel in. Only in your posting agenda could my comment be interpreted as “praising Pope John Paul II.” Simply because I gave him his rightful due you feel somehow compelled to twist this in a most grotesque manner.
While JIIPII opposes all war, the comment regarding him seeing US President George W. Bush is ludicrous.
Got facts? Got support? And nothing 2nd or 3rd party.

18

okay, okay, okay…some Pope jokes…

The Pope goes to New York.

He is picked up at the airport by a limousine.

He looks at the beautiful car and says to the driver, “You know, I hardly ever get to drive. Would you please let me?”

The driver is understandably hesistant and says, “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’m supposed to do that.”

But the Pope persists, “Please?” The driver finally lets up. “Oh, all right, I can’t really say no to the Pope.”

So the Pope takes the wheel, and boy, is he a speed demon! He hits the gas and goes around 100 mph in a 45 zone. A policeman notices and pulls him over.

The cop walks up and asks the Pope to roll down the window.

Startled and surprised, the young officer asks the Pope to wait a minute.

He goes back to his patrol car and radios the chief.

Cop: Chief, I have a problem.

Chief: What sort of problem?

Cop: Well, you see, I pulled over this guy for driving way over the speed limit but it’s someone really important.

Chief: Important like the mayor?

Cop: No, no, much more important than that.

Chief: Important like the governor?

Cop: Wayyyyyy more important than that.

Chief: Like the president?

Cop: More.

Chief: Who’s more important than the president?

Cop: I don’t know, but he’s got the Pope DRIVING for him!

Okay…anopther one…

A Cardinal goes into the Pope and says “I have good news and bad news”.

The Pope says “What is the good news?”

Cardinal “Christ just called and He has returned to earth to bring peace for 1,00 years”

“Wonderful, now what is the bad news?”

“The call was collect from Salt Lake City”.

…rimshot!