Papal Bull
Feb. 12th, 2013 01:30 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
howeirdThe first thing I saw on FB today was Ratzinger's quitting. I have several comments about this
I'm an atheist, but I came to that from studying most of the major religions. I had a Medieval History minor which was mostly research on the children's crusades. That did not make me a big fan of popes or catholics in general.
No pope has ever resigned due to ill health. The whole idea behind being pope is you're God's Chosen™ and when he thinks your time is up, he'll call you home. Until then, whatever he does to you is His Will™ and you just have to bear it. Like the martyrs.
As a human being, I am not happy to see him suffer.
I guess his prayers (and those of his supporters) for continued good health have failed him.
While part of me is happy to see this man go away whose life is peppered with reprehensible writings, speeches, acts and inactions, part of me wants to see him stay in office as long as he is alive, which ought to slow down some of the papal bad works. Because quitting now almost assures his successor will be just as socially backward as he has been. If I was polite I would use the word "conservative", but he's more retro than that.
I'm an atheist, but I came to that from studying most of the major religions. I had a Medieval History minor which was mostly research on the children's crusades. That did not make me a big fan of popes or catholics in general.
No pope has ever resigned due to ill health. The whole idea behind being pope is you're God's Chosen™ and when he thinks your time is up, he'll call you home. Until then, whatever he does to you is His Will™ and you just have to bear it. Like the martyrs.
As a human being, I am not happy to see him suffer.
I guess his prayers (and those of his supporters) for continued good health have failed him.
While part of me is happy to see this man go away whose life is peppered with reprehensible writings, speeches, acts and inactions, part of me wants to see him stay in office as long as he is alive, which ought to slow down some of the papal bad works. Because quitting now almost assures his successor will be just as socially backward as he has been. If I was polite I would use the word "conservative", but he's more retro than that.
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