News The Pope Has Resigned. What Do You Think?

[anni]

He's 85 and in very poor health. Just because none of the Popes in 600 years have felt responsible enough to resign rather than let down their part in what has to be strenuous responsibilites doesn't necessarily mean he'd be running away from anything. I'm honestly not defending the man or making a comment one way or the other, just pointing out what's up with him as a person.

He's also an awful lot more proactive on priest abuse than the previous Pope, Good Grief. We have to be careful not to disallow Catholics their religion based on the horrific actions of some of their leaders and it's careless, dismissive and pitiful handling of the whole child abuse subject. That hasn't been an across the board situation, though, I think there has been shift in responsibility resulting in some genuinely good handling of the pedophiles in their midst. The molested children will always wear their wounds, I think it's important to mark the victories claimed by their stories. One of them has been that the church was changed. It's not perfect, it'll take an awfully long time, if ever. I'm pretty sure one of the victories claimed will be that the next Pope will be leading a collective Catholic population even less tolerant and even more aware of child abuse than the last.

I'm not defending anything which occured under the massive, massive umbrella of the Catholic Church. I agree with pretty much nothing of what would the political outgrowth attached to some of its religious policies, no love lost there. I was just kind of impressed that a Pope kicked over the traces of a 600 year old chain, decided to turn over the reins to someone with more vroom in his engines.

 

[NarcSis]

Cycle of abuse - I'm not Catholic but often abusers were once abused, can we not see how turning to God could have been a coping mechanism that failed?

I am not asking you to necessarily forgive the actions, rather see the bigger picture and understand the problem so that it can be stopped.

 

[Privateer]

I think it's less likely to be a failed coping mechanism than a deliberate choice to occupy a position of authority with easy access to children and vulnerable people. In many Catholic countries even the police are afraid of tackling the church, which is ridiculous. 'Render unto Caesar' and all that.

 

[BloomInWinter]

I know there are many loving Catholics and I think most of their followers are good, moral people.

So, what a terrible shame the money they tithe is used for such awful purposes.

He, like all the catholic leaders, has carried on a crusade against women, the GLBT community, children, and others. He has sided with the predators, fully complicit, and with indifference to the wounded from their policies. They are the evil they try to make people terrified of.

May the nuns make their own church. May the catholic church be destroyed, their wealth spread to all the poor and infirm in the world. No good they have done can wash away the blood and suffering of others staining their vile organization.

 

[Tinyflame]

I think that when it comes to abuse, especially of children, the appalling reality is that those who are going to do it are found where children are found, where they have access to them. Recall reading a study where the rate was the same across the board in all religions, and schools, childhood sports coaches, etc. I think in order for abuse to be stopped, it would help if people realized this, so that the problem of abuse could be most accurately identified and stopped.

Under no reason whatsoever should it ever be covered up, or an abuser allowed to ever be around children, IMHO.

When I went through some of my own experiences dealing with a (one particular) molester, it was important to me later to research it, turns out he fit the bill of sexual assaults and attempting to do so, in the most non-sexual environments, so they said that was typical of such molestors (and very atypical of anyone's inclination who isn't a molestor).

As regards the pope, I don't know much but as a person who cares for those who are often ill or dying, as well as my own family members who have, he looks extremely ill to me.

 

[Tinyflame]

I should say too, I think abuses are always possible where there is power, in particular.

I am Roman Catholic, I would hope to be hated (or loved) on the basis of who I am, and how I act or treat others, rather than because of my religious beliefs. However, I understand how that can exist. There have been terrible acts committed under religious umbrellas.

In my case, when I have had to deal with abuses I have not looked upon it by profession or factors which could be malleable, but have identified the specific person as the one culpable.

If anything, I have been very fortunate to have had great experiences, with priests, police officers, most teachers and bosses, etc. But, an occassional teacher was a 'perv', I've been sexually harrassed by some bosses, my aunt was almost gang-raped by a few cops. So, it's strange, I think any one person can be a wonderful credit to what they do and who and how they are, whereas another is perhaps likely to offend no matter what they do.

 

[anthony]

What do I think about the Pope resigning? Well... I think it's good to see a Pope who puts the followers before his church or himself, and instead of becoming ill and useless from old age to perform his duties, he steps down when he knows his duties are sacrificed by his age. Regardless of the religious rhetoric, good on him IMHO.

 

[Tinyflame]

I agree with Anthony.

I guess as regards the rest, I have to say in good conscience, I can't help but think or wonder equally how people would feel about or view me, if they knew about ptsd but demonized everyone with it? I fear if their association was such, they'd think I'm just crazy and going to be violent at any turn, if that was their only connotation to what they've heard of or learned of in the news, or the only way the people were they met who had ptsd? :(

 

[ms spock]

As a Roman Catholic I am not going on what I have learned in the news Junebug.

 

[Philippa]

Good riddance.

The man enabled child rape and covered it up to save face. He deserves to be put in prison...even at his age. That probably won't happen though.

 

[BloomInWinter]

It's not the fact that he is the Pope of the Catholic Church that I find repulsive. He's been directly responsible for protecting pedophile priests, shunning Nuns of conscience, furthering homophobia, and attempting to turn back the clock on women's rights.

Junebug, I have no problem with their flock of good hearted people. I fully hope they ditch their selfish leadership and put women in leadership positions.

It seems the Pope is about to have an international warrant out for his arrest and if true, his resignation isn't just him being magnanimous.

 

[Philippa]

Exactly BloominWinter. He isn't just doing the noble thing here...it's a backdoor exit of disgrace.