The Pope is resigning

[the-e-dealer]

Long live the pope

[red devil]

No smoke without fire...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21758339

[Mick Mac]

Hes from Argentina.

This man truly is the Hand of God.

[maxxi]

Cristina Fern?ndez de Kirchner dreams of Pope Frank's first big address.....

"Benedictus etc... Quod si English operor non manus manus tergum Malvinas ut meus paganus in Argentina EGO mos paro Deus in lemma! Got it?!"

[Loz]

woodrot Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Peedophilia is well defined ...

Actually, it's a slightly misused word. Paedophilia actually refers only to pre-pubescent children below 13 years of age.

[the-e-dealer]

Sounds very well defined

[woodrot]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2011/jan/04/argenitina-videla-bergoglio-repentance

The homophobic, mysogonist peeeeeeeeedophile nazi death culters score an own goal.Again.

[WorkingMummy]

I often wish Christopher Hitchens were still alive, to hear him wave his verbal cleaver about a bit.

Woodrot captures the general drift nicely on this occasion, though.

[SCSB79]

WorkingMummy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I often wish Christopher Hitchens were still

> alive, to hear him wave his verbal cleaver about a

> bit.

>

> Woodrot captures the general drift nicely on this

> occasion, though.

You could settle for Tim Minchin instead of Hitchens.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rTIorwtJbhE

*not safe for work!

[Salsaboy]

Why have they chosen another old man again??

[LadyDeliah]

That Tim Minchin song is brilliant!

[WorkingMummy]

Yes, brilliant!

[steveo]

It's Ivor Cutler!

[El Pibe]

Staggering own goal!! I'm already seeing it being mentioned around the edges of the mainstream media, only matter of time before we have days of this stuff.

[the-e-dealer]

Blimey and he has only been in 12 hours - Shortest pope ever?

[El Pibe]

Doubtful, firstly we don't know the truth just an allegations.

He did have a lawsuit brought against him 10 years ago for involvement in the kidnap and torture of two priests (ironically ones that stood up against injustice), though can't seem to find what happened to it.

I've noticed this article has jumped up the search results since earlier this morning

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/345612

I imagine he'll ride it out, but I would have thought riding out scandal is the sort of thing the new pope was being elected to put an end to.

Also a picking a South American Jesuit clearly shows the intention to push back the inroads made by evangelical protestantism in the continent, a modern counter-reformatiuon if you will.

Given the resurgence in popular socialism across the region, someone with the blood of cold war fascism on their hands, or at least the whiff of it, seems a frankly freakish choice!

[woodrot]

Salsaboy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Why have they chosen another old man again??

most of their first choices are dead - i.e. ex brown or blackshirts - so you have to admire the churches ingenuity at digging out other proto fascists for the top job*

* yes I know the last one was an unwilling HJ conscript who legged it as soon as he could, but lets not get bogged down with the truth

[Jah Lush]

They've just hailed a new pope in, which

is quite ironic, because "Hailed Pope"

is an anagram of paedophile.

*Nicked from Popbitch.

[WorkingMummy]

Maybe the church is so venal, no one towards the top of the heirachy is unimplicated in villainy of some kind. Maybe this appointment was not sheer stupidity. Maybe this guy was actually the best candidate.

[Otta]

He's meant to be good at communications. If that's true, that's probably why they've gone with him.

[red devil]

Yep, but they need to change the message, not the messenger...

[the-e-dealer]

on a far less significant note China has a new leader.

[WorkingMummy]

According to "Today", one of the cardinals who elected the new pope has just come out and said: paedophillia should not always be treated as a crime. But as an illness, requiring treatment, not punishment.

*^>>>>~}~~

[WorkingMummy]

Cardinal Napier of South Africa, is this 's name.

[Otta]

Whilst I don't entirely agree with that stance, I wouldn't dismiss it all together. I believe that in many cases paedophillia is something that people can't help (the urge, not the act!).

I remember listeniong to a story on R4 a few years back of a couple who had come through an awful time. They had a daughter, and one day the man was horrified to realise that he was becoming sexually stimulated at the sight of her naked. I think he may have touched her inappropriately and she told her mum. He then came clean, and she stuck with him and he got help. This was not a man who had chosen to be a paedop[hile, and who was absolutely disgusted and shamed by his own feelings.

These catholic priests on the other hand are just men who are starved of sex, and can't take it any more IMO.