It's Deja Vue all over again...600 years later

[exedir]

So,it has been almost 600 years ago since Pope Gregory XII resigned as a way to resolve the crisis of multiple claimants to the papacy, that now Pope Benedict XVI has given his resignation of the papacy due to poor health.

This also means that the Rome Catholic Church is put into a moment of great challenges and concerns as to the past and future of what leadership the church had and will have to lead it into the middle of this century. One advantage of the resignation is for the church to make a clear break in the ongoing history of sexual abuse in the church that was recognized, but not dealt with forcefully and in concert with the law if not morals and ethics of the situation. The second is that the church can seek to reform in light of the demands of changes in society and lifestyles of church members and the clergy. The third is making the teachings and dogmas of the church impact on the live of members and relate to other denominations and religions that have very different beliefs and aspirations.

The next leader could be much different that the popes of the past in that the college of cardinals is different after a long process of selection has provided a much boarder and geographically dispersed leadership into play. The question is will there be a leader pope or a place keeper that leaves the church leadership time to consider and decide what the church can and will do in the future, its future and that of the world.

[Dennis Barsten]

I was referring to this..."

"The Prophecy of the Popes is a series of of 112 short, cryptic phrases in Latin which purport to predict the Roman Catholic popes (along with a few antipopes), beginning with Pope Celestine II. The prophecies were first published by Benedictine Arnold de Wyon in 1595. Wyon attributes the prophecies to Saint Malachy, the 12th‑century Archbishop of Armagh. Given the very accurate description of popes up to 1590 and lack of accuracy after that point, historians have generally concluded that the prophecies were written shortly before they were published."

The current pope, Benedict XVI, would correspond to the pope described in the penultimate prophecy. The list ends with a pope identified as "Peter the Roman", whose pontificate will allegedly bring the destruction of the city of Rome and the beginning of the Apocalypse.

Problem is no Peter of Rome yet exist...LOL

[ProblemAgain]

you might be better off to trust fortune cookies....predictions are like the 'mentalist' reading his audience...the mentalist throws out general descriptive phrases that people INTERPRET as pertaining to them...and wonder of wonders, how did he know i was missing my clothilde..."i'm getting the sense someone has lost a person that starts with a "C" ..("omg it is cosmic!!"....that was sarcasm for those of you who are sarcasm-impaired)

[ProblemAgain]

by the by that answer was for dennis about prophecies.....i don't have any bitch against religion for the most part. over the centuries religion has been both a moderating influence as well as a flashpoint for hostilities...in the majority tho i stand for the idea that religion has been a good influence for humans tho occasionally subverted by persons for other aims and goals

[Merry]

I think the opportunity for a control freak to destroy an innocent life in the name of God is completely disturbing so I agree with you there. I'm more of a free spirit. I think everyone sees the sun AND God/Godess & so on from a different angle. So each view is unique.

[Merry]

I like and respect the Dalai Lama and Mother Teresa and anyone who is remotely like them. As a child, I saw Catholicism in my own immature way. I was molded by my experience of going to Catholic school and it influenced every major decision in my life whether I went to church or not as an adult. But my curiosity about the rest of the world and what they thought about God and or the lack there of and why the world is so full of conflicts regarding religion got the better of me. Finally it boiled down to just be a nice person. Keep trying.

I think Cardinal Dolan has a real shot at the Papacy. I don't pay a lot of attention to all the details but I know he's from NYC and powerful. It's going to be interesting to see what happens as they struggle to remain relevant in today's world.

[Ioruach]

On this religious thing, I am an agnostic. But if I were called on to state a preference or were compelled to become a member of one of the existing religions of the world, I would consider Buddhism. It seems to be less of a fixed package of beliefs which must be accepted in its entirety, and more of a teaching, where each person learns and uses its basic beliefs their own way. It emphasizes wisdom, requiring an open, objective, unbigoted mind, and is more tolerant of other beliefs or religions. And finally, Buddhism does not demand a belief in a mystical entity “out there” that somehow rules over the entire universe.  In other words a Christian or Islamic God.

[Dennis Barsten]

So where going to have more Popes then....?