New Pope today (Benedict 16)

[Martin]

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, in his late Seventies, and considered rather reactionary in his views, is now Benedict XVI

 

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=684431

 

 

The new pope was born in Germany, and just turned 78.

 

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=683950

 

It seems that he has been active in resisting liberal reforms in the church (changes in sexual and reproductive ethics, women priests, and all that)

just as his predecessor was.

 

This news article has a good close-up file photo of what the Cardinal looked like giving a speech in the year 2000. It is a good portrait of the man in action, although 5 years out of date.

 

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=684028

 

here is the printerfriendly version of the same article

http://abcnews.go.com/International/print?id=684028

 

Here is an exerpt:

---quote from assoc. press news item---

 

Ratzinger in Charge of Doctrine Crackdowns

 

New Pope Joseph Ratzinger Was Vatican's Cardinal in Charge of Doctrinal Crackdowns

 

By MELISSA EDDY

 

The Associated Press

 

 

Apr. 19, 2005 - Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger alienated some Roman Catholics in Germany with his zeal enforcing church orthodoxy. But in the conservative Alpine foothills of Bavaria where he grew up, he remains a favorite son who many think will make a good pope.

 

Ratzinger, a rigorously conservative guardian of doctrinal orthodoxy who turned 78 on Saturday and was chosen the Catholic Church's 265th pontiff Tuesday, went into the Vatican conclave a leading candidate to succeed Pope John Paul II.

 

 

"Only someone who knows tradition is able to shape the future," said the Rev. Thomas Frauenlob, who heads the seminary in Traunstein where Ratzinger studied and regularly returns to visit.

 

 

But opinion about him remains deeply divided in Germany, a sharp contrast to John Paul, who was revered in his native Poland. A recent poll for Der Spiegel news weekly said Germans opposed to Ratzinger becoming pope outnumbered supporters 36 percent to 29 percent, with 17 percent having no preference. The poll of 1,000 people, taken April 5-7, gave no margin of error.

 

 

Many blame Ratzinger for decrees from Rome barring Catholic priests from counseling pregnant teens on their options and blocking German Catholics from sharing communion with their Lutheran brethren at a joint gathering in 2003.

 

 

Ratzinger has clashed with prominent theologians at home, most notably the liberal Hans Kueng, who helped him get a teaching post at the University of Tuebingen in the 1960s. The cardinal later publicly criticized Kueng, whose license to teach theology was revoked by the Vatican in 1979.

 

 

He has also sparred openly in articles with fellow German Cardinal Walter Kasper, a moderate who has urged less centralized church governance and is considered a dark horse papal candidate.

 

 

"He has hurt many people and far overstepped his boundaries in Germany," said Christian Wiesner, spokesman for the pro-reform Wir Sind Kirche, or We Are Church movement...."

[atinymonkey]

'Rather reactionary'

 

Also known as the Panzer Pope : -

 

http://www.scienceforums.net/forums/showthread.php?t=10557

 

A term Bascule created, that personally I'll be using from now on

[Martin]

Panzer Pope is a good coinage, thanks.

 

to many of us "Panzer" has connotations of WWII armor divisions of the Wehrmacht---tanks that quickly over-ran so much of Europe

 

but Panzer also can simply mean "armor", like a knight's armor

 

maybe in this case I will imagine this revered gentleman as an ancient suit of armor, perhaps even a beautiful suit of armor, that might properly be preserved in a museum somewhere

 

(i do not want to think of him as a German tank!)

[Dak]

panzer is also german for panther, i believe.

 

bbc news (pope)

 

homosexuals are intrinsically evil, pro-choicers should be denied communion, against the church becoming involved in human rights promotion: what a f***ing amazing choice for pope.

[Martin]

panzer is also german for panther' date=' i believe.

 

bbc news (pope)

 

homosexuals are intrinsically evil, pro-choicers should be denied communion, against the church becoming involved in human rights promotion: what a f***ing amazing choice for pope.

 

if the old man believes these things then perhaps the choice is unfortunate for the church in the long run.

 

however panzer is not also german for panther. I believe the word for panther is "der Panther" pron. "pahn ter"

 

easy to see how one might be confused by the sound, tho

[Dak]

"panzerkampfwagen" = panzer (armoured) kampf (battle) wagen (viecle)

 

called 'tigers' by the allies, getting confused with my big cats!

 

im normally against this kind of pro-pc-doobries, equating it exactly to racism, sexism, etc, however i think in the case of the church they would really benifit from having a black, female, lesbian pope. just once. even if she wasnt actively gay, and was very, very sorry that she was a female.

[Martin]

... would really benifit from having a black, female, lesbian pope. just once. even if she wasnt actively gay, and was very, very sorry that she was a female.

 

*chuckle* yes of course, very very sorry.

 

 

 

while we are on the subject of words, like Panzerkampfwagen, maybe someone knows this: what exactly is a 'zinger', and do rats have them?

 

 

I don't see the point of having such a radically different pope, I suppose lots of popes have been gay, but what good has that done?

 

since there are black bishops there will probably be a black pope sooner or later, but he may well be as reactionary as Cardinal Ratzinger has been.

 

that BBC link that Dak posted is pretty interesting, had details missed by other news items.

 

here's a Reuter's account

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=8230604

[Dak]

I don't see the point of having such a radically different pope, I suppose lots of popes have been gay, but what good has that done?

drag the church kicking and screaming into a sentury that contains two numbers? they seem to be stuck in the 1st sentury BC, having not realised that lots of stuff has changed since jesus was crusified.

 

the main benifit would be, after her death, they would be more inclined to accept a pope whos views were merely that homosexuals were 'inherintly gross' and that pro-choice ministers should be 'scoweled at', rather than the more extreme 'THOUT SHAL BURN IN HELL' attitude of most (the current) popes. any-thing would be an inprovement on the current types of popes.

 

oh, and one who will stop spreading the myth throughout africa that condoms cause hiv. that itself should garentee a plase in one of the lower pits of hell.

[Aardvark]

drag the church kicking and screaming into a sentury that contains two numbers? they seem to be stuck in the 1st sentury BC, having not realised that lots of stuff has changed since jesus was crusified.

 

1st century AD surely?

 

the main benifit would be, after her death, they would be more inclined to accept a pope whos views were merely that homosexuals were 'inherintly gross' and that pro-choice ministers should be 'scoweled at', rather than the more extreme 'THOUT SHAL BURN IN HELL' attitude of most (the current) popes. any-thing would be an inprovement on the current types of popes.

 

It strikes me as odd that the Roman Catholic Church should be subject to such strong criticism for its 'reactionary' ideas when those same critics are completely silent when even more 'reactionary' ideas are put into action by other religions.

 

Why is it that the Roman Catholic Church is fair game for criticism for not being Feminist, but when Muslim Imans publically order the murder of unmarried mothers there is a deafening silence?

[RedAlert]

Benedict the 16th.....scary name.

[Dak]

1st century AD surely?

yup. i chose the 1st century AD because its the most historical time in which a church who worship christ could exist

 

.....then.....i......miss......spelt.....A.....D... DOH

 

Why is it that the Roman Catholic Church is fair game for criticism for not being Feminist, but when Muslim Imans publically order the murder of unmarried mothers there is a deafening silence?

i assume because less people know about it. i suppose the pope seems less bad compared to these 'imans'.

[Martin]

 

Why is it that the Roman Catholic Church is fair game for criticism for not being Feminist' date=' but when Muslim Imans publically order the murder of unmarried mothers there is a deafening silence?[/quote']

 

Go ahead, Aardvark, say what you think of conservative Islam! And fundamentalist Judaism too! I will cheer you on. Let's have no unfairness now! While you are at it, put in a few words about Born Agains and Bible Thumpers.

 

Just make sure you insult all religions equal, or we will think you are unfair and biased.

 

BTW dont know why you changed the focus to Feminist issues we were talking about the pope-elect's conservatism on a broad range of issues including doctrine on gays. Islam is probably a bit medieval about that too.

 

It seems to be human nature for most people to want to live under the moral guidance of self-righteous stuffed shirts, irrespective of one's hair-style, shape of nose, or tribal origins.

[BenSon]

Interesting side note on the guy. He was in the Hilter Youth when he was in school, aparently he opposed the Nazi's though.

 

~Scott