new pope elected Options

[BlackCelicaGT94]

in case anyone cares :-)

[CheesyLobster]

he was a NAZI.
[right][snapback]273992[/snapback][/right]

Not quite, I've looked this up a little. He came from an anti-nazi family, but joined the Hitler Youth. After a while he quit, but later fought in some division of the german air force (luft waffe) but never saw any action. So yeah, he definately had associations with the Nazis.
I think that it sound like he is very conservative. He is openly against gay marriage, stem cell research, cloning, premarital sex, contraceptive, etc. I think that it is a step backwards for the church.
Atleast he might not be pope for long, as he is 78. the catholic church, imo, needs a youthful, more liberal leader to match the changing world.
[right][snapback]274517[/snapback][/right]

What?! If he were to change the church to match the changing world, then the religion would have absolutely no integrity or meaning. The whole point of the Christian religion is to do what is right although the rest of the world is doing what is wrong. We need a pope who will stick to the rules. There is a lot of virtue in living a lifestyle free of the things you listed, that's why they are considered sinful.
[right][snapback]274904[/snapback][/right]

I think that you can still be a devout catholic and accept change in your life. i think that part of a religion should be being able to adapt and not be so stuborn as to say that the world and purpose of religion have not changed in the last 1700 years or so. how can you say that a religion has "absolutely no integrity or meaning" if it changes with the times? that is ignorance. I'm not saying that I expect the new pope to be for all of the things that i listed, that would be simply unheard of, but when John Paul II states before he dies that he doesnt want Joseph Ratzinger to become pope because HE thinks that Ratzinger is too conservative, that sends a very strong message.
Religion is to be used as a tool to help guide people through a moral good life, and that is all. I suppose where the question is is "what defines morality?" that is where you will get differing opinions from everyone. IMO, morality should be defined by the individual, and not imposed by a public figure. I hope that im not offending any catholics by writing this, I know many great, kind catholic people who are good people and who at the same time find there own personal meanings of morality. my mother is catholic as well. its just important to me to be able to stand back and look at the whole picture.
I'm sure that Pope Benedict XVI will be a fine pope.

of course hes conservative.... HES A POPE. do you really expect one of the most religous people on earth not care about gay marrige or premarital sex?

bush is prob just a conservative, but he cant show it cause he got polls to worry about
[right][snapback]275200[/snapback][/right]

Of course bush is a conservative, and he shows it quite often in very public ways...