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**janedrake** · 02-11-2013, 11:02 PM

I Confess: I was baptized Catholic and went to Catholic elementary school, but am not currently a practicing Catholic. I was gobsmacked to see news of the Pope's resignation on the television this morning -- I never even knew such a thing was possible. Any thoughts on this? My own are, if I were 85 years old, quite frankly, I might feel like saying goodbye and good luck, too... but, on the other hand, I'm far too cynical these days to chalk it up to mere "retirement" -- the first Pope in 600 years to resign the office - hmn. What is going on?

**sandnsea** · 02-11-2013, 11:27 PM

I'm okay with it and though the previous Pope should have stepped down when he was so sick. I think it's a good precedent. I hope they choose a Pope from outside of Europe.

**SeattleGirl** · 02-12-2013, 01:28 AM

I was watching one of the MSNBC shows today (can't recall which one) and the director of a new documentary about the ongoing sex scandal in the Catholic church was on. He said that there is a Cardinal (American, I believe) who is known to have raped boys and people around him in the church were begging the Pope to defrock him, but he wouldn't do it. He further said that he thinks that might be part of why the Pope is exiting the stage.

**suzie** · 02-12-2013, 09:11 AM

(02-12-2013 01:28 AM)SeattleGirl Wrote: I was watching one of the MSNBC shows today (can't recall which one) and the director of a new documentary about the ongoing sex scandal in the Catholic church was on. He said that there is a Cardinal (American, I believe) who is known to have raped boys and people around him in the church were begging the Pope to defrock him, but he wouldn't do it. He further said that he thinks that might be part of why the Pope is exiting the stage.

A poster on another forum who has defended the Catholic Church in every possible way as the sexual abuse scandal unfolded, "it's only happening in the culture of decadence in America, etc.", and finally had to condemn the coverup practices as they became known, said this week that he hoped there was not another shoe to drop.

Which made me wonder if something wasn't even worse out there that was about to become public. If the filmmaker was Gibney of "Mea Maxima Culpa, Silence in the House of God", he seems to have great sources.

***azmouse*** · 02-12-2013, 08:17 AM

I'll give the Pope credit for knowing when to step aside for health reasons.
Beyond that, I have no use for the Catholic church. They're stuck in the Dark Ages.

**Fire1** · 02-13-2013, 12:19 PM

If he's replaced by a black priest from Africa the church will lose even more members.

**sandnsea** · 02-13-2013, 02:35 PM

(02-13-2013 12:19 PM)Fire1 Wrote: If he's replaced by a black priest from Africa the church will lose even more members.

The US church will probably, I think the rest of the world will gain more members. Apparently he is in the lead, as if it were a race, gads - but I'm thinking a Latino/Hispanic will get the nod - or maybe the guy from Canada. The best we can hope for is more focus on poverty and social justice, a real change in equal rights is unlikely I think. There are many things wrong with the church but the most ridiculous is the refusal to support condom use in the face of AIDS. It's a death sentence and the church won't budge, that's insanity.