Pope John Paul II Has Passed Away..

It'll be difficult, if not impossible, to justify your statement since Mikhail Gorbachev disagrees with you.

It won't be difficult at all since The Pope himself had downplayed his involvment in the fall of Soviet Communism.
The Pope always thought the Soviet Union would eat itself, and it did. He did not really feel any need to be involved at all other than to give speeches of encouragement.
The SU could not maintain itself, pure and simple.

 

I actually liked the Pope, agree with most of what he said and believed. Accepted the Big Bang Theory(how many Old-Earth religious leaders do we get? ), yet was anti-abortion and conservitive in his views.. I only hope they can find someone good enough to replace him.

Question: How do they replace the Pope?

 

Mortimer_Snerd posted on 4/2/05 7:56pm

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No pope has ever chosen "Peter" because it would sound too weird. "Pope Peter."

If I was pope I'd call myself "Pope Dillicus Bang Bang McBeavershaver."


[hr][/blockquote]

The coolest Catholic EVER.

 

He did not really feel any need to be involved at all other than to give speeches of encouragement.

He was integral in the collapse of communism in Poland, which itself was integral to the collapse of the Soviet Union.

 

Question: How do they replace the Pope?

With a conclave. Basically the Cardinals of the Church will be locked into the Sisteen Chapel and won't come out until a new Pope is elected.

 

Beginning no sooner than 15, no later than 20 days after the Pope dies, a conclave of Cardinals are locked inside the Sistene Chapel to begin voting to elect a new Pope. There are four votes a day taken and if there is no two-thirds majority vote at each session, then the ballots are burned with pellets that produce black smoke. If there is a majority, then white smoke is burned. The elected person (Any unmarried Catholic male) is asked if he will accept. If he does, then he is asked by what name he is to be called. Then he is introduced to the public at large.

If a 2/3 majority cannot be reached, then a simple majority can be accepted

 

I have a great deal of respect for Pope John Paul II. He was the first pope to really go to the people, and he forgave his would be assassin. That speaks volumes to me.

 

I feel compelled to add to DF's post that while it is theoretically possible for any baptized Catholic man to become Pope. if such a person were selected they would first have to be ordained a priest, then a deacon, then Bishop, then Cardinal before they could ascend to the Papacy.

 

Newsweek's online edition has an article that describes a bit of what people refer to with regard to John Paul II and the Soviet Union. An excerpt:

A year later, I was expelled by the Soviet authorities from Moscow because of their unhappiness over some of my reporting, and I was assigned to Rome, where I began covering the pope, regularly traveling with him on his many foreign trips. But for me, what happened that night at Moscow's airport remains as one of the most revealing incidents that I witnessed, a minor moment that said so much about the power of John Paul II. It demonstrated the fear that the Polish pope inspired in the Soviet Union, even at a time when the old guard still appeared firmly in command?and almost no one could envisage the collapse of communism that would begin in Poland by the end of the decade and quickly bring the entire system crashing down with it.

But looking at events from their perspective, the Soviet authorities were absolutely right to fear that key chain featuring John Paul and Lech Walesa. Any assessment of this pope's place in the history of the church and of the last century will note that he helped trigger the incredible sequence of events that would bring about the implosion of the Soviet empire and its totalitarian system. With John Paul now gone, the summing up of his pontificate is already underway, his accomplishments and shortcomings are being hotly debated. Let me be blunt about my own preliminary judgment. I'm convinced John Paul II will go down in history as one of the greatest popes ever, one whose intense spirituality, intellectual brilliance and sheer physical stamina are beyond dispute. I'm also convinced that he has left some extremely difficult issues to his successor?issues he never confronted and wasn't willing to open up for serious discussion.

 

I really like the whole calling the name three times, tapping on the head with a silver hammer thing to prove he's dead.

 

Actually, they can elect any unmarried Catholic male, but if the Pope-elect is not ordained in the priesthood, if he accepts, he is immediately ordained and given all tose ranks...

 

If you look at his very humble beginnings, its rather amazing he became one of the most powerful leaders in the world.

I recall in 1978 when they were electing the pope to take over after John Paul I died after just one month of service, Karol Josef Wojtyla's name was never mentioned as a possibility. Everyone was very surprised when his name was announced as the new Pope.

He came to Boston in 1979 and my parents took me into the city to see him. We managed to get a good vantage point. Its odd in a way to have seen someone who was so energetic and vital become the very frail and sickly man of his later years.

My roommate's father was a photographer and was assigned to photograph the Pope's visit to Boston in 1979. She has a private stock of photos of the Pope that were never published but are really wonderful.

I am not Catholic and did not always agree with everything the Pope said however I think he tried his best to do what he thought was right. I have a lot of respect for him for that. I hope he finds an eternity of peace amongst the angels in heaven.

 

Its odd in a way to have seen someone who was so energetic and vital become the very frail and sickly man of his later years.

I agree. People have gotten accustomed to seeing him as a frail man, yet he was once a physically powerful man. Lifted children easily, and had marathon endurance. Old pictures of him in his early days as a pope give the appearance of his being like a rock.

Unfortunately, the assassination attempt probably hastened his gradual decline.

 

What a blessing this man was! He was an inspiration to millions. He was a legend in his own time. How we will all miss him!

...but we know that he is home now, with God, whom he served so faithfully.

I've often seen photos and film showing the Pope greeting young people. It's amazing to see how emotional they always were...weeping and holding their hands out to him.

One film, taken from the early 90s, showed him in front of a huge crowd of young people. They were singing a song about how much they loved him. When they were done, he smiled and said, "Maybe I love you more!" You've never heard such cheering.

I wish I could have seen him, too. Since I'm going to World Youth Day 2005, I could have, but I suppose God decided that his time here was ended. I will have to see the new pope, instead!

I hope the world will never forget the great example John Paul II has set for us.

 

One does not have to be Catholic to respect and admire this great Christian. One does not have to be Christian to respect this great Shepard of God.
He was admired by many nations, religons, faiths and so many leaders. Even certain enemies that threaten our way of life had nothing bad to say about him. That is respect. That speaks tremendous volumes.
I happen to be a Christian under the Catholic faith. The Pope truly represented my faith and am very grateful for that. As a result, I do not go out judging, debating, or ridiculing others' faith, religion, etc.

He has done so much for humanity. He set the example and stayed the course as long as he could. We as mere mortal human beings have lost a great Shepard with his passing. I hope our new Shepard will be able to carry on the standards that has been established by Pope John Paul II...

 

What will the next pope's name be? John Paul III?

Is it evil of me to say I hope not? Because as much as I loved and admired JP2, his theological conservatism was a bit more than I could really handle. I love his attitude towards social justice, and is something that I totally hope to see in the next pope, but I'd really rather have someone a bit more theologically liberal as well.

Also, last night was the first time I went to church on my own in over 2 years. It was the first communion mass, and can I just say that first communion dresses for 2nd graders should NOT be spaghetti strapped? Seriously. That's totally not appropriate.

 

Is it evil of me to say I hope not?

Definitely not.

The irony is that JPII was something of a progressive in his early days as a priest and bishop, particularly with regard to sexuality. He helped modernize the Church's teachings on that subject, even if it wasn't to the same degree that some would have liked.

 

It's odd, but it seems that Princess Dianas death was more of a media frenzy that the Popes. Would anyone agree? And it feels strange, his death is all over the news, but to a (much?) lesser degree.

 

I think it was the nature of Princess Diana's death that made such a media impact. The Pope has been on the news now for a few months, and sadly his death was only a matter of time. If anything people have had time to come to terms with what was going to happen, and been given a chance to pray for him.

Perhaps given his ill health it's ok to suggest that he's in a better place now, free from pain and suffering, whereas the Princess was struck down in her prime.

edit They've had some good coverage here of the work he did in uniting the different churches within the UK. He visited the UK on a number of ocassions, and met with leaders from various different branches of Christianity that would otherwise not have had reason to communicate. I think it shows his dedication to freedom of belief, and respect for the beliefs of others. The Pope praying alongside the leader of the Anglican church did a lot towards reducing secratarianism (sp?) in the UK.

 

There's some talk that he could be given the title Pope John Paul II The Great. That hasn't been done since the early time of the church.

 

He already has been called that, so now it is official. In yesterday's first Mass in St Peter's Square it was not spoken during the Mass however it is written in the text version.

The written text of Cardinal Angelo Sodano's homily called the late pope "John Paul the Great," a title usually designated for popes worthy of sainthood, such as Gregory the Great and Leo the Great. Sodano did not use the title when he delivered the homily. Vatican texts, however, are considered official texts even if they are not pronounced.

 

I don't know how I feel about that addenum to his name.

 

The news here said his funeral has been arranged for Friday at 10am Rome time - that is 1am board time.

Also Prince Charles is delaying his wedding a day out of respect, and so he can attend the funeral.

 

Yoda spoke of another.
[image=http://img97.exs.cx/img97/1535/return8xa.jpg]

 

nice