Pope Benedict to resign

[songfourone]

I was at mass yesterday and there are no signs in my opinion of the RCC losing ground. We are the league of nations. Quite impressive.

Impressive indeed.

"League of Nations", really? You might want to investigate that.

Catholic Baptisms Decline
http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news...tisms-decline/

Catholic Weddings Rates Plummets
http://www.osv.com/tabid/7621/itemid...riage-rat.aspx

Catholic Mass Attendance rates Fall
http://ncronline.org/news/catholics-...-church#table2

[slapshot]

Mom lives in a parallel universe, where people only see what they want to see. Must be a fascinating universe.

[Mom49of4]

Do you come to my parish church? If so then you can tell me I am wrong, slapshot.

[slapshot]

Do you come to my parish church? If so then you can tell me I am wrong, slapshot.

Are you referring to the mid-Atlantic Congress?

Attendance was down.

[Mom49of4]

How many Catholic churches have you attended?

[slapshot]

How many Catholic churches have you attended?

How many have you?

Enough to know the CC is losing followers. That be fact.

[Mom49of4]

You did not answer my question.

[slapshot]

You did not answer my question.

Nor did you.

[johnpolitics]

I was at mass yesterday and there are no signs in my opinion of the RCC losing ground. We are the league of nations. Quite impressive.

Your joking right? Ten to twenty years ago most churches had 3-4 Sunday masses. I know of RCC's in Baltimore City and AA church that offer ONE Sunday Mass. That is NOT a sign of a church GAINING ground.

The prejudice against allowing women being priest is sad. That's discrimination.

[Kenect2]

Then there is nothing I could say to help you understand.

I'm sure you're right about that. But I'm not sure you understand why you defend the misogynistic RCC either.

[Kenect2]

What you really want is for the RCC to stop being the RCC. I worked for the Archdiocese of Washington many years ago and watched women hold positions of power.

For instance in the marriage tribunal women are now able to be judges. They can distribute communion and visit the sick.

As for not being priests does not mean they are considered lower beings.

Regarding the right to choose - if you think the church will change and allow abortions that will never happen.

You're fooling yourself if you think the RCC is giving women any positions of power. Preventing women from being priests shows that the RCC does not trust women to be spiritual leaders. That is utterly degrading. Look at how the Pope addressed his resignation to his "brothers." He doesn't even have to address women, because there are no women in the real positions of power in the Church.

[zenwalk]

Benedict smells the coffee. Change the guy at the top, make some fluffy fuzzy changes in policy and hope the spotlight gets dimmed as a result. The ugly truth about Rome is that the filthy money of the South American oligarchy keeps the church afloat. You want to torpedo the Church? Follow the money.

[ODENTON]

It seems the decline within the church would be much worst if not for Catholic immigrants, who some BTW call "illegal aliens".

"Nearly one-third of Americans who were raised Catholic no longer describe themselves as Catholics. Overall, American Catholic churches lost 5 percent of their membership during the last decade, and the decline would have been much steeper if not for the offsetting impact of Catholic immigrants from Latin America."


http://www.nationaljournal.com/polit...icism-20130211

[Wizard777]

I have many good memories of Pope John Paul II. But the most powerful memory I have of him is when he went to the window to address the crowd below. But he was too frail and weak to bear the burden of speaking. So God held his voice for him. Benedict XVI has also accomplished some very good things. But if he cannot let the world love him in his declining years. Then maybe it is for the best that he resign. But I would also hope that the new Pope would make it his first order of business to find out why he cannot accept the love the people of the world have for him. To help him discover and feel that world of love. It's not always about what you can do or do for others. Sometimes it's just about the good person you are. I will pray for him. God bless him.

[georjec2]

The true reason the Pope is resigning is clearly shown in his eyes. The mid stage of Alzheimer's. Alzhemer cares nothing about religion, political affiliation or whether one is good or bad. As of today 's medical science No One is guaranteed safe from it's ravages except maybe people under the age of thirty.

[Mom49of4]

georjec2, I heard that possibility mentioned yesterday on the news. It would not surprise me at all.

[slapshot]

The true reason the Pope is resigning is clearly shown in his eyes. The mid stage of Alzheimer's. Alzhemer cares nothing about religion, political affiliation or whether one is good or bad. As of today 's medical science No One is guaranteed safe from it's ravages except maybe people under the age of thirty.

Astute observation.

[octoburn]

georjec2, I heard that possibility mentioned yesterday on the news. It would not surprise me at all.

And if true it would make his decision to resign all the more admirable and selfless.

[Calamari]

What is so strenuous about his job?

This just seems odd.

[bullmikey]

Lots of children are forced to be Catholics by their parents.

Isn't that true of just about every religion? Also, the Catholic Church lets you quit without issuing a death warrant over the matter. To compare the worst of Roman Catholicism with the worst of Islam makes for a pretty weak comparison indeed. But the one outstanding aspect is that you can always quit and join some church that is more to your liking. There is a great deal of diversity within Christianity (which is why I think it is all mostly hocus-pocus and that Jesus wouldn’t recognize any of it should he actually manage some sort of Second Coming) and if you look hard enough there is usually something for everyone. Wasn’t there a thread on here the other day boasting a “queer” Christ and a “queer” Christianity? Try preaching a “queer” Mohammed and see where that gets you among the still breathing.

As far as I am concerned, organized religion is a brokerage for people who find their faith hard to come by on terms of me and thee. They need it brokered to them by some middle agency, and there are plenty of those middle agencies out there, catering to just about every taste, and more than willing to make a handsome living on our inability to deal with God face to face. But to each his or her own, I say, just as long as it doesn’t interfere with me or mine.

But it’s incredulous to compare the plight of women in the Catholic Church to the plight of women under Islam as it prevails in many parts of the world. It’s amazing what Catholic women can get away with without being stoned or having their throats slit.

It's difficult to understand why any woman would defend such a misogynistic institution as the RCC. I guess maybe it's some kind of habit.

Or maybe it is because women are not all one-dimensional or so thoroughly afflicted by the hive mentality you seem to think they possess. Perhaps some value their faith over this or that agenda. After all, a lot of women seem to like Islam well enough as well, right? How can that be? So maybe it just is and we should stop trying to squeeze them into some pre-conceived mold. Just my two cents suggesting what might pass for an explanation.