Is anybody else weirded out by this whole Pope thing?

I was going to be snarky, then I read you post. Huh, maybe, but we'll have to see if he never actually leaves the vatican. Actually, how much traveling abroad has GW done, he can't be very popular most places.

Are you really defending pedophilia?

@barrock: I think all crimes and those doing the crimes should be regarded equally, plain and simple; the question isn't if what was done is wrong but rather if the crime is equivalent to starvation or genocides in third world countries; which quite plainly it isn't. Devote your attention where it can actually do some good; the Pope is untouchable, get over it.

I'm a Jew so I don't really care about this, but for many Christians this is supposed to be a significant moment. Apparently it's one of the signs that the anti-christ will be coming soon. I don't know what to make of that.

As for child abuse alligations, I don't think the Pope is resigning because of that. It no doubt does happen within the Catholic church (which could be easily solved if they allowed priests go marry women) but there isn't any evidence that the Pope was involved with it. I think he's just ill.

So you think petty theft should be regarded as equal to murder? That's a really stupid way of looking at crime. Clergy-related Pedophilia takes the most vulnerable and naive members of society, who have been taught all their lives that they're completely safe within the church, and rips their worldview in half. These dudes are RAPING CHILDREN, bro. Don't toss around bullshit hypotheticals like "he could murder a thousand children in Africa and no one would care." because it's pretty fucking evident that the only people who don't care about the actvities of clergymen are clergymen. I suggest you watch the HBO documentary "Mea Maxima Culpa" as it's painfully and insultingly obvious you know very little about the absolute destruction pedophilia wreaks on a childs psyche.

@mariachimacabre: No, quite the opposite actually. In the vein of Utilitarianism and John Stuart Mill; wherever the most damage is inflicted is where your attention should be drawn. Okay, something is wrong with Catholic Priests, what are you going to do about it? What could you possibly do about it? Alternatively people are starving to death and you can actually actively contribute on that front; dissent with no repercussion is meaningless and fruitless; if you want to riot and throw fruit at the Pope go ahead and give it a shot, but idle words aren't going to do anything.

Can't a motherfucker just be sick?

Just because the tragedy of famine exists does not mean we should let these human pieces of filth go unpunished. Humanity is capable of multitasking. There are 7 billion of us. We can focus on more than a single cause. I want starvation and disease eliminated from the world too but we're nowhere near technologically advanced enough to do these things now. We are advanced enough to stand up to the Vatican and demand answers and punishment for those involved.

Are those that condemn the Catholic Church just as ready to condemn the USA? Read up on Unit 731 and what the US did for those monsters and tell me which one is worse?

I'm not saying that the church doesn't deserve derision, frankly both situations disgust me to the point where I get nauseous. But these are established and powerful entities in the world, is it possible to hate them and not hate them at the same time? I want the people responsible for these crimes and those that protect them to be punished appropriately, but there is simply no avenue of doing so since we are talking about the most powerful organisations in the world that have extensive networks of people that depend on them and are ready to protect them at any cost.

All I can do is acknowledge that people are capable of unthinkable cruelty, that there are monsters out there that will get away with what they've done, all you have to do is have value to people in power and you can get away with literally anything. It's an incredibly depressing thought though so I try to distract and remind myself of all the incredible care and kindness people do.

Yes. But so was John Paul II and I would argue he was even more ill. For 600 years before Palpatine the expectation was to serve until death. It's supposed to be a life of sacrifice, not convenience. Even with the fancy real estate, the best doctors, and pretty much 10 centuries of horded money it's supposed to be a life of sacrifice. You do it until you die. That is the point.

600 years is the last time this happened. It isn't just about illness otherwise they would have made John Paul II step down and die in peace instead of being wheeled out only to gurgle during prayer. If it is about illness then Benedict XVI is a fucking lazy bum that has neglected his duty. If it isn't then plan for the worst and hope for the best. I'd rather he have a male lover over being involved more in the child abuse scandal, for obvious reasons.

But where is that written that you should pope until you're dead? The wording was intended as a joke, but the question is serious. Why can't the guy just realize that he can't continue doing the best job, so he should step down and find someone else? Tradition is nice and all, but none of that is anywhere in the Bible, is it?

And another rumor going around is Alzheimer's. That would make sense.

The Catholic Church is a descending pyramid of weirdness to me. I think the fact that it forces celibacy on grown men, fosters and harbors child predators, claims to have a leader who receives messages directly from God, and shrouds its spirituality in gaudy pomp and materialism are all far weirder than the fact that their 85 year old figurehead wants to retire. Precedent notwithstanding, there's nothing weird about that at all to me.