Just A Guy In Rome
With a stupid hat and a bulletproof golf cart:
In a bow to the huge U.S. Hispanic population and the Catholic Church’s advocacy of immigration, Pope Francis plans to give his Washington Mass Sept. 23 in Spanish, according to Cardinal Donald William Wuerl. “The Mass is going to be in Spanish,” Wuerl said Wednesday while previewing the pope’s trip to reporters. “It’s a recognition of how large the Hispanic population in the United States is,” said Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington. “And he’s coming as the first pope from the New World and the predominant language in this hemisphere is Spanish.”
My notoriously atheist father said one time that he knew nothing about God, but he was sure God wasn’t Catholic.
I don’t know what that means, but I think I’m starting to.
As for myself, I’ve never liked the Pope much. When I was 9 or 10, JPII came to LA and the wall-to-wall coverage of every aspect of his multi-day visit was nauseating. They showed his plane sitting on the tarmac at LAX for four hours on every local channel. Then, finally, a covered stairway rolled up, and the viewers at home still saw nothing but the newscasters wet themselves with the idea that the Pope was in there somewhere. Days of newscopters following his motorcade to and fro, seeing nothing but the tops of his vans, the walls of his barricades, the exterior of his hotels, the exteriors of every building he happened to be occupying at any given moment; it was beyond ridiculous especially since news wasn’t a 24/7 enterprise back then.
All that with a Pope that was by all accounts a good man.
Now, with this communist, race-baiting piece of shit, what in the Hell is the Pope good for?
Vicar of Christ?
Not found through the politics of men.
But I can’t wait to write the headline: “Our Simple Affirmative Action President Meets Their Simple Affirmative Action Pope”.
Ready to go.
Rollin' Like Sisyphus 
The last several popes haven’t been all that good. A sign of the times, if popes… have problems. All elites have problems. Either they are ready for it, aimed for it, mean to use it (a very bad thing), or they aren’t any of those things (as bad or worse as the previous, depending on the day). For myself, as a Catholic, I have learned to not worry, too much, about the pope. Yes, seriously. I understand he is just, well, like the US president is for Americans… only of course of a spiritual nature. A man one hopes those who have to deal with his flaws and goodness can survive, but often a failed hope. When they put Christ on the cross, you knew it was going to go downhill. Given who put Him on that cross, it’s not like it was great.
Since Adam gave up being his own man and chose sin there has never been a good option. Pope is bad? Good chance of it. But so is your local five-and-dime preacher, your snake-oil salesman of whatever spiritual bent, and the rest. Hell, if you want to see revisionist spiritual failure, you don’t have to travel. Go into the bathroom and look in the mirror.
Still, I was called to Catholicism. I was a bit dismayed with some of it, but the faith itself is good. Just so long as I don’t hand it to some idiot in a pointy hat and dress. Come on! Just as, being an American, I don’t base my citizenship on a man, of any color or creed, who probably doesn’t know the constitution or bill of rights, nor would he support them if he did. Have whatever faith you wish, just understand the value of that faith comes down to you, and perhaps the tenants and teachings of that faith. For me, Catholicism, at least traditional (not what is being offered, mostly, today) is good. But with this pope, and 60% voting for Zero and for homosexual “marriage”… But then… look around at the polls in your church, talk to your pastor/preacher and get to know what he now believes, look at the hierarchy of your church. You WILL find corruption.
Believe as you wish. But I would search my own faith before pointing fingers. Unless you can’t handle the truth. I have definitely looked over my faith, kicked the tires, and made some hard choices. I kept the baby, tossed the bathwater. I reckon you ought to do the same.
But I would search my own faith before pointing fingers
I’m pointing fingers at nothing beyond a joke of a man desperately courting a cohort that takes out more than it puts into the collection plates.
The man’s desperation is palpable, and it seems to me that the story of the Catholic church for decades is one of constantly capitulating to the demands of a fallen world that it’s supposed to be a bulwark against.
But I can say the same about the Anglicans, the Methodists, the Baptists, the Jews and a host of others. As you say, that’s a corruption of Man, not a corruption of God and I agree completely.
And commentary on my part that presses beyond this would be made in ignorance, so I’ll leave it at that.
Exhibit A:
DESESPERADO.
Hmm? I missed these responses. Anyway…
Looks like you are bitching about the Catholic church following the path of the other churches to me. The denominations chose to support birth control around the turn of the last century, and abortion shortly after that. Then they started becoming inclusive (in a more mainstream way) of sins such as homosexuality, promiscuity, and much else while allowing women, and others, into the church hierarchy.
Sure, since Vatican II, the Catholic church has rolled downhill at a every quickening pace, but it hasn’t even come close to catching up to the other churches… yet. As to immigrants? All American churches are pushing that. Most for corporate and government handouts and approval. The Catholic church has those things, but also more “Catholics” in the US. Those Catholics aren’t actually even really Christian, though, in truth. But money is money, I guess, which is why the Mafia chooses the Catholic church. Then again, who chooses the Episcopal, Presbyterian, and various other churches. Quite often those are just fronts for secular and political, even criminal, orgs. Which one, for example, claims NAMBLA? Bleh.
Grew up Catholic but it never did anything for me. Met Jesus in college, faith destroyed by academia and restored by prayer and study. The experience taught me to not trust men and not doubt God.
Not a Catholic nor anything else, really. Just a sinner saved by grace.
Grew up Catholic but it never did anything for me. Met Jesus in college, faith destroyed by academia and restored by prayer and study. The experience taught me to not trust men and not doubt God.
Not a Catholic nor anything else, really. Just a sinner saved by grace.
Sounds like good company to me. I don’t even mind an honestly agnostic man, if I will always have some doubts. If he is honest, he probably has doubts about me, too. I outright disrespect atheists as liars and muslims as evil, but the rest, if they honestly seek, I will make time to hear.
I’m not really looking for a faith, though, that “does something for me”. I went looking for the truth, and to be honest, I found it, tried to flee from it, but got stuck, as far as I can tell. The truth, that’s… all I was looking for, until I found it but thought it too much. Got trapped because I couldn’t run, and couldn’t deny it… as I see things. So, that’s why I am Catholic. But that’s me. You are you. Actually, I am harder on “fellow” Catholics who have gone astray than most others. To my mind, they should know better. To my mind, those who have a greater access to the fuller truth are more culpable (no offense, save to Cino’s).
The experience taught me to not trust men and not doubt God
Would that we were all capable of learning this lesson.