Pope Benedict Announces Resignation

[Gob]

ROTFLMFFAO!! I was kidding, but.....

The Catholic Church has attacked as "tasteless and immoral" those bookmakers who are offering odds on which cardinal will succeed Pope John Paul II.
Two betting firms have responded to the Pope's recent bouts of ill health by opening books on his likely successor.

The current favourite with the bookmakers Paddy Power and Betfair is Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi, the Archbishop of Milan, a conservative with rigid views on sexual ethics. Punters are offered odds of 2 to 1 on Archbishop Tettamanzi with Paddy Power, which is based in Ireland and London, and 37 to 13 with Betfair, an online company.

The Catholic Church and religious groups say any speculation should be left until after the Pope's death.

The Rt Rev Thomas McMahon, the Catholic Bishop of Brentwood, said: "I do not find this [betting] either acceptable or moral.

"The present Pope is still alive and is very strong; to speculate on what will happen after his death is distasteful. Besides, the Holy Spirit can choose the most unexpected candidates."

Pope John Paul II was elected in 1978 when his predecessor, John Paul I, died after only 34 days in office.

Martyn Eden, a director of the Evangelical Alliance, a cross-denominational organisation that represents a million Christians in Britain, said: "This betting is so grossly tatty and tasteless. The outcome of the next papal election is of enormous international significance. We should be praying for the right choice, not looking to make money from it."

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the Archbishop of Westminster, is an outsider at 20 to 1 with Paddy Power and 33 to 2 with Betfair. He is, however, ahead of Father Dougal Maguire, a character in the comedy series Father Ted, who is renowned for his slow-wittedness. Dougal is listed at 1,000 to 1 by Paddy Power.

Paddy Power, the owner of the eponymous bookmakers, insisted that offering odds on the next Pope was "in the public interest".

A spokesman for Betfair said: "We respond to customer demands and at the moment we have received more requests than complaints."

William Hill, one of Britain's largest bookmakers, said that it would not open a book, on the grounds of taste. A spokesman said: "You can't resign from the papacy, so it is hardly the same as betting on a football manager's job."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... -Pope.html

[oldr_n_wsr]

We'll bet on anything.
although the only game I play is Craps, and an occassional poker game with AA buddies

[RayThom]

Let's see, the popester is to resign from office on February 28th and I'm pretty sure he'll survive that. I do, however, see his health declining rapidly so I'm guessing he's going to go out making kind of a ritualized statement by shuffling off this mortal coil on Easter, March 31.

So, does anyone else want to jump into the pool? Winner will receive a personalized papal bull absolving that person of all past mortal sin involving eating meat on Friday.

Dominus vobiscum... go in peace.

[Econoline]

Dominus vobiscum....

Et conspiracy tuo...

[Guinevere]

Hey Scooter, Boston.com reports the Italian press is "floating" Cardinal O'Malley as a possible Pope. Since you're watching the Italian press, what have you seen?

http://www.boston.com/metrodesk/2013/02 ... story.html

John Allen, the widely read and respected Vatican correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter, blogged Tuesday that buzz is growing in the Italian press about the possibility of Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Boston, being elected pope.

Although many Vatican analysts say the prospects for an American pope remain low because of the immense geopolitical power the United States already holds on the world stage, Allen calls the prospect “thinkable” this time because America is no longer the only superpower.

While most of the US press has focused on Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, as a possible candidate, Allen writes, Italian journalists keep mentioning the 68-year-old O’Malley, “partly on the strength of his profile as a reformer on the church’s sexual abuse scandals, and partly because of his Capuchin simplicity as a perceived antidote to the Vatican’s reputation for intrigue and power games.”

Asked at a news conference last week about whether he would be interested in the job, O’Malley, who, as a cardinal, will travel to the Vatican to vote for the next pope, said with a laugh, “I haven’t lost any sleep about it, and I have bought a round-trip ticket, so I’m counting on coming home.”

[Econoline]

When you think about it, the papacy's only real competitor in obsolescent, anachronistic pomp and circumstance (not to mention clothing and accessories) is the British monarchy.

[oldr_n_wsr]

Whatever the Catholic church wants to do is fine with me. Being a "recovering Catholic" (Thank Steve for that phrase) I don't really care. So the guy resigned. Better he lead without sound mind or body?

[Sean]

When you think about it, the papacy's only real competitor in obsolescent, anachronistic pomp and circumstance (not to mention clothing and accessories) is the British monarchy.

The big difference being that there aren't millions of people around the world who live their lives according to the Monarchy's outdated and often ridiculous views...

[Sean]

Dominus vobiscum....

Translates as, "Which bastard ate the last custard cream?"

[Gob]

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss....

The African cardinal widely tipped to be the first black pope in modern history faced a firestorm of criticism last night after he laid the blame for clerical sex abuse crises at the feet of gay priests.



Cardinal Peter Turkson, who comes from Ghana, told an American journalist that similar sex scandals would never convulse churches in Africa because the culture was inimical to homosexuality. ‘African traditional systems kind of protect or have protected its population against this tendency,’ he told Christiane Amanpour of CCN.

‘Because in several communities, in several cultures in Africa homosexuality or for that matter any affair between two sexes of the same kind, are not countenanced in our society,’ he continued. ‘So that cultural taboo, that tradition has been there,’ said Cardinal Turkson, 64. ‘It has served to keep it out.’

As the head of a major Vatican department – the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace - Cardinal Turkson is ranked as the 5/2 second favourite to take the papal crown when a Conclave of Cardinals meets next month to elect a successor to Pope Benedict XVI, who announced his abdication last week on the grounds of ill health
Catholics throughout the African continent and the developing world are praying that he will be chosen ahead of the Italian Cardinal Angelo Scola, the Archbishop of Milan, who Paddy Power has made its 9/4 favourite. But his public comments blaming homosexual priests in for the sexual abuse of many hundreds of children in Europe, the United States and Australia mean his election would be severely criticised in the West.

[Joe Guy]

Perfect choice for Pope.

Let's pick a name for him.

How about "Pope Bias"?

"Pope Homophobe"?

Anyone else have an idea?

[RayThom]

I would love to see Cardinal Turkson elevated to this most high position. White Roman Catholics worldwide would be horribly scarred and conflicted.

"Yo,yo... I was born to make mistakes, not to fake perfection. Feel me? Praise Jesus." C-P'Turk.

[Big RR]

When you think about it, the papacy's only real competitor in obsolescent, anachronistic pomp and circumstance (not to mention clothing and accessories) is the British monarchy.

The big difference being that there aren't millions of people around the world who live their lives according to the Monarchy's outdated and often ridiculous views...

I'm not so sure, didn't the queen's representative (the governor general of Australia) dismiss the prime minister and appoint a new one in the 70s? And didn't the people in Australia just choose to accept it?

[Gob]

Here you go BigRR, some information;

The 1975 Australian constitutional crisis (sometimes called "the Dismissal") has been described as the greatest political crisis and constitutional crisis in Australia's history. It culminated on 11 November 1975 with the removal of the Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), by Governor-General Sir John Kerr. Kerr then appointed the Leader of the Opposition, Malcolm Fraser, as caretaker Prime Minister.

Whitlam's Labor government had been elected in 1972 with a small majority in the House of Representatives, but with the Opposition controlling the Senate. Another election in 1974 resulted in little change. While the Whitlam Government introduced many new policies and programs, it was also rocked by scandals and political miscalculations. In October 1975, the Opposition used its control of the Senate to defer passage of appropriation bills, or supply, which finance governmental operations and which had been passed by the House of Representatives. The Opposition stated that they would continue to do so unless Whitlam called an election for the House of Representatives and urged Kerr to dismiss Whitlam unless he agreed to their demand. Whitlam believed that Kerr would not dismiss him, and Kerr did nothing to disabuse Whitlam.

On 11 November 1975, Whitlam intended to call a half-Senate election in an attempt to break the deadlock. When he went to seek Kerr's approval of the election, Kerr instead dismissed him as Prime Minister, and shortly thereafter installed Fraser in his place. Acting quickly before all ALP parliamentarians became aware of the change of government, Fraser and his allies were able to secure passage of the appropriation bills, and Kerr dissolved Parliament for a double dissolution election. Fraser and his government were returned with a massive majority.

The events of the Dismissal led to only minor constitutional change. The Senate retains its power to block supply, and the Governor-General the power to dismiss the Government. However, those powers have not been exercised again. Kerr was widely criticised by ALP supporters for his actions, resigned early as Governor-General, and lived much of his remaining life abroad. Though Kerr, who died in 1991, continues to be reviled in some quarters, Whitlam and Fraser later reconciled.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1975_Austr ... nal_crisis

Nowt to do with Brenda.

[Big RR]

Thanks Gob; what I find interesting is that the governor genral still retains that power. That position is an appointed one, correct?

[Gob]

That's right.


(Hen got presented with a medal by the last GG.)

[dgs49]

Political correctness revisited: It is gauche and unacceptable to "notice" that pedophile priests prey exclusively on boys - that is, people of the same gender as they are. But God forbid anyone using the word, "homosexual" to describe them.

[Scooter]

Because most of them probably aren't. They preyed on boys because priests had many opportunities to be alone with boys (altar boys, coaching sex-segregated sports, teaching in all boys schools) and almost no such opportunities with girls. The same as prison rapists who choose other male inmates as their victims precisely because there aren't any women around. Surely you aren't stupid enough to think that most men who rape in prison are homosexual. Then why would you believe it of rapist priests?

It's a fallacy that applies to other types of child sexual abuse as well, that the sex of the victim bears any relationship to the sexual orientation of the predator. It doesn't, child sexual abuse is a crime of opportunity, and most of those who prey on children will take their victims as they are able to find them, regardless of their sex.

[Big RR]

I only homosexual males preyed on young boys your point may have some validity; but since rape is a crime of power and force, many non homosexuals will do the same thing to exert their dominance over young males for a variety of reasons.. Indeed, the same is seen in prisons among persons who are just taking advantage of what is there. while there may well be some sexual release, it is primarily a crime to dominate, and often humiliate.

Scooter--you beat me to it.

[Gob]

Who'd've thunk it?

Pope Benedict XVI resigned after an internal investigation informed him about a web of blackmail, corruption and gay sex in the Vatican, Italian media reports say.


Three cardinals were asked by Benedict to verify allegations of financial impropriety, cronyism and corruption exposed in the so-called VatiLeaks affair.

The cardinals were said to have uncovered an underground gay network, whose members organise sexual meetings in several venues in Rome and Vatican City.

On December 17, 2012, they handed the pontiff two red-leather bound volumes, almost 300 pages long, containing "an exact map of the mischief and the bad fish" inside the Holy See, La Repubblica said.

"It was on that day, with those papers on his desk, that Benedict XVI took the decision he had mulled over for so long," said the centre-left newspaper. It said its article was the first of a series.

Panorama, a conservative weekly, did not speculate about the motives behind Benedict's resignation, but its story about the contents of the confidential report was broadly similar.

Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi refused to "run after fantasies and opinions" and warned reporters: "Don't expect comments or rebuttals of what is being said on this issue."

La Repubblica quoted a man described as "very close" to the authors as saying the information it contained was "all about the breach of the sixth and seven commandments" - which say "thou shalt not commit adultery" and "thou shalt not steal".

The cardinals were said to have uncovered an underground gay network, whose members organise sexual meetings in several venues in Rome and Vatican City, leaving them prone to blackmail.

The secret report also delves into suspect dealings at the Institute for Religious Works (IOR), the Vatican's bank, where a new chairman was appointed last week after a nine-month vacancy, La Repubblica said, without going into details.

The newspaper said Benedict would personally hand the confidential files to his successor, with the hope he will be "strong, young and holy" enough to take the necessary action.

The authors of the secret report will not take part in the conclave because they are over 80 years old, past the age limit for the meeting. But Panorama said they were likely to inform other cardinals about what they have uncovered.

Their findings "will condition the conclave" as it will have to elect "a pope immune to blackmail, so that he can start the clean-up operation that (Benedict) entrusted to his successor".



Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/world/vatican- ... z2La86WWlE