Bob Harris rocks
Apr. 7th, 2005 10:03 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
catsidheBob Harris highlights one of the problems I have with the meshigas over Karol Józef Wojtyła (who he has become again after ceasing to be Papa Johannes Paulus II, or indeed, to be).
My thoughts? Well, since you asked so nicely...
He was a man. He said what he thought, and thought about things more deeply than most. He didn't have much else to do, it seems, as Ratzinger practically ran the place anyway. (It seems Ratzinger, head of theHoly Inquisition Office of the Doctrine of the Faith, is a lead runner for the next Papa. I'm shocked.) He was not a hypocrite, which is high praise. He said a lot of things with which I personally disagreed with, but that is no surprise, because so do most people. Not all of the things which came out in the name of The Church can be hung on him, such as the half-arsed 'apology' to Jews, witches and pagans for, well, most of the middle ages, but the Burning Times and Pogroms in particular. (Ask me about that one if you're brave enough. I've read it, insofar as it is possible to.)
The media madness, well, he was the putative leader of a billion people1, and he died, and it has been more than thirty years since the last time a pope died, and he was the first non-italian pope for ever such a long time, and ... umm, yeah. But as for newsworthyness, the news was/is: 1) He is really sick. 2) He is about to die. 3) He is dead. 4) Lots of people are lining up to see him lying in state. (Sideline on traffic restrictions and tent cities in Rome.) You are here. 5) He is buried. Lots of important people are there, and also several million Catholics. 6) Politics and shenanigans as the Cardinals jostle before they disappear in camera. 7) There is a puff of white smoke. The fun begins afresh. What we don't need is the vituperation (much of which should rightfully go to the Organisation of the Church, and Ratzinger personally, IMAO), or the hagiographies. Indeed, there have already been calls for sanctification. Good Gods, he's barely cold!
feh. One day my opinion of Humankind will find a counter-example.
In other news, it seems The Age did not find my letter juicy or controversial enough to print after all. Oh, well. At least some people saw it.
[1] To take Pterry out of context, though, while he was in theory their absolute leader, in practice when he spoke it seems most Catholics said 'what?', or argued, but at least they had to listen.
My thoughts? Well, since you asked so nicely...
He was a man. He said what he thought, and thought about things more deeply than most. He didn't have much else to do, it seems, as Ratzinger practically ran the place anyway. (It seems Ratzinger, head of the
The media madness, well, he was the putative leader of a billion people1, and he died, and it has been more than thirty years since the last time a pope died, and he was the first non-italian pope for ever such a long time, and ... umm, yeah. But as for newsworthyness, the news was/is: 1) He is really sick. 2) He is about to die. 3) He is dead. 4) Lots of people are lining up to see him lying in state. (Sideline on traffic restrictions and tent cities in Rome.) You are here. 5) He is buried. Lots of important people are there, and also several million Catholics. 6) Politics and shenanigans as the Cardinals jostle before they disappear in camera. 7) There is a puff of white smoke. The fun begins afresh. What we don't need is the vituperation (much of which should rightfully go to the Organisation of the Church, and Ratzinger personally, IMAO), or the hagiographies. Indeed, there have already been calls for sanctification. Good Gods, he's barely cold!
feh. One day my opinion of Humankind will find a counter-example.
In other news, it seems The Age did not find my letter juicy or controversial enough to print after all. Oh, well. At least some people saw it.
[1] To take Pterry out of context, though, while he was in theory their absolute leader, in practice when he spoke it seems most Catholics said 'what?', or argued, but at least they had to listen.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2005-04-06 05:36 pm (UTC)"This man is an Ex Pope!
He has Ceased to be! etc etc etc..."
*waits for lightning bolt*
There's a dead bishop on the landing!
Date: 2005-04-06 05:41 pm (UTC)Not a God-like foot from the heavens?
Re: There's a dead bishop on the landing!
Date: 2005-04-06 05:51 pm (UTC)Whats the difference?
Hell...Id even be happy with a displaced eyeball!!
(no subject)
Date: 2005-04-06 07:30 pm (UTC)Cheer up. Current saint-making practice requires that a potential saint:
a) have been dead for at least five years
b) have two verified miracles - usually healings, and advancing medical understanding makes those less likely each year - to their credit.
c) have previously been beatified by the Pope (which, IIRC, requires two verified miracles also, for a grand total of four)
d) successfully navigate the increasingly political nature of the bureacracy that oversees saint-making.
The Beatiful JPII
Date: 2005-04-06 08:10 pm (UTC)b) I have already seen claims of at least one miraculous healing, dating to during his lifetime. (Spontaneous Cancer remission in a child, in Northern Italy, IIRC.) It is, admittedly, a little soon for post-mortem miracles to have been noticed, yet.
c) Ah, here's where we may find some hope for sanity. Even if Ratzinger gets the funny hat, I'm not sure what his policy is on beatifying everything that moves (and some things that don't).
d) I suspect that the beaurocracy moves somewhat differently when their current boss is calling explicitely for their former boss to get the treatment. Again, here is a hope for sanity.
Wouldn't it be ironic, though, for the single most prolific Sanctifier and Beatifier since the Dark Ages to himself be Sanctified? No, wait, not 'ironic'... what's the word?... oh yeah: 'weird'. Definitely Weird. And possibly recursive.
Re: The Beatiful JPII
Date: 2005-04-06 08:18 pm (UTC)Also, I'm not 100%, but I think the miracles must also be post-mortem.