keeping a finger on the pulse of my friends page

[zyzyly]

[Poll #478275]

Comments

[kappuchino.livejournal.com]

I honestly don't know yet, but I'd rather go "Yay!" than any of the other choices.

[fried-pearl.livejournal.com]

I am not Catholic, so it doesn't affect me directly. I expected they would go with a "transitional" pope who is conservative. No boat rocking for at least a few more years!
I did feel that Pope John Paul was the embodiment of love, whether I agreed with his beliefs or not. He was a truly holy man. There are few of those.

[her-whispers.livejournal.com]

i am disappointed they chose another very conservative pope. disappointed, but not suprised.

i am disappointed that already the media is trying to tear him to shreds by reporting his time spent in the Hitler Youth.

M.

[noetic-toe.livejournal.com]

FWIW, I would be in the Yay-to-Overjoyed end of the spectrum.

I love Fr. Guido Sarducci.

[imgomez.livejournal.com]

My wife and I are pretty active in social justice/antiwar/GLBT issues and have many allies in progressive Catholic churches. The Church has done such wonderful, compassionate work to meet the needs of so many, it is sad and frustrating for them and for us when official policy seems to contradict Jesus's teachings of love, compassion, respect and forgiveness.

[superbbluewren.livejournal.com]

My wife and I would have to agree!

[bravencrazy.livejournal.com]

Agreed. While I'm not surprised at their choice, it is a shame they keep going in this misguided direction.

[stupid-freshman.livejournal.com]

i heard his birthday was yesterday

[fulguritus.livejournal.com]

things aren't as good as they could be. the church still supports some things that i think could be modernized (women in the church, married clergy etc.)
but i think that Pope Benedict xvi will try to clean up some of the uncool stuff that's been going on.
and i'm fine with the church gov't being centralized, it's worked alright for the last 25 years.

i think that as a transitional pope, he'll do nicely. he is 78, how many years can we possibly have him around. i'd be surprised if he were anywhere near as influential as pope john paul II.

i'm 29, i remember no other pope. my dad died when i was 10, and my parish preist died about 5 years ago, the one i'd known since 1st grade, and then the pope died, all the big authority/father figures are gone now. i'm sad, but in some weird not fully grokked way, i'm freer(?) maybe? i don't know.
i do know that i cried with the world when he died.(well those who cried anyway)

i'm inspired to move my life more in line with a god centric path. whatever that may be. i'll just go as i'm called.

[seraphimsigrist.livejournal.com]

I guess I hope it is the best choice or at least
that it can work for the best within the Providence of
God. I think he is surely a good man, but if I were one
of the electors(making that stretch of imagination) I doubt
that I would have voted for him but... may the Lord's Will
be done.

[waning-estrogen.livejournal.com]

no opinion

[mylo-xyloto.livejournal.com]

I said "grrr" rather than "worst choice possible", because I don't know much about the other candidates. I do think it's very sad that the Catholic church haven't taken the opportunity to pick someone who's more forward-thinking, though.

[detroitfather.livejournal.com]

For me, Benedict XVI was the best possible choice.

As Cardinal, he extended his (official) friendship/greeting to a struggling minority of Traditional Anglicans (Anglican Communion Network).

That, and he will keep the Roman Church from going to the dogs. I will be praying daily for his health, strength, and long life.

[deeder55.livejournal.com]

I can't believe they elected a guy who thinks the Beatles and AC/DC are the Devil's music. It seems like the church is going out of its way to undo the good of Vatican II. I'm not thrilled with the choice, but considering I haven't really considered myself Catholic in about seven years I'm not losing too much sleep over it.

They should have elected Guido Sarducci. Is that guy still around?

[rzr-grl.livejournal.com]

I get your point, but... c'mon -- even *I* can understand thinking AC/DC is the Devil's music! "Hell's Bells/Satan's calling to you..."
I used to play that album at full volume to torture my poor Baptist mother.

[worldcomrade.livejournal.com]

I hoped for a South American Pope. It's the big controversial issues like women's role in the church, homosexuality, and birth control that worry me.

Hopefully, the very important work for the poor that John Paul II undertook will be continued.

Seeing Benedict XVI yesterday, I thought he looked as if he cared and was concerned. That's a very important quality. I hope it will guide him.

[ms-priestypants.livejournal.com]

I would like to qualify my grrr with my serious misgivings about this man's proven record in dealing with issues particularly important to to developing nations like Africa and Latin America, like honest AIDS education. I knwo contraception goes against Roman Catholicism but I think it is morally reprehensible to refuse to acknowledge that condoms prevent the transmission of HIV in a country where 1 in 4 adults is dying of it.

That's not my Jesus.

[jscottharris.livejournal.com]

Let's just say I'm not... surprised. So much not the Church I converted to in 1969 (our parish even had a married priest).

[ex-muzer409.livejournal.com]

Had a huge "discussion" about this earlier today. I hope to be surprised, because I think this is a suckathonic choice. So much for "divine inspiration," as opposed to self-serving bureaucracy in action, once again. (Am I a pill? Sure!)

[peregrinus236.livejournal.com]

Don't know enough about the man, and am aware that the office often transforms the inhabitant. But I was hoping for someone more surprising or off-beat. However, in the long run, this really doesn't affect my life one way or the other. Somehow the mystery has gone out of religion for me - and I'm actually getting tired of all the coverage and conjecture. I hope he does something to surprise and elate the world, but I expect the same ol' same ol'.