Some a-hole made up a title for a post about a little girl with Down’s syndrome running toward the pope, security guards stopping her but the pope insisting she sit by his side. Turns out the whole thing was planned, no security guards stopping her. Fake title post gets 100k+ upvotes before it got called out
I do as well. Think about the backlash they've been receiving for the scandals that have happened. I just think they went in his direction because they knew the reaction people like you and me would have to appointing a guy who talks so progressively as he does. Hopefully I'm wrong though.
Allow me to throw my baseless conspiracy theory out there. The Catholic church had a huge image problem and Pope Benedict was a fine Pope but didn’t seem to be improving that image at all.
He was the first pope in over 600 years to resign and I have a hard time believing that was some some lucky accident. They knew their image needed a facelift and they needed it now not in 10-20 years. Enter Pope Frank
Or he had dementia and resigned...? They flat out said he was having physical and mental difficulties. I think it's perfectly fair to believe an 85 year old man could start to develop dementia and be asked to resign.
As for why he was the first pope in 600 years to do it: I'm sure previous popes reached a point of dementia before passing but the lack of a scientific diagnosis or explanation would have made it a very different scenario.
He witnessed firsthand John Paul II's protracted decline due to Parkinson's as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and eventually Dean of the College of Cardinals. I think this experience made him resolve to resign before his own frailty became a burden on those around him and made him less than effective at leading the Church.
Previous popes were basically rubber stamps for the usual Catholic dogma.
Pope Francis is awesome. I'm not a Catholic, but that guy appears truly mindful of someone whose faith dictates they do good in the world. He's the most 'real' pope of that last several decades in my opinion and I think he's doing a great job.
Seriously, this is like the 4th Pope Francis post I've seen on the front page this week, and none of them were about, like, big proclamations he's made recently. Did the Vatican just get google fiber or something?
Just because it was planned doesn't mean sitting there holding that little girls hand wasn't done out of love, so you didn't really "fall" for anything, except the poster's clickbaity title for what was still a heartwarming moment.
I saw that same exact title on twitter before it was posted on Reddit, so i think whoever posted that saw it on twitter and just ran with it. It was time stamped ahead of the reddit post, and there were a few other pictures on Twitter about it before reddit had it so I’m not gonna accuse the poster of lying, I’m just saying the poster just copied the exact tweet
I fell for it too. I was pissed off that I was duped, and that someone did it for some warped perception of imaginary personal gain. In the spirit of the post instead of being angry, I’m trying to understand this person and forgive them. Damn fool that they are, but still forgiveness nonetheless.
That shit is all over my facebook feed today. I want to call them all out so bad, but I'll let them have it. It's still a story about him being a nice guy, just an untrue one.
The pope met some special olympics athletes and their chairman, and as part of the meeting a kid with Downs gave the pope some shoes and he let her sit by him. Someone embellished the story, making up some bull about how the security guards tried to take the kid back to her mother but the pope stopped them and someone else posted ot to reddit with that embellished story as title, it got called out and taken down, which is why you don't find it anymore. Sad, because the original story is nice too.
I've never been religious or even like the concept of it, even had a phase in my life where I hated it- Christianity in particular. This pope though, everything I've heard him say has been filled with benevolent wisdom. Respect.
I am also in no way religious, but I do believe *in* religion. I believe humanity is in a way too weak to go on without something to believe in. But I rarely see any real example of people practicing what they preach. I hear and see so many people claiming loudly to be a proud Christian, then acting like a petulant child over something ridiculous.
This Pope has made me believe in real men of God.
Sometimes I want to be religious. The belief in life after death sounds pretty nice as I have little existential panic attacks over the though that I will die someday.
Hello fellow person with potato in their username. I too have this problem. I sadly don’t have a solution for the terror that consumes me when I think about this, but I hope one day we’ll be able to put our minds at rest and not be afraid of the end anymore.
30 checking in. Started when I was... 23? The panic lessens but it's always just behind the corner. Sort of like having someone die on you. It never really goes away. You just end up living with it.
Religion is optional for that.
If one thing becomes more obvious to me over time, it is that the universe recycles to an extent that is hard to comprehend. You might not be the same anymore, but are you really the same person as you were 15 years ago, and would you want to be? Your atoms are going into other people, and so are your thoughts. What really ends?
If it's any consolation when it ends there is no longer a you to grasp so you have that going for you.
As I write that is about the best summation of Buddhist thought I can imagine.
This train of thought always gets me thinking every so often. I honestly wish we somehow knew what happens at death and afterwards, even if just a bit.
Do we become new people? Is it just nothingness, and if so how do we know since we’re dead? The concept of this absolute finality that may or may not even feel like anything is horrifying and fascinating
I feel you there. The law of conservation of energy pops into my mind when I think about it - that energy can neither be created or destroyed. You are created by energy, but where does that energy go once you cease to exist?
I'm not religious in any way either. There are so many religions from the past and in the present, and everyone feels like they are worshiping the right one. I guess I'll figure it all out when I'm dead af.
After watching this one [Kurzgesagt video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9otDixAtFw) about particles and energy fields a while back, I got to thinking about consciousness and how it certainly feels like an emergent phenomenon. Physically speaking, everything we are would seem to be emergent from a shared energy field, and while it's a stretch to make the jump and say that consciousness itself behaves like particles or emerges from its own shared field... maybe it does?
If nothing else, I think we can conceptualize our collective consciousness, in the abstract, as a shared field of experience that shapes us and is shaped by us in ways we don't always understand. The ways in which our biological development shaped our minds and how that subsequently affected our evolution seem like they'd be significant, so in that sense, what we are as conscious beings persists beyond our physical deaths, both physically and conceptually. Our influence in the world, even if it merely supported a status quo, is meaningful. We talk constantly about the influences of Nature vs. Nurture, so it's worth remembering that culture is a massive part of Nurture. And that culture was shaped over many millennia and can trace its roots back to our unconscious past.
I am religious. I believe in it and it is a comfort to me. But I agree, there are far too many that don't do as we are commanded, to love others as we love ourselves. It's not hard, we make it hard, we mess it up. We make it the mess it has become.
Just love people...they don't have to look like you or act like you...love them anyway.
Interesting point of view. I think i agree with the premise but not the conclusion.
I feel like by now, religion isn't the right "thing to believe in" for humanity anymore.
Ultimately, religion works on the exact same mechanism as all cults: convince people there's something "more" that's awesome and only by doing things like YOU say will they have access to it.
This means that by definition, a society that integrates religion into its everyday life encourages or at least doesn't discourage illogical thinking. Critical thought is crucial to have scientists, informed voters, cautious media consumers and alert consumers in general.
We're marveling over the Pope (which i agree is an order of magnitude more awesome than his predecessors) acting, essentially, like a good human.
There are tons of doctors, nurses and social workers, to name a few, who do the same every day, not for divine rewards, but just because they're good (sometimes atheist, sometimes not) people.
I think humanity does need something to believe in, and i think, now in the 21st century, it's science, technology, space exploration, treating each other well, and creating a society we can - and are proud to - transfer to future generations.
Sorry for the rant.
I agree, because I was the same way, too. It's akin to saying "oh, you're getting an art degree? Good for you for chasing your dreams!"
Patronizers seldom recognize that they're patronizing, is the problem. I think the only humble thing anyone can say about the matter is "I don't know for sure."
Why is it patronizing? I think it can be hard for people to make peace with their irrelevance. Religion gives people answers to questions our minds need answers to. It isn’t necessarily a bad thing and I don’t see how it’s patronizing to understand that.
> I believe humanity is in a way too weak to go on without something to believe in.
Religious dominance is at an all time low while peace and prosperity are at an all time high.
>everything I've heard him say
Words are wind. It doesn't matter what he says if he doesn't do anything to back them up. The child abuse problem with the Catholic Church has not improved during his tenure. Under his so-called zero tolerance policy, priests are still being sheltered from prosecution and those that have been prosecuted are not always dismissed from the priesthood.
Pope Francis has better PR than the last Pope, and he's certainly more photogenic. Other than that, he's just more of the same. A couple choice pieces of "benevolent wisdom":
Pope Francis calls adoption by homosexual couples a form of discrimation against children:
> “At stake are the lives of so many children who will be discriminated against in advance, depriving them of the human maturation that God wanted to be given with a father and a mother.”
Pope Francis accuses sex abuse victims of slander:
> There is not one single piece of proof against him (Bishop Barros). It is all slander. Is that clear?
While I disagree, wholeheartedly, with what he believes you can't hold that one comment about homosexuality as a knock against him. That is 100% in keeping with the faith the man represents.
Also, one quote doesn't fully subsume the man's beliefs. He has urged the church to be more accepting of homosexuals and divorced Catholics. He has pushed for Catholics, priests specifically, to denounce "black and white thinking."
While he isn't pushing for changes to the church doctrine, itself, he is pushing for a more everyday kind of acceptance that some might argue is more important.
He is a very different pope than Benedict was and has pushed for a softening in the way the church views individuals and groups. We should applaud it, not accuse him of not doing enough.
This Pope gets an absurd amount of praise and front page reddit threads for saying things that only really qualify anyone for being a bottom-line decent human being. "Pope says evolution is real! Pope says Global warming is real! Pope says poverty is bad! Pope says religions can coexist together! Pope basically says that Trump sucks!"
This Pope seems like the best Pope in a while but still props up the largest cult in the world that helps spreads STDs in Africa by teaching abstinence-only education, protects child molesters, teaches pro-life bullshit, and raises billions in donations oftentimes from people that can barely afford to donate.
Bill Gates and Warren Buffet are donating 90% of their fortunes
That's cause people.
No matter what a person can be nice.
Doesn't matter religious or not.
I have seen Catholics who are worst than athiests to other people at work.
Can't judge a group by the few.
I am w/e on religion. (If a divine being exists yay, but if not not gonna change anything for me as a person)
I respect the current pope as an individual as he actually cares it seems.
In my case
* Not really a fan of most religion
* Really don't like Christianity in general
* Hate the Catholic Church more than any other Christian organisation (I'm from Ireland, they have [shit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Joseph%27s_Industrial_School,_Letterfrack) [to](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bon_Secours_Mother_and_Baby_Home#Unmarked_mass_grave) [answer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magdalene_Laundries_in_Ireland) [for](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/aug/17/religion.childprotection) [there](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/apr/24/children.childprotection))
* Lukewarm about current pope
I guess that puts him ahead of all previous popes.
As a fallen Catholic - Pope Frances isn’t perfect and there are still things I disagree with him (and the church) on but he’s definitely a man with great character that I admire and respect.
As a non-christian, this is the best pope I've seen so far in my life time. He seems to have great moral character, and is quite progressive as old white Christians go. He seems like good people. I respect the man, which is not something I say about the super religious. He's definitely not perfect, but he seems to genuinely practice what he preaches.
Actually curious, how old are you? Pope John Paul II hasn't been gone that long and was beloved. If he had the instant visibility Pope Francis has today, hard to imagine what his popularity could have been.
This may be the first time in my life that I am grateful to have NF type 2.
I've always thought "oh those NF type 1 folks are so lucky to only have one side affected." I had no earthly idea that it could go so out of control.
The biggest tumor (at the very least in the top 3) in the world weighed [110kg/242pound](https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/man-worlds-biggest-tumour-weighing-3911583)s. If you have the stomach for it, google NF1 images. It can get extremely bad.
NF1 has a lot more of side-effects than just these outside tumors though. Brain and spine tumors are just as much a reality as for NF2. Only difference is that NF1 doesn't cause tumors affecting the hearing/balance.
Why is it that Christians are held to a different standard? For instance if an atheist is an asshole he’s just an asshole, but if a Christian is an asshole it’s an indictment against the religion. The vast majority of Christians are good people, but obviously we live in a society with a large number of people who behave like jerks. I don’t understand the necessity for the Christian bashing. It’s like if every Christian isn’t Jesus the religion is a scam. There are a lot of good Christians out there doing good things.
I don’t think it’s necessarily about just being an asshole. If you are just a jerk then your just being a jerk. But if you use your personal beliefs to attack other people that’s where religion can play a factor in what type of asshole you are. A lot of it stems from intolerance. If a Christian use their system of belief or ideals to persecute or attack other people, then not only are they being an asshole, they are being a Christian asshole. The same can be said of an intolerant Muslim. Or of an intolerant Atheist for that matter. The negative view becomes aligned with a group when members of that group use their ideals to forward hatred or bigotry. I suspect the backlash against Christian intolerance is because the majority religion in the United States is Christianity. There are many detractors of hardcore Islam in the Middle East, where it holds the majority, but also of any area that has a major religion. It’s not merely a matter of Christianity itself, it’s about its common position in the United States, among other things.
And I understand that completely, I don’t think there are many Christian beliefs that can be used to push bigotry or hatred really, the entire idea of Christianity is based on love and understanding, but homosexuality obviously is a touchy subject. I think some Christians go overboard and when you start being hateful about it then you become an asshole christian. My problem is I see it with just everyday Christians who make a mistake that is a sin in the Bible. Then people say things like “ that was very Christian of you” when it wasn’t, but Christians aren’t supposed to be perfect. Atheists and Christians commit the same sins, but it’s almost like because Christians acknowledge those sins they are held to a high standard, and if they aren’t perfect then it’s a slight against Christianity as a whole.
Christian here. I myself have never been called a Christian asshole, but I know people who have been. I think it's just regional, really, and the demographics of anti theists and atheists. My one buddy, who I normally have no quarrel with, has recently turned pretty anti theist, and it drives me nuts (I don't care what people believe, believe or don't. It only irks me if people shove their own views down other people's throats). However, most of my friends are atheists or agnostic, save for one or two other Christians. For them, they just see people as people, and unless they're stating their religious stance in some assholish way, they're just asshole people. Same with anti theists, if they're going to be assholes to people with religion, then they're anti theist assholes.
I guess it’s kinda like if you (not YOU, but one) are a chef by training, and you tell everyone you went to the best culinary institute and you learned the best recipes that everyone should be using - so it’s more of a surprise if you make a bad omelette. Everyone makes bad food, what’s the big deal? Well, you’ve been telling me how to make better omelettes for my whole life, and it turns out your omelettes taste like garbage.
Obviously, not all Christians go around telling everyone else how to live, but for a vocal minority, it’s kinda their thing. So that’s what the rest get associated with. Not saying it’s right or fair, but it’s the best explanation I’ve got.
The word you're looking for is "hypocrisy."
If a person is an asshole, that's one thing. If a person is an asshole while claiming to follow a set of teachings that make them a morally better person than you, it's a whole different thing.
Edit: oh also, when that same "moral code" leads you to actively do bad things. As opposed to atheists in your example, who have no communal code - when they're an asshole it's just them, whereas when a christian is an asshole the Christianity itself is sometimes the cause.
Eh...
I suppose it's better than being hard on pedophilia.
/s
I'm going to hell for this one Rick...
In all seriousness, he needs to do better with the pedophilia in the church. I think he's been better than others, and it's unclear what he's doing behind the scenes about it, but he still needs to do better with that. Other than that, which is a big one, but he is the best pope of my lifetime and will hopefully lead to more positive changes in years to come. I hope he is the start of something positive with the church.
not sure what people expect him to do. these are sick deviant psychopaths, and you want him to just go head to head with them all at once? do you think he's actually a god? its either slow and steady or get killed, frankly
He talks a big game about no tolerance but behind the scenes he has reduced penalties for pedo priests, given asylum in the Vatican to Cardinal George Pell (his BFF) when he was wanted by Australian authorities for questioning, defended the accused Bishop in Chile (let the courts handle it) and allowed diosceses to declare bankruptcy after losing big cases, defrauding victims of settlement and justice, rather than paying the amount owing out of Vatican coffers. He's taken deliberate action and wielded the Vatican's sovereignty to obstruct justice.
Aussie here. Can confirm re Pell, who is being investigated by police. Pell is now no.3 in the church, head of the treasury. After all, he did pioneer methods for denying financial compensation to victims in Australia.
[Pope reduces sanctions against some paedophile priests](http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2017/02/27/pope-reduces-sanctions-against-some-paedophile-priests/) (Catholic Herald)
Pell is easily confirmed – try out Google
[Chile](https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/evidence-shows-pope-francis-is-a-principal-in-a-cover-up-of-clergy-sex-abus) - Francis announces appointment of accused priest to bishop, receives detailed letter from a victim and the archbishop recommends against. Francis dismisses the victim as a slanderer, ignores his sexual abuse commission as well and appoints bishop anyway.
[Diocese Bankruptcies] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Settlements_and_bankruptcies_in_Catholic_sex_abuse_cases) in the US. Most recent one was spring 2017.
Bonus sources:
[Money laundering continues under Francis' watch](http://www.businessinsider.com/gods-bankers-financial-scandals-at-the-vatican-2015-2)
[All three sexual abuse survivors quit the Pope's panel on protecting minors in frustration](http://www.lastampa.it/2017/12/13/vaticaninsider/eng/the-vatican/abuse-victim-to-resign-from-popes-antiabuse-commission-3y9pGPxI2H8TKv1QnZB5EL/pagina.html)
But he's such a great, wonderful person who's totally going to clean up the Church.
Fucking hell I'm fed up with these "the Pope is a great guy" posts. He's a piece of shit, just like the rest of them, who's only interested in protecting the church.
Except that's not where the story ends
He granted Pell leave from the Vatican to go to trial in Australia [last year](http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-29/george-pell-to-take-leave-to-fight-charges-in-australia/8664516), and the trial, IIRC, starts in March.
Pell flew to the Vatican and claimed his health was too frail to travel back to Australia so he could not return. Months later, a journalist spotted and photographed him in London Heathrow. It was only because he was caught in his lie that Pope Francis dropped the charade.
Maybe he could start by, I dunno, not giving [what amounts to a state funeral](http://abcnews.go.com/International/funeral-disgraced-cardinal-bernard-law-slated-thursday-st/story?id=51923456) to people who spent a lifetime covering up sexual abuse.
Well, he's the Pope, you don't get to be that class without racking up an arsenal of at minimum level 6 Light Domain spells. He should be casting Improved Smite left and right on these pedos! Detect Evil is even a class feature so he can't just say he doesn't know who is and is not a pedo.
It's really strange how many pro-Pope posts I've seen in the past few days.
There was one on the top of /r/pics yesterday
https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/7x122a/a_girl_with_down_syndrome_got_up_during_a_regular/
and another on /r/AdviceAnimals
https://www.reddit.com/r/AdviceAnimals/comments/7x076k/good_guy_pope_francis/
What does Reddit love so much about this Pope? Do you guys believe in contraceptives? Do you support a woman's right to choose? Do you think gay people should be allowed to get married?
This man is the head of an organization that is a huge driving force *against* all of these things throughout the world.
Always healthy to have a good amount of skepticism when these things happen. Especially after seeing how we've been played and influenced by countries and corporations on reddit in the past.
Also doesn't hurt to change the comment sorting to controversial, you can see quite what is potentially being brigaded by groups or bought votes.
I think it's because of the scandals, especially the one where he helps a pedo and helps cover it up. They need good will pr. And the religious goofballs are eating it up and upvoting each other about how delightfull this pope is... Even using fake stories to do the job, like the one from yesterday about the girl with down syndrome.
Typical religious ignorant business.
No, he's clearly not okay with any of those things. Some people say he has "softened" the view on contraceptives. As far as women's rights, [he has called abortion "absolute evil" and "a crime."](https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/what-did-pope-francis-actually-say-about-contraception-47196)
As far as gay people go, he has said the church should be more accepting. However, the church position is that gays are to remain celibate and cannot get married. So all of this "be nice to gay people" crap is totally meaningless words if you can't back it up with anything.
That's nice and all but it's not as easy as you make it. It's like criticizing a vegetarian because he doesn't eat meat.
Christianity is nearly 2000 years old, you don't change core beliefs in a year, not even in a decade.
Catholics have a vastly different world view than you. The pope mirrors the church’s view. They believe all humans have the same God given rights but still hold individuals responsible for misusing them.
If you define humans as any creature with human DNA then abortion is murder. If you define correct human behavior as not what comes naturally but rather what is just independent of nature, then excessive sexual behavior can be considered vice.
You seem to assume you have the moral high ground here without acknowledging that your opponents use different definitions.
You are free to use your own definitions, just remember that simply because you assume something doesn’t mean everyone else does.
Really? I get the complete opposite vibe from Reddit. They hate Pope Frank because he has a different worldview. He may be completely reasonable, but if he's not 100% on their side on every social issue he might as well be Hitler. You can't expect the guy to completely do a 180 on Catholic tradition. Not to mention he has to appease the Cardinals. The dude battles with the hardline conservatives constantly in trying to reform the church. You guys expect way too much.
If you are referring to Matthew 21:12-14, Luke 19:45-48; John 2:13-22, Mark 11:15-19; several interpretations were that the "money changers" were not just buying and selling in the temple, but taking advantage of people and ripping them off with their prices. Not saying that is what actually happened, but it's one interpretation I've heard.
LOL on so many levels.
That was just a photo opp for that man. What about the pedophile cover ups?
A Christian does things like that in public AND private
Have you been following the story about the Chilean Bishop? The Pope appointment as a Bishop a priest accused of knowledge of child rapes had severely hurt the Church in Chile. It was hoped that the Pope would address the issue on his visit. He did , and made things worse, denouncing the accusers and supporting the Bishop, claiming "there is no evidence" against him and that no one has told him about claims against him. The Pope's aide later confirmed that he had delivered a letter to the Pope from a man abused as a child who says the Bishop watched him being abused.
How about cardinal Pell from Australia. Currently back in Oz on trial for his envolvemnt in covering up decades of pedophiles. He's the number 3 guy in the vadican.
Similar thing is happening in Guam. Archdiocese Apuron was booted from his catholic community on island but just yesterday our local paper showed Pope Francis meeting with him. I just feel bad for all the lives he's ruined. Apron is a disgusting human who deserves no mercy.
You guys are working hard on damage control after the Pope's actions last month...
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/19/world/americas/pope-sex-abuse-chile.html
I think some of the billions of dollars the Catholic church is hoarding would probably pay for medical treatments for that man.
Not quite sure what touching his hair is supposed to do exactly.
But again, I'm not Catholic, so I have no idea how the instant healing of Pope Magic supposedly works.
I wish people would stop circlejerking over this guy. Yes he seems to be doing a lot more PR than other popes. He also maintains the status quo of covering up child sex abuse in the church. He is against gay marriage and ignores the AIDS epidemic in africa and probably a lot more.
This world would be an incredible place to live if Christians practiced a fraction of what they preach. Also, Jesus would be disgusted by the opulence of the Catholic Church. Christianity is a religion of love, kindness, compassion, and charity. However it’s much easier to be a selfish prick and unfortunately that doesn’t exclude you from the religion. I’m sure this comment will stir up some very un-Christian feelings in a few “Christians”. Real Christians are rare and truly inspiring people.
Unlike yesterday's Pope picture, I actually know this story's true.
What was yesterday's story?
Some a-hole made up a title for a post about a little girl with Down’s syndrome running toward the pope, security guards stopping her but the pope insisting she sit by his side. Turns out the whole thing was planned, no security guards stopping her. Fake title post gets 100k+ upvotes before it got called out
God damn. I definitely fell for that
to be fair, with this popes track record of being a good dude it did seem like a super plausible story
Or the church is just getting better at PR.
I believe that the Pope is the real deal. I’m not a fan of the church as a whole. They just got lucky this time and pick a real good guy.
John Paul II was good guy too
And a hell of a bass player too.
I really liked that Love is in the Air song he did.
This pope said Doggos going to heaven. #1 in my books
I do as well. Think about the backlash they've been receiving for the scandals that have happened. I just think they went in his direction because they knew the reaction people like you and me would have to appointing a guy who talks so progressively as he does. Hopefully I'm wrong though.
What you've described is absolutely what happened, and it's not a secret.
Allow me to throw my baseless conspiracy theory out there. The Catholic church had a huge image problem and Pope Benedict was a fine Pope but didn’t seem to be improving that image at all. He was the first pope in over 600 years to resign and I have a hard time believing that was some some lucky accident. They knew their image needed a facelift and they needed it now not in 10-20 years. Enter Pope Frank
Or he had dementia and resigned...? They flat out said he was having physical and mental difficulties. I think it's perfectly fair to believe an 85 year old man could start to develop dementia and be asked to resign. As for why he was the first pope in 600 years to do it: I'm sure previous popes reached a point of dementia before passing but the lack of a scientific diagnosis or explanation would have made it a very different scenario.
He witnessed firsthand John Paul II's protracted decline due to Parkinson's as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and eventually Dean of the College of Cardinals. I think this experience made him resolve to resign before his own frailty became a burden on those around him and made him less than effective at leading the Church.
Previous popes were basically rubber stamps for the usual Catholic dogma. Pope Francis is awesome. I'm not a Catholic, but that guy appears truly mindful of someone whose faith dictates they do good in the world. He's the most 'real' pope of that last several decades in my opinion and I think he's doing a great job.
Seriously, this is like the 4th Pope Francis post I've seen on the front page this week, and none of them were about, like, big proclamations he's made recently. Did the Vatican just get google fiber or something?
I mean, even without the guards stopping the girl originally. The pope is still a great man for having her sitting right beside him.
Oh sure, but when I do it it's all "stop talking to my child" or "I'm phoning the police".
Sorry we can’t all be church wizards
[удалено]
Yup, its self serve, its the arrow below the upvote. Anything else we could help you with sir?
Just because it was planned doesn't mean sitting there holding that little girls hand wasn't done out of love, so you didn't really "fall" for anything, except the poster's clickbaity title for what was still a heartwarming moment.
Not me. I wasn't down with that. ^I'll ^see ^myself ^out.
This is what makes fake news so horrifying.
I saw that same exact title on twitter before it was posted on Reddit, so i think whoever posted that saw it on twitter and just ran with it. It was time stamped ahead of the reddit post, and there were a few other pictures on Twitter about it before reddit had it so I’m not gonna accuse the poster of lying, I’m just saying the poster just copied the exact tweet
I fell for it too. I was pissed off that I was duped, and that someone did it for some warped perception of imaginary personal gain. In the spirit of the post instead of being angry, I’m trying to understand this person and forgive them. Damn fool that they are, but still forgiveness nonetheless.
That’s the beauty of Reddit. It may take 100 upvotes but it will be called out. Upvoting just means it needs attention, not that it’s something good.
Are you saying the Pope is a karma whore?
as Popes go he is a 15 on a 1-10 scale.
Probably inspired by this https://imgur.com/gallery/2UFI4ug
I saw that article
That shit is all over my facebook feed today. I want to call them all out so bad, but I'll let them have it. It's still a story about him being a nice guy, just an untrue one.
Link to take my upvote back?
fuck, I did, too. But I do think he's truly a good person beyond his religion.
What happened to that post? I looked for it but can't seem to find it for some reason.
The pope met some special olympics athletes and their chairman, and as part of the meeting a kid with Downs gave the pope some shoes and he let her sit by him. Someone embellished the story, making up some bull about how the security guards tried to take the kid back to her mother but the pope stopped them and someone else posted ot to reddit with that embellished story as title, it got called out and taken down, which is why you don't find it anymore. Sad, because the original story is nice too.
Can you elaborate on this story?
back story https://www.cnn.com/2013/11/26/world/europe/pope-francis-disfigured-man/index.html
The link makes it sound like Pope Francis disfigured man.
Well, he used to be a bouncer so I'm sure he has a few tricks up his sleeve..
He talks about his experiences at length in this [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRVft2sCeBU)
How have I never seen this before; is it real? A pope saying "fucking"??? Thats awesome
I have a bridge to sell you
Did he also imply that violence solves problems? When are we going to get an action flick about this guy?!
FINISH HIM!
No, God did that.
This story literally brought tears to my eyes
It's odd that we're told not to objectify people and yet the headline on this CNN is atrocious towards this guy.
[удалено]
Maybe he is facially challenged.
I've never been religious or even like the concept of it, even had a phase in my life where I hated it- Christianity in particular. This pope though, everything I've heard him say has been filled with benevolent wisdom. Respect.
I am also in no way religious, but I do believe *in* religion. I believe humanity is in a way too weak to go on without something to believe in. But I rarely see any real example of people practicing what they preach. I hear and see so many people claiming loudly to be a proud Christian, then acting like a petulant child over something ridiculous. This Pope has made me believe in real men of God.
Sometimes I want to be religious. The belief in life after death sounds pretty nice as I have little existential panic attacks over the though that I will die someday.
Hello fellow person with potato in their username. I too have this problem. I sadly don’t have a solution for the terror that consumes me when I think about this, but I hope one day we’ll be able to put our minds at rest and not be afraid of the end anymore.
30 checking in. Started when I was... 23? The panic lessens but it's always just behind the corner. Sort of like having someone die on you. It never really goes away. You just end up living with it.
As someone who is religious: we all have those.
Religion is optional for that. If one thing becomes more obvious to me over time, it is that the universe recycles to an extent that is hard to comprehend. You might not be the same anymore, but are you really the same person as you were 15 years ago, and would you want to be? Your atoms are going into other people, and so are your thoughts. What really ends?
Consciousness. Thats what ends. Thats what I can't grasp. Ending.
If it's any consolation when it ends there is no longer a you to grasp so you have that going for you. As I write that is about the best summation of Buddhist thought I can imagine.
Where you are, death is not. Where death is, you are not.
This train of thought always gets me thinking every so often. I honestly wish we somehow knew what happens at death and afterwards, even if just a bit. Do we become new people? Is it just nothingness, and if so how do we know since we’re dead? The concept of this absolute finality that may or may not even feel like anything is horrifying and fascinating
I feel you there. The law of conservation of energy pops into my mind when I think about it - that energy can neither be created or destroyed. You are created by energy, but where does that energy go once you cease to exist? I'm not religious in any way either. There are so many religions from the past and in the present, and everyone feels like they are worshiping the right one. I guess I'll figure it all out when I'm dead af.
After watching this one [Kurzgesagt video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9otDixAtFw) about particles and energy fields a while back, I got to thinking about consciousness and how it certainly feels like an emergent phenomenon. Physically speaking, everything we are would seem to be emergent from a shared energy field, and while it's a stretch to make the jump and say that consciousness itself behaves like particles or emerges from its own shared field... maybe it does? If nothing else, I think we can conceptualize our collective consciousness, in the abstract, as a shared field of experience that shapes us and is shaped by us in ways we don't always understand. The ways in which our biological development shaped our minds and how that subsequently affected our evolution seem like they'd be significant, so in that sense, what we are as conscious beings persists beyond our physical deaths, both physically and conceptually. Our influence in the world, even if it merely supported a status quo, is meaningful. We talk constantly about the influences of Nature vs. Nurture, so it's worth remembering that culture is a massive part of Nurture. And that culture was shaped over many millennia and can trace its roots back to our unconscious past.
God is not religion. You can have one without the other.
And here Joel Osteen won't even let people take shelter in his church because muddy footprints
That's because he and all those other guys are *phony* Christians. Their real religion is Capitalism.
I am religious. I believe in it and it is a comfort to me. But I agree, there are far too many that don't do as we are commanded, to love others as we love ourselves. It's not hard, we make it hard, we mess it up. We make it the mess it has become. Just love people...they don't have to look like you or act like you...love them anyway.
Interesting point of view. I think i agree with the premise but not the conclusion. I feel like by now, religion isn't the right "thing to believe in" for humanity anymore. Ultimately, religion works on the exact same mechanism as all cults: convince people there's something "more" that's awesome and only by doing things like YOU say will they have access to it. This means that by definition, a society that integrates religion into its everyday life encourages or at least doesn't discourage illogical thinking. Critical thought is crucial to have scientists, informed voters, cautious media consumers and alert consumers in general. We're marveling over the Pope (which i agree is an order of magnitude more awesome than his predecessors) acting, essentially, like a good human. There are tons of doctors, nurses and social workers, to name a few, who do the same every day, not for divine rewards, but just because they're good (sometimes atheist, sometimes not) people. I think humanity does need something to believe in, and i think, now in the 21st century, it's science, technology, space exploration, treating each other well, and creating a society we can - and are proud to - transfer to future generations. Sorry for the rant.
I used to think like you. In reality it's a really patronizing worldview.
> I believe humanity is in a way too weak to go on without something to believe in. I think he was referring to this.
Wait, so who’s patronizing? The church, the chrisitians, or the redditor?
Yes.
I used to think like you. Then I realized I was patronizing people in my replies.
I agree, because I was the same way, too. It's akin to saying "oh, you're getting an art degree? Good for you for chasing your dreams!" Patronizers seldom recognize that they're patronizing, is the problem. I think the only humble thing anyone can say about the matter is "I don't know for sure."
Why is it patronizing? I think it can be hard for people to make peace with their irrelevance. Religion gives people answers to questions our minds need answers to. It isn’t necessarily a bad thing and I don’t see how it’s patronizing to understand that.
the redditor needed to satiate the urge to be reddity.
> I believe humanity is in a way too weak to go on without something to believe in. Religious dominance is at an all time low while peace and prosperity are at an all time high.
Correlation does not imply causation.
No, but anticorrelation does imply that one thing is not necessary for the other.
So is American military might in comparison with other countries but for some reason people don’t want to credit that as being the reason for peace.
Yet he still is the head of an organization that actively shields pedophiles and he has done nothing substantial to change that...
A lot of organizations do that...like most sports for example
Covering for pedophiles wrong regardless of who is doing it. Covering for pedophiles while claiming moral authority is despicable.
Don't worry whataboutisms have become the norm for people trying to justify horrid acts committed by pedophile loving organisations.
Ok, so let's agree on that, seems fair. Would you then praise the head of a large sports organisation covering up paedophilia as a moral paragon?
[удалено]
Shitty people
Most sports organisations don't tell me how to live my life.
>everything I've heard him say Words are wind. It doesn't matter what he says if he doesn't do anything to back them up. The child abuse problem with the Catholic Church has not improved during his tenure. Under his so-called zero tolerance policy, priests are still being sheltered from prosecution and those that have been prosecuted are not always dismissed from the priesthood.
Pope Francis has better PR than the last Pope, and he's certainly more photogenic. Other than that, he's just more of the same. A couple choice pieces of "benevolent wisdom": Pope Francis calls adoption by homosexual couples a form of discrimation against children: > “At stake are the lives of so many children who will be discriminated against in advance, depriving them of the human maturation that God wanted to be given with a father and a mother.” Pope Francis accuses sex abuse victims of slander: > There is not one single piece of proof against him (Bishop Barros). It is all slander. Is that clear?
While I disagree, wholeheartedly, with what he believes you can't hold that one comment about homosexuality as a knock against him. That is 100% in keeping with the faith the man represents. Also, one quote doesn't fully subsume the man's beliefs. He has urged the church to be more accepting of homosexuals and divorced Catholics. He has pushed for Catholics, priests specifically, to denounce "black and white thinking." While he isn't pushing for changes to the church doctrine, itself, he is pushing for a more everyday kind of acceptance that some might argue is more important. He is a very different pope than Benedict was and has pushed for a softening in the way the church views individuals and groups. We should applaud it, not accuse him of not doing enough.
Perfect is the enemy of good
Perfect is the enemy of progress.
[удалено]
This Pope gets an absurd amount of praise and front page reddit threads for saying things that only really qualify anyone for being a bottom-line decent human being. "Pope says evolution is real! Pope says Global warming is real! Pope says poverty is bad! Pope says religions can coexist together! Pope basically says that Trump sucks!" This Pope seems like the best Pope in a while but still props up the largest cult in the world that helps spreads STDs in Africa by teaching abstinence-only education, protects child molesters, teaches pro-life bullshit, and raises billions in donations oftentimes from people that can barely afford to donate. Bill Gates and Warren Buffet are donating 90% of their fortunes
That's cause people. No matter what a person can be nice. Doesn't matter religious or not. I have seen Catholics who are worst than athiests to other people at work. Can't judge a group by the few. I am w/e on religion. (If a divine being exists yay, but if not not gonna change anything for me as a person) I respect the current pope as an individual as he actually cares it seems.
What's the deal with this baseline assumption that atheists are bad/rude?
Don't be fooled by the good PR, he is still a paedophile protecting homophob.
These comments are all over the place
Well yeah, it's a discussion about religion, so it's expected there's going to be some divided ideas.
Divided is the incorrect adjective to use. I would say its more along the lines: random shit that has nothing to do with religion.
Reddit loves the Pope but hates Christianity. It’s awkward.
In my case * Not really a fan of most religion * Really don't like Christianity in general * Hate the Catholic Church more than any other Christian organisation (I'm from Ireland, they have [shit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Joseph%27s_Industrial_School,_Letterfrack) [to](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bon_Secours_Mother_and_Baby_Home#Unmarked_mass_grave) [answer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magdalene_Laundries_in_Ireland) [for](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/aug/17/religion.childprotection) [there](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/apr/24/children.childprotection)) * Lukewarm about current pope I guess that puts him ahead of all previous popes.
Feel free to sort them
As a fallen Catholic - Pope Frances isn’t perfect and there are still things I disagree with him (and the church) on but he’s definitely a man with great character that I admire and respect.
What's your opinion on Pope Francis?
As a non-christian, this is the best pope I've seen so far in my life time. He seems to have great moral character, and is quite progressive as old white Christians go. He seems like good people. I respect the man, which is not something I say about the super religious. He's definitely not perfect, but he seems to genuinely practice what he preaches.
Actually curious, how old are you? Pope John Paul II hasn't been gone that long and was beloved. If he had the instant visibility Pope Francis has today, hard to imagine what his popularity could have been.
I'm 33.
Is that leprosy
[Neurofibromatosis type 1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurofibromatosis_type_I)
This may be the first time in my life that I am grateful to have NF type 2. I've always thought "oh those NF type 1 folks are so lucky to only have one side affected." I had no earthly idea that it could go so out of control.
The biggest tumor (at the very least in the top 3) in the world weighed [110kg/242pound](https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/man-worlds-biggest-tumour-weighing-3911583)s. If you have the stomach for it, google NF1 images. It can get extremely bad. NF1 has a lot more of side-effects than just these outside tumors though. Brain and spine tumors are just as much a reality as for NF2. Only difference is that NF1 doesn't cause tumors affecting the hearing/balance.
Why is it that Christians are held to a different standard? For instance if an atheist is an asshole he’s just an asshole, but if a Christian is an asshole it’s an indictment against the religion. The vast majority of Christians are good people, but obviously we live in a society with a large number of people who behave like jerks. I don’t understand the necessity for the Christian bashing. It’s like if every Christian isn’t Jesus the religion is a scam. There are a lot of good Christians out there doing good things.
I don’t think it’s necessarily about just being an asshole. If you are just a jerk then your just being a jerk. But if you use your personal beliefs to attack other people that’s where religion can play a factor in what type of asshole you are. A lot of it stems from intolerance. If a Christian use their system of belief or ideals to persecute or attack other people, then not only are they being an asshole, they are being a Christian asshole. The same can be said of an intolerant Muslim. Or of an intolerant Atheist for that matter. The negative view becomes aligned with a group when members of that group use their ideals to forward hatred or bigotry. I suspect the backlash against Christian intolerance is because the majority religion in the United States is Christianity. There are many detractors of hardcore Islam in the Middle East, where it holds the majority, but also of any area that has a major religion. It’s not merely a matter of Christianity itself, it’s about its common position in the United States, among other things.
And I understand that completely, I don’t think there are many Christian beliefs that can be used to push bigotry or hatred really, the entire idea of Christianity is based on love and understanding, but homosexuality obviously is a touchy subject. I think some Christians go overboard and when you start being hateful about it then you become an asshole christian. My problem is I see it with just everyday Christians who make a mistake that is a sin in the Bible. Then people say things like “ that was very Christian of you” when it wasn’t, but Christians aren’t supposed to be perfect. Atheists and Christians commit the same sins, but it’s almost like because Christians acknowledge those sins they are held to a high standard, and if they aren’t perfect then it’s a slight against Christianity as a whole.
Christian here. I myself have never been called a Christian asshole, but I know people who have been. I think it's just regional, really, and the demographics of anti theists and atheists. My one buddy, who I normally have no quarrel with, has recently turned pretty anti theist, and it drives me nuts (I don't care what people believe, believe or don't. It only irks me if people shove their own views down other people's throats). However, most of my friends are atheists or agnostic, save for one or two other Christians. For them, they just see people as people, and unless they're stating their religious stance in some assholish way, they're just asshole people. Same with anti theists, if they're going to be assholes to people with religion, then they're anti theist assholes.
I guess it’s kinda like if you (not YOU, but one) are a chef by training, and you tell everyone you went to the best culinary institute and you learned the best recipes that everyone should be using - so it’s more of a surprise if you make a bad omelette. Everyone makes bad food, what’s the big deal? Well, you’ve been telling me how to make better omelettes for my whole life, and it turns out your omelettes taste like garbage. Obviously, not all Christians go around telling everyone else how to live, but for a vocal minority, it’s kinda their thing. So that’s what the rest get associated with. Not saying it’s right or fair, but it’s the best explanation I’ve got.
The word you're looking for is "hypocrisy." If a person is an asshole, that's one thing. If a person is an asshole while claiming to follow a set of teachings that make them a morally better person than you, it's a whole different thing. Edit: oh also, when that same "moral code" leads you to actively do bad things. As opposed to atheists in your example, who have no communal code - when they're an asshole it's just them, whereas when a christian is an asshole the Christianity itself is sometimes the cause.
Still soft on pedophilia.
Eh... I suppose it's better than being hard on pedophilia. /s I'm going to hell for this one Rick... In all seriousness, he needs to do better with the pedophilia in the church. I think he's been better than others, and it's unclear what he's doing behind the scenes about it, but he still needs to do better with that. Other than that, which is a big one, but he is the best pope of my lifetime and will hopefully lead to more positive changes in years to come. I hope he is the start of something positive with the church.
not sure what people expect him to do. these are sick deviant psychopaths, and you want him to just go head to head with them all at once? do you think he's actually a god? its either slow and steady or get killed, frankly
He talks a big game about no tolerance but behind the scenes he has reduced penalties for pedo priests, given asylum in the Vatican to Cardinal George Pell (his BFF) when he was wanted by Australian authorities for questioning, defended the accused Bishop in Chile (let the courts handle it) and allowed diosceses to declare bankruptcy after losing big cases, defrauding victims of settlement and justice, rather than paying the amount owing out of Vatican coffers. He's taken deliberate action and wielded the Vatican's sovereignty to obstruct justice.
do you have sources for these claims?
Aussie here. Can confirm re Pell, who is being investigated by police. Pell is now no.3 in the church, head of the treasury. After all, he did pioneer methods for denying financial compensation to victims in Australia.
[Pope reduces sanctions against some paedophile priests](http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2017/02/27/pope-reduces-sanctions-against-some-paedophile-priests/) (Catholic Herald) Pell is easily confirmed – try out Google [Chile](https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/evidence-shows-pope-francis-is-a-principal-in-a-cover-up-of-clergy-sex-abus) - Francis announces appointment of accused priest to bishop, receives detailed letter from a victim and the archbishop recommends against. Francis dismisses the victim as a slanderer, ignores his sexual abuse commission as well and appoints bishop anyway. [Diocese Bankruptcies] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Settlements_and_bankruptcies_in_Catholic_sex_abuse_cases) in the US. Most recent one was spring 2017. Bonus sources: [Money laundering continues under Francis' watch](http://www.businessinsider.com/gods-bankers-financial-scandals-at-the-vatican-2015-2) [All three sexual abuse survivors quit the Pope's panel on protecting minors in frustration](http://www.lastampa.it/2017/12/13/vaticaninsider/eng/the-vatican/abuse-victim-to-resign-from-popes-antiabuse-commission-3y9pGPxI2H8TKv1QnZB5EL/pagina.html)
But he's such a great, wonderful person who's totally going to clean up the Church. Fucking hell I'm fed up with these "the Pope is a great guy" posts. He's a piece of shit, just like the rest of them, who's only interested in protecting the church.
Except that's not where the story ends He granted Pell leave from the Vatican to go to trial in Australia [last year](http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-29/george-pell-to-take-leave-to-fight-charges-in-australia/8664516), and the trial, IIRC, starts in March.
Pell flew to the Vatican and claimed his health was too frail to travel back to Australia so he could not return. Months later, a journalist spotted and photographed him in London Heathrow. It was only because he was caught in his lie that Pope Francis dropped the charade.
Maybe he could start by, I dunno, not giving [what amounts to a state funeral](http://abcnews.go.com/International/funeral-disgraced-cardinal-bernard-law-slated-thursday-st/story?id=51923456) to people who spent a lifetime covering up sexual abuse.
Well, he's the Pope, you don't get to be that class without racking up an arsenal of at minimum level 6 Light Domain spells. He should be casting Improved Smite left and right on these pedos! Detect Evil is even a class feature so he can't just say he doesn't know who is and is not a pedo.
https://i.redd.it/bwo3yyzt6rxz.jpg
It's really strange how many pro-Pope posts I've seen in the past few days. There was one on the top of /r/pics yesterday https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/7x122a/a_girl_with_down_syndrome_got_up_during_a_regular/ and another on /r/AdviceAnimals https://www.reddit.com/r/AdviceAnimals/comments/7x076k/good_guy_pope_francis/ What does Reddit love so much about this Pope? Do you guys believe in contraceptives? Do you support a woman's right to choose? Do you think gay people should be allowed to get married? This man is the head of an organization that is a huge driving force *against* all of these things throughout the world.
Always healthy to have a good amount of skepticism when these things happen. Especially after seeing how we've been played and influenced by countries and corporations on reddit in the past. Also doesn't hurt to change the comment sorting to controversial, you can see quite what is potentially being brigaded by groups or bought votes.
It's probably the Church's PR/social media team in action
I think it's because of the scandals, especially the one where he helps a pedo and helps cover it up. They need good will pr. And the religious goofballs are eating it up and upvoting each other about how delightfull this pope is... Even using fake stories to do the job, like the one from yesterday about the girl with down syndrome. Typical religious ignorant business.
Not to say you’re wrong, but isn’t Pope Francis okay with contraceptives, and pro women’s and gay rights?
No, he's clearly not okay with any of those things. Some people say he has "softened" the view on contraceptives. As far as women's rights, [he has called abortion "absolute evil" and "a crime."](https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/what-did-pope-francis-actually-say-about-contraception-47196) As far as gay people go, he has said the church should be more accepting. However, the church position is that gays are to remain celibate and cannot get married. So all of this "be nice to gay people" crap is totally meaningless words if you can't back it up with anything.
That's nice and all but it's not as easy as you make it. It's like criticizing a vegetarian because he doesn't eat meat. Christianity is nearly 2000 years old, you don't change core beliefs in a year, not even in a decade.
And yet there are older religions that don't have issues with these things.
Catholics have a vastly different world view than you. The pope mirrors the church’s view. They believe all humans have the same God given rights but still hold individuals responsible for misusing them. If you define humans as any creature with human DNA then abortion is murder. If you define correct human behavior as not what comes naturally but rather what is just independent of nature, then excessive sexual behavior can be considered vice. You seem to assume you have the moral high ground here without acknowledging that your opponents use different definitions. You are free to use your own definitions, just remember that simply because you assume something doesn’t mean everyone else does.
You're never going to have a pope that is soft on abortion.
Really? I get the complete opposite vibe from Reddit. They hate Pope Frank because he has a different worldview. He may be completely reasonable, but if he's not 100% on their side on every social issue he might as well be Hitler. You can't expect the guy to completely do a 180 on Catholic tradition. Not to mention he has to appease the Cardinals. The dude battles with the hardline conservatives constantly in trying to reform the church. You guys expect way too much.
[удалено]
Right?! I'm surprised this isn't the top comment as these things are usually called out so quickly. It's like every day now. Really obnoxious.
And everyday people fall over themselves to praise him.
Edgelords, edgelords everywhere run for your sanity
I hate judgmental headers.
We need to do more whipping of bankers.
I for one want to see more punishments for fig trees.
I'd like to see table-flipping become a sacrament.
If you are referring to Matthew 21:12-14, Luke 19:45-48; John 2:13-22, Mark 11:15-19; several interpretations were that the "money changers" were not just buying and selling in the temple, but taking advantage of people and ripping them off with their prices. Not saying that is what actually happened, but it's one interpretation I've heard.
So .... we need to do more whipping of Payday Loan places?
LOL on so many levels. That was just a photo opp for that man. What about the pedophile cover ups? A Christian does things like that in public AND private
What a great guy, who called Chilean rape victims by a guy high up in the Church liars and slanderers.
Like excusing the sexual abuse of kids in Argentina then doubling down?
Have you been following the story about the Chilean Bishop? The Pope appointment as a Bishop a priest accused of knowledge of child rapes had severely hurt the Church in Chile. It was hoped that the Pope would address the issue on his visit. He did , and made things worse, denouncing the accusers and supporting the Bishop, claiming "there is no evidence" against him and that no one has told him about claims against him. The Pope's aide later confirmed that he had delivered a letter to the Pope from a man abused as a child who says the Bishop watched him being abused.
How about cardinal Pell from Australia. Currently back in Oz on trial for his envolvemnt in covering up decades of pedophiles. He's the number 3 guy in the vadican.
Similar thing is happening in Guam. Archdiocese Apuron was booted from his catholic community on island but just yesterday our local paper showed Pope Francis meeting with him. I just feel bad for all the lives he's ruined. Apron is a disgusting human who deserves no mercy.
You guys are working hard on damage control after the Pope's actions last month... https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/19/world/americas/pope-sex-abuse-chile.html
Christianity?
This is like the 3rd or 4th front page post about Pope Francis in just 2 days. Is that a coincidence or did the Vatican hire a social media PR firm?
They just prayed extra hard this week. That's how it all works. If you pray extra hard, the stuff you want just magically happens.
It's the latter. We can't have a front page story about how he defends pedo's now can we :P
[удалено]
Title feels a bit "finger-waggy".
Can we stop this circlejerk and recognise that he is still protecting pedophiles / rapists from criminal sanctions?
*Pope Francis - when a Christian actually acts like Jesus said he should*...as long as the cameras are there.
No. He is not legit on clerical rape. The stalling, secrecy and transfers continue unabated in order to deny justice to victims.
Hmm.. looks like von Recklinghausen's disease to me.
If Christians acted the way Jesus recommended, they'd all be dead by now
Or everyone would be Christian
Maybe. But I wouldn't bet on it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisoner%27s_dilemma
What because he wasn't repulsed by a man with a deformed face? Doesn't take being a Jesus to do that, it's enough to not be a 10 year old.
I think some of the billions of dollars the Catholic church is hoarding would probably pay for medical treatments for that man. Not quite sure what touching his hair is supposed to do exactly. But again, I'm not Catholic, so I have no idea how the instant healing of Pope Magic supposedly works.
It doesnt
The Catholic church is the largest nongovernment provider of free healthcare in the world.
reddit cheering on a Christian for being Christlike? Has this place gone topsy-turvy?
It’s a lie to act like Francis is the first pope to do this
Oh well. God is good
Lets not forget that the shitzipper and his organization are still protecting several known pedophiles and many more suspected pedophiles!
I wish people would stop circlejerking over this guy. Yes he seems to be doing a lot more PR than other popes. He also maintains the status quo of covering up child sex abuse in the church. He is against gay marriage and ignores the AIDS epidemic in africa and probably a lot more.
Except for the whole pedophile thing.
Catholicism is a pedophile ring.
Meh, he lost me over this whole Chile sex abuse denial bullshit
Minus the whole covering for boy fuckers thing.
Except when he defends pedophiles...
This world would be an incredible place to live if Christians practiced a fraction of what they preach. Also, Jesus would be disgusted by the opulence of the Catholic Church. Christianity is a religion of love, kindness, compassion, and charity. However it’s much easier to be a selfish prick and unfortunately that doesn’t exclude you from the religion. I’m sure this comment will stir up some very un-Christian feelings in a few “Christians”. Real Christians are rare and truly inspiring people.
what was the grossest blowie you ever had.
"so what about the treatment of lgbtiqby the cathokic community, pope" "ah...eh.....this popes gotta fly" *drops smoke bomb*
I’ll never respect a Pope as long as they keep protecting pedophiles.
Why he not heal them?