New Pope Elected

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21777494


Rome conclave: New Pope chosen by cardinals

Bells rang as the white smoke poured out
Continue reading the main story
Pope election

White smoke billowing from the Sistine Chapel chimney has announced to the world that cardinals gathered inside have elected a new Pope to head the Catholic Church.

Crowds in St Peter's Square cheered and bells rang out as the smoke appeared.

The name of the new Pope, the 266th, is expected to be announced shortly.

He will replace Pope Benedict XVI, who stepped down last month saying he was no longer strong enough to lead the Church.

The 115 cardinals have been in isolation since Tuesday afternoon, and held four inconclusive votes.

At least 77 of them, or two-thirds, would have had to vote for a single candidate for him to be elected Pope.

Before the conclave began, there was no clear frontrunner to replace Benedict.

Crowds with umbrellas massed in the square flying flags from around the world.

"It's so emotional. We thought we were going home and the smoke was going to be black," one Catholic told the BBC. "We're so touched. It was really incredible."

"I can't explain how happy I am right now," Filipino Ben Canete told the Associated Press.

A troupe of Swiss Guards in silver helmets and full regalia marched to the Basilica in preparation for the announcement.

After his name is read out, the new Pope will emerge from the loggia overlooking the square to deliver his first speech.

He will have already accepted an invitation to become Pope and the cardinals will have sworn allegiance to him, after which he will have gone to pray alone.

He looks really nice much like Pope John Paul II. May God Bless his reign as Pope.....and this is coming from a Lutheran! LOL

I am so happy. He is so humble ~ beautiful!

yep - he looks nice - he has nice eyes. God bless him

and this is coming from a Protestant - reformed - not Lutheran !

It happened fast. Sancta sedes became empty just end of February.

I'm happy too
he seems really humble
caring too

Habemus papam Francesco I , buonasera buon riposo e buonanotte his words, reminds me of John Paul II so he will be great!

sure!

Lets talk about how Nostradamus predicted this to be our last pope...

Well it is a man, now men aren't the brightest creatures on this planet, ...

I love Nostradamus...I have been studying his quatrains for years...I believe God has given men the gift of prophecy..

I'm right now reading different opinions about him
we will see
what happen

I just read he has one lugn

hu!

Here is one I'm really into now check it out..http://davidb.mystarband.net/Duduman.html

Phys....does Nostrodamus say anything about the sexual abuse of young people by RC priests coming to an end soon ?

would like too

anyway
I read something not flattering about
some not strenght enough opposition
against dictatorship

but it seems there are no specific proofs
or not enough

He's a strict conservative, so any progressives who are waiting for a change to occur with regard to women in ministry, don't hold your breathe. There will be no advancement on what was started in Vatican II. Any hope for the Church to "come into the 21st Century" just went out the window with this pick.

But he is a Jesuit, who speaks his mind and is a man of science...so that's a plus. He chose Francis as his name, which is a good indication that he will continue to follow the path that he's personally been engaged in identifying with and uplifting the poor and the disenfranchised. St. Francis was a reformer, who led by example and I think this Pope will do the same.

very good summary lighterside

btw it wouldn't make sense to
try to talk with him about
gay marriage

Thanks Vi...I found this article which outlines his positions on social issues which is informative and I seriously doubt his positions have changed any or will in the near future:


By Stoyan Zaimov, Christian Post Reporter

March 14, 2013|11:37 am

Pope Francis, the newly elected leader of the Roman Catholic Church, has been greeted by a wide array of media responses, and while many have focused on his record with social work, his stance on gay marriage and abortion has divided opinions.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 76, had served as the cardinal of Buenos Aires, Argentina, since 1998 before he was elected Wednesday to succeed the retired Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. He chose to be named after St. Francis of Assisi, the Catholic saint known as an early church reformer.

Many news websites have focused their coverage of Pope Francis on his social work with the poor – NBC News described him as prizing "compassion, humility and simplicity," reminding readers that back home in Buenos Aires he takes the bus to work instead of using the services of a private chauffeur. As a member of the Jesuit Society of Jesus, he has taken a vow of poverty and dedicated his life to working with the poor and suffering.

"A man who calmly stands for what's right and just," said Cardinal Edward Egan, the archbishop emeritus of New York. "A man of great compassion for the poor. That is what they point to first and foremost."

The Associated Press reported that on his very first day as pontiff, Pope Francis stopped by at his hotel to pick up his own luggage and spend his morning praying at a Roman basilica dedicated to the Virgin Mary, driving through the Vatican in a simple car.

The Knights of Columbus, a Catholic organization in the U.S. with over 1.8 million members, praised the election of the new pope for his emphasis on charity – which they say is their first principle.

"Both in our efforts for evangelization and in our charitable work, we will strive with him to bring the light of Christ to the people of our continent during his historic pontificate," Supreme Knight Carl Anderson said.

Others in the media, however, chose to focus on the controversial issues of abortion and gay marriage. Bergoglio has taken conservative positions while Archbishop of Buenos Aires.

TMZ.com described the pontiff as "anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage" while announcing news of his election, and noted that he staunchly opposes both. Gay City News called his record on LGBT rights "inflammatory," and reminded readers that he had voiced his opposition against same-sex marriage in Argentina, but was unable to stop the practice from becoming legalized.

Although saying that gay individuals' rights should be respected, Pope Francis has also spoken out strongly against gay couples being allowed to adopt children, saying that such a thing would be a "total rejection of God's law."

"At stake is the identity and survival of the family: father, mother, and children. At stake are the lives of many children who will be discriminated against in advance and deprived of their human development given by a father and a mother and willed by God. At stake is the total rejection of God's law engraved in our hearts," Francis said earlier.

Those comments stirred controversy in Argentina, with President Cristina Kirchner calling them "reminiscent of medieval times and the Inquisition."

GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) President Herndon Graddick called out the new pope for once calling gay marriage "a move by the father of lies that seeks to confuse and deceive the children of God," but expressed hopes that Francis can be a more progressive spiritual leader than Benedict XVI.

"For decades the Catholic hierarchy has been in need of desperate reform. In his life, Jesus condemned gays zero times. In Pope Benedict's short time in the papacy, he made a priority of condemning gay people routinely. This, in spite of the fact that the Catholic hierarchy had been in collusion to cover up the widespread abuse of children within its care. We hope this Pope will trade in his red shoes for a pair of sandals and spend a lot less time condemning and a lot more time foot-washing," Graddick wrote.

Religious and conservative groups, meanwhile, have praised Pope Francis' defense of life and traditional marriage.

"He is a leader who has stood strongly for the values of religious freedom, the sanctity of human life, marriage, and the family, often under very trying circumstances. We appreciate his many strong statements over the years on the protection of marriage and the unborn and trust he will continue to be a powerful voice on the deep importance of these issues," said Alliance Defending Freedom President and CEO Alan Sears.

National Right to Life noted that last year, Bergoglio spoke out strongly against abortion, insisting that it is never the right choice.

"We listen, support and understanding from our place to save two lives: respect the human being small and helpless, they can take steps to preserve your life, allow birth and then be creative in the search for ways to bring it to its full development," Bergoglio said.

Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life, praised those views, adding that she fully expects the pope to continue "furthering the cause of life around the world."

Richard A. Viguerie, chairman of ConservativeHQ.com called Francis' election "a life-changing, world changing event for Catholics, and all Christians" and praised his "humility and vigor," but noted that secular liberals will undoubtedly be disappointed that the Catholic Church "refuses to bend" on issues such as same-sex marriage.

"As American Catholics face a continuing battle with the Obama administration, and the President's secular liberal allies, over Obamacare's abortion mandate and President Obama's push for universal acceptance of same-sex marriage, we can take heart that we have a new pope who has already shown he is willing to stand before worldly leaders girded only in Christ's teachings to tell them they are wrong," Viguerie commented.

Almost all agree that Pope Francis has a tough job ahead of him at a time when many questions are being asked of the Catholic Church, in particular what steps it is going to take to tackle the sex abuse scandals that have rocked it for the past few decades.

Chrisitian Post

We should get rid of those idiots, mmm, telling other people how to live their lives, while they themselves don't get married and don't have kids, but do get served as do kings and queens, overpaid politicians and CEOs.

As a Catholic I don't appreciate when people who are not Catholic criticize the Church. Change doesn't happen over night and while I do not agree with everything the Church does it is my Church and I will follow it's tenants to the best of my ability. In my eyes Pope Francis is a good choice because he will bring humility back to the forefront. I pray that he will be around long enough to bring more spirituality and kindness back to the world. Faith is not about politics it is about belief.

I don't usually comment on religion or politics for that matter because it is so divisive but as we are all friends I would hope that we could all respect each others beliefs.

Getting off soap box now....

silly girl wrote:As a Catholic I don't appreciate when people who are not Catholic criticize the Church. Change doesn't happen over night and while I do not agree with everything the Church does it is my Church and I will follow it's tenants to the best of my ability. In my eyes Pope Francis is a good choice because he will bring humility back to the forefront. I pray that he will be around long enough to bring more spirituality and kindness back to the world. Faith is not about politics it is about belief.

I don't usually comment on religion or politics for that matter because it is so divisive but as we are all friends I would hope that we could all respect each others beliefs.

Getting off soap box now....

I understand what you say Lighterside.

I'm just very concerned about the child abuse scandals that have happened here in UK and hope very much that the new Pope will take it on board to prevent anything like that happening again.

That's me off my soapbox now too.

My dear, haven't you EVER wondered why those holy books full of blablabla about a better world are just written by MEN and only by MEN ??? And that change for a REALLY better world is always coming from actions of WOMEN ??? Mmmm ? Can you see the REAL light now ?

Does your man do the laundry because he wants to ?

Vi wrote:very good summary lighterside

btw it wouldn't make sense to
try to talk with him about
gay marriage

Yep right. Pointless.

Banning gay people from using the word "marriage" suggests they are less worthy. Actually the anti- campaign has proved exactly why gay people need the right to marriage.

It is indeed a slippery slope for the sanity of its opponents. You hear comments like “ if they can marry, can I wed a flog of sheep?” etc. all this arcane marriage dispute is beyond ordinary comprehension of anyone not guided by the Bible.

As to the Bible they do the cherry picking. What ever suits them. God banned homosexuality. But God banned countless other things too that church and priests, pope and all diocese approve. So? Are you living exactly like Bible instructs? No one is.

And lastly they will say” we won´t do the ceremony” ok, who wants to be married by a gay-hating priest anyway?
It´s unbelievable that this is even an issue this day and age, but it is.

(I´m not religious. I visit the churches like I do museums, out of curiosity and fascination. But I do not need someone who is educated to be a priest say Amen to my relationship, I think…eer now, that I don´t have that kind of relationship in sight anyway )

Joanna wrote:

silly girl wrote:As a Catholic I don't appreciate when people who are not Catholic criticize the Church. Change doesn't happen over night and while I do not agree with everything the Church does it is my Church and I will follow it's tenants to the best of my ability. In my eyes Pope Francis is a good choice because he will bring humility back to the forefront. I pray that he will be around long enough to bring more spirituality and kindness back to the world. Faith is not about politics it is about belief.

I don't usually comment on religion or politics for that matter because it is so divisive but as we are all friends I would hope that we could all respect each others beliefs.

Getting off soap box now....

I understand what you say Lighterside.

I'm just very concerned about the child abuse scandals that have happened here in UK and hope very much that the new Pope will take it on board to prevent anything like that happening again.

That's me off my soapbox now too.

Joanna...that was silly girl not I who posted the above.

I'm impressed with the selection of the new Pope. He seems to be more humble and "people oriented" than the last few. I hope he can eventually bring some much needed changes to Catholicism.

I'm Catholic by birth but I'm not a practicing Catholic because of what was done to me years ago when they granted an annulment to my ex-husband after our 18 year marriage which produced two children. They originally refused him but changed their minds when he donated several thousand dollars to the Church. Annulment meaning our marriage never occurred. I was hurt but my two kids were hurt more.

Also I believe there would be less sexual abuse by the priests if the Church would allow them to marry instead of taking out their sexual frustrations on innocent children and women. They are priests but also they are men.

And try reading this: LINK You are so gonna love it !

Oh yes lighter....thank you....a busy day today and my head
isn't in the right place !!

cindigirl wrote:I'm impressed with the selection of the new Pope. He seems to be more humble and "people oriented" than the last few. I hope he can eventually bring some much needed changes to Catholicism.

I'm Catholic by birth but I'm not a practicing Catholic because of what was done to me years ago when they granted an annulment to my ex-husband after our 18 year marriage which produced two children. They originally refused him but changed their minds when he donated several thousand dollars to the Church. Annulment meaning our marriage never occurred. I was hurt but my two kids were hurt more.

Also I believe there would be less sexual abuse by the priests if the Church would allow them to marry instead of taking out their sexual frustrations on innocent children and women. They are priests but also they are men.

Oh that's awful Cindi......yes I agree and think their priests should be allowed to marry....another soap box of mine.

I'm sorry to the Catholic members if that offends you.

From the link regarding archives.....

6. Regarding the church's massive cover-up of predator priests, the Vatican has never admitted what it knew and for how long. What do the archives hide?

This is the only thing that bothers me a great deal in that article.

Jo to answer your queston, here's a quote from The Christian Science Monitor today -

“The crisis was caused by secrecy, by cardinals promising not to reveal anything that would dishonor the church,” says Anne Barrett Doyle, the co-director of Bishop Accountability, a US-based watchdog that has tracked the scandal of predatory priests. “The most powerful thing a new pope could do would be to fire bishops who enabled child sex abuse to be committed by priests. If he chose 15 to 20 bishops, that would strike terror into many church officials.”

I'm a lapsed catholic, but must say the issue of annulment that Cindi brought up is just one of many reasons I rarely go to church.

Having said that, while I doubt this Pope will change 2000 years of tradition as far as gay marriage, contraception (which makes absolutely no sense!) and abortion, I do think he's a more hopeful choice than some of the other options. I think he will have to address the child abuse that is rife throughout the church. ANd, we can only hope he will fire those who allowed it to continue.

He seems like an honorable man who might just rout out the corruption that has been reported in the Vatican. He's a Jesuit and a scientist so let's hope he brings a more realistic view of the world to the Catholic church.

And who knows; Pope John XXIII was a huge surprise when he convened Vatican II. Everyone thought he'd be nothing more than a caretaker. This man may surprise us! Not counting on much culturally but if he focuses on the poor in the world, I'll be happy.

Thanks Cindi....that's a good statement !!

Oof...we can only hope that things will change and those
guilty of child abuse will get their comeuppance soon.

All good Catholics should sign petitions to this effect IMO and send to the Vatican....oh silly me !