U.S. Cardinal Robert Prevost is Pope Leo XIV (Pope Francis has passed away)

PRlady said:
I would not be surprised, however, if he was chosen partially as a very visible counterweight to the other American leader impacting the world.
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You mean the one who is actually harming and perhaps even bringing down the country?

My hope for a pope since the Catholic Church is not my business is that he speak for peace and for the impoverished voiceless, who this pope apparently spent his life working for.
 
skatfan said:
You mean Peru? (Just kidding.)

LOL at your overplay of @PRlady's thought. I think Leo is a perfect pick in this political climate. He's read Matthew 25 and believes it applies.
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Nope, it's not an overplay. It's a visceral, direct reaction to what she said.

And that you think he's a perfect pick doesn't speak well of the choice. But, eh, whatever. This is a selection with many layers to it.
Beyond the geopolitical (and financial) implications of this choice, there are some questions about his transparency & willingness to really address & investigate sex abuse charges made against priests under him, which should leave everyone uneasy about him.

ETA - removing the political discussion about the new Pope to respect that this isn't PI. :)
 
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Just happy Christianity has nothing to do with me, because I'm sure this means thousands of comments more on America and politics and whether or not people died for the good of white people/their own good all over social media.
 
I actually had to explain to DH why this is such a big deal. Maybe because all the Christians I knew growing up were Catholic, but the Pope’s agenda is always important. No other major religion has a leader with that much influence - more and more outside Europe and the Americas.
 
skatfan said:
I've got 2/3's of the Roman Catholic cardinals that agree with me. I'm ok with you denigrating my faith-based position.
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Roman Catholic cardinals are still mere mortals. We're not infallible. It isn't as if every single Pope has been a good person or even particularly holy. Surely you've seen The Borgias. 😉

I'm not a fan of open borders and I take issue with what is known of his position on that subject in particular. As someone raised in a mainline Protestant denomination, I'm less bothered by some of the moves Francis made toward a more open, welcoming Church - and I know some of those moves, synodality specifically, really bothered a lot of conservative Catholics.

What I do hope is that Leo XIV is a better administrator for the Church than Francis is reported to have been.
 
Apparently he’s quite popular in the Curia and was respected as a high-level administrator there. He must have had an unusual coalition of supporters, there’s only 10 other American cardinals and some are quite conservative and might not have voted for him.
 
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PRlady said:
I would not be surprised, however, if he was chosen partially as a very visible counterweight to the other American leader impacting the world.
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I dunno. My first reaction to your thought here was no, that’s not why they would pick a particular man to be pope. But perhaps, given the ethnic makeup of the conclave this time. I guess we’ll never know for absolutely sure.
 
PRlady said:
Apparently he’s quite popular in the Curia and was respected as a high-level administrator there. He must have had an unusual coalition of supporters, there’s only 22 other American cardinals and some are quite conservative and might not have voted for him.
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The bloc of Latin American bishops (the "CELAM") has alot of Vatican clout and I'm assuming they knew Prevost well and backed him.
 
Karen-W said:
I merely called you out on the fact that you appear to be actively rooting for the downfall of your own country.
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This is beyond ridiculous. It is offensive. It is a reflection on you, not on @PRlady. And a very very poor reflection at that. She is NOT actively rooting for the downfall of the United States. Sadly, your comment is not surprising; ugly and ad hominem attacks seem to be your thing when it comes to politics.
 
Well, again, having lived through John Paul’s papacy (as you @sk8pics did) the synopsis is:

While John Paul II wasn't explicitly elected to end communism, his papacy and influence played a significant role in the collapse of communist regimes, particularly in Eastern Europe. His strong moral leadership and support for resistance movements like Solidarność in Poland, along with his visits to communist countries, helped to undermine the legitimacy of these regimes and paved the way for their downfall.
Elaboration:
Spiritual and Political Influence:
John Paul II's unwavering faith and his ability to inspire and unite people made him a powerful force against communism. His moral authority, particularly in Poland, where he was a native son, gave hope to those oppressed under communist rule.
Solidarność and Support:
John Paul II was a vocal supporter of Solidarność, a Polish labor movement that challenged the communist government. While some historians dispute the extent of his direct financial support, his moral support and advocacy for the movement were undeniable.
Visits to Communist Countries:
John Paul II's visits to Poland and other communist countries, including Czechoslovakia, were seen as a form of resistance against the regimes. His presence and message of hope inspired people to challenge the status quo.
Revolution of Conscience:
Some historians argue that John Paul II's actions fostered a "revolution of conscience" that ultimately led to the collapse of the Soviet Union, as people began to question the legitimacy of their governments.
Collaboration with Ronald Reagan:
John Paul II also worked closely with US President Ronald Reagan to undermine communism, further bolstering the efforts to dismantle the communist bloc.

——
Some Popes seem most interested in leading the Church along specific theological lines, like Benedict. Others like John Paul, Francis and apparently the last Leo who really brought the Church to a social justice stance, seem as interested in impacting the larger world. We’ll see.
 
PRlady said:
I actually had to explain to DH why this is such a big deal. Maybe because all the Christians I knew growing up were Catholic, but the Pope’s agenda
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I did find the media hoopla on German public television a bit over the top :lol:. They were showing some quiz show, then they started a pop up window on the top right, then they displayed a banner on the bottom of the screen additionally and then after 2 minutes they switched to an excited live reporting from Rome, when it wasn't even revealed yet who it is :huh: , just to report that there is white smoke and how exciting everything is.

As of this year people with no religious affiliation are now the biggest group in Germanys population
(47% of Germans are now unaffiliated with any religion, 24% catholics, 21% protestants, 2% Muslims, rest: other).

When I was a child we always played "catholics vs. protestants" in the school break, while we felt sorry for the Muslims (cause their religion classes were AFTER school) and felt jealous of the atheists (they had no religion classes). That felt normal back in the 80s :scream: , but was really divisive. I left protestant church, like many Germans, contributing to the non-affiliated majority.

I always felt very negative about religion because we're supposed to have a separation of church and state, which objectively doesn't exist.
 
PRlady said:
I actually had to explain to DH why this is such a big deal. Maybe because all the Christians I knew growing up were Catholic, but the Pope’s agenda is always important. No other major religion has a leader with that much influence - more and more outside Europe and the Americas.
Click to expand...
A lot of people don’t realise that the Catholic Church is not just a religion, it’s also a state with a very influential and active diplomatic presence around the world.
 
Popes do have an influence far beyond the Catholic Church though considering how many Catholics there are in the world that in itself is a huge influence.

Pope John Paul II also advocated for the environment in an influential way

Pope John Paul II invigorated activism among Catholics toward environmental justice, and his 1990 message inspired later statements from the Church — some focusing more sharply on climate change. They include a pastoral statement in 1991 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on environmental protection, “Renewing the Earth,” and “Global Climate Change: A Plea for Dialogue, Prudence and the Common Good.” The bishops’ 2001 statement, aligned with its involvement as a partner in the National Religious Partnership for the Environment, guides Catholics on the climate issue today in the U.S.
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But its not that he was some political or theological liberal. I haven't read a lot about him but he is interesting.

And Pope Benedict who was no liberal taught actively about climate change.

So even those who are not members of his church look for what influence a pope will have on the world.
 
PRlady said:
Some Popes seem most interested in leading the Church along specific theological lines, like Benedict. Others like John Paul, Francis and apparently the last Leo who really brought the Church to a social justice stance, seem as interested in impacting the larger world. We’ll see.
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I don't think these are necessarily mutually exclusive. Also, although Francis and Pope Leo have things in common that doesn't mean that they agreed on everything. In some ways, the new pope may be more conservative. Evangelizing may be of more importance to one than the other as well.
 
Karen-W said:
Completely fun comment on Villanova's X post celebrating Leo XIV's election.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1920550691447218529

Seems like he may be a fan of March Madness, at least when his Wildcats win. ;)
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So NYT is saying that they can't 100% ascertain that he is personally behind his twitter account, that it may have been run by his staff, but I'm pretty sure he'd root for the Wildcats.
 
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