Papal Sweepstakes

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Of course he doesn't. Baron was trying to "do a funny".

Anyway, was it really beyond the Church to pick a candidate who doesn't have a murky past? Or does such a man not exist within the Conclave? As long as Pope Frankie stays out of our politics and doesn't get a taxpayer funded trip to our shores, then he's a step up from the last chap. I hope the faithful are happy anyway.

I take it that means you don't support taxpayer funded trips to our shores for any OTHER Heads of State, then?

[Ikarus360]

The Church was right then. No excuse for the commies & the lefties and pinkos. Communism is a failed ideology.

That still doesn't justify a military junta to have murdered and dissapeared thousands of young people (and many of them weren't even related with leftist groups). The CIA tried to" save" Latin America from socialism and in exchange gave us some of the worst totalitarian and murderer governments the world has ever seen.

Not that I support lefties (I also have grudges against them and how they ruin my country with their BS) but I don't support exchanging a totalitarian government to another.

Of course he doesn't. Baron was trying to "do a funny".

Anyway, was it really beyond the Church to pick a candidate who doesn't have a murky past? Or does such a man not exist within the Conclave? As long as Pope Frankie stays out of our politics and doesn't get a taxpayer funded trip to our shores, then he's a step up from the last chap. I hope the faithful are happy anyway.

With his perpetual state of sarcasm is hard to tell when he's being serious or not.

I take it that means you don't support taxpayer funded trips to our shores for any OTHER Heads of State, then?

People in Argentina tend to overreact stuff when it's related to the church. Like I said before, they have a huge grudge against them for not doing anything (or even helped) when Videla was murdering people in cold blood.

Kinda like how we catalonians hate church for being at Franco's side when he was also murdering everyone who was related with the Republicans.

[Olympian2004]

Kinda like how we catalonians hate church for being at Franco's side when he was also murdering everyone who was related with the Republicans.

You are Catalonian? Are your parents Catalonian or were you born there, too? I didn't know that.

By the way, your English is excellent (and I envy that a little bit, since I still have difficulties with some English figures of speech ). Did you live in the US or any other English-speaking country once?

[Ikarus360]

^^ Actually I was born in Venezuela but my grandparents come from Catalonia (I went once for two months when I was 13 years old and I have very fond memories of it, specially Barcelona...). And I learned english thanks in part to my mother who studied the language (since she graduated in Boston in the 70's) and also because I struggled myself to learn to write/understand it by myself. Yours is pretty good as well, Olympian (in fact I feel that I make grammar mistakes here and there, so I would like if anyone helps me to correct those in order to improve )

Anyway, I don't want to derail the thread anymore ^^;..so far i'm liking how Bergoglio's acting and he's giving me a better impression than Ratzinger did to me back then (maybe because I was too used to John Paul II back then? )

http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20130317-NEWS-303170355

Pope Francis urges 'church for the poor'

VATICAN CITY — The focus of Pope Francis' papacy began to emerge Saturday as he offered some intimate insights into the conclave that elected him pontiff, describing how he was immediately inspired to name himself after St. Francis of Assisi because he wants to see a church that is "for the poor."

His comments provided further evidence that this first Latin American papacy would be one who looks beyond the confines of the church itself to the most disadvantaged, named for a 13th-century friar who renounced a wealthy, dissolute lifestyle to embrace a life of poverty and simplicity and go out in the countryside to preach a message of joy and peace.

"Let me tell you a story," Pope Francis began in a break from his prepared text during an audience for a few thousand journalists and Vatican communications officials in the Vatican's auditorium. Francis then described how during the conclave he was comforted by his friend, Brazilian Cardinal Claudio Hummes, as the votes were going his way and it seemed "a bit dangerous" that he would reach the two-thirds necessary to be elected.

When the threshold was reached, applause erupted in the frescoed Sistine Chapel. "He (Hummes) hugged me. He kissed me. He said, 'Don't forget about the poor!'" Francis recalled.

"And those words came to me: The poor. The poor. Then right away, thinking of the poor, I thought of Francis of Assisi. Then I thought of all the wars as the votes were being counted, until the end. Francis is also the man of peace. That is how the name came into my heart: Francis of Assisi."

The pope said some have wondered whether his name was a reference to other Franciscan figures, including St. Frances de Sales or even the co-founder of the pope's own Jesuit order, Francis Xavier. But he said the inspiration was Francis of Assisi.

Sitting in the vast Vatican auditorium, Francis continued: "For me, he is the man of poverty, the man of peace, the man who loves and protects creation. These days we don't have a very good relationship with creation, do we?" he said. "He is the man who gives us this spirit of peace, the poor man."

"Oh how I would like a church which is poor and for the poor!" Francis said, sighing.

He then joked that some other cardinals suggested other names: Hadrian VI, after a great church reformer — a reference to the need for the pope to clean up the Vatican's messy bureaucracy. Someone else suggested Clement XV, to get even with Clement XIV, who suppressed the Jesuit order in 1773.

The pope's admiration for Francis' simplicity is evident in his own lifestyle: the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio would take the bus to work, lived in a Spartan apartment where he would turn the heat off on weekends and cook his own meals.

In one of his first acts as pope, Francis phoned the Vatican ambassador in Buenos Aires and told him to put out the word that he didn't want ordinary Argentines flocking to Rome for his installation Mass, urging them to use the money instead for charity.

Bergoglio never favored liberation theology, the Latin American-inspired view that Jesus' teachings imbue followers with a duty to fight for social and economic justice, because of its alliances with armed leftist guerrilla movements in the 1970s.

But as a priest and later archbishop, he saw to it that every slum in Buenos Aires had a chapel and fostered many outreach programs, supporting former prostitutes and drug addicts and washing the feet of rehab patients. When the economy collapsed in 2001, and Argentines lost faith in their politicians, he denounced capitalist excesses and corruption from the pulpit.

His addresses and homilies often circle back to the need for the church to rivet its attention on issues of economic failings, including the growing divides between the comfortable and needy, and the pressures of Western-style capitalism.

His election to the papacy has raised questions about how he will translate that message on a global scale, given the global economic crisis and vast inequalities among the rich and poor — and at home, given allegations of corruption in the Holy See's governance and continued problems of the Vatican's own bank, the Institute for Religious Works.

Under Benedict XVI, the Vatican had sought to put its finances in order and opened itself up to external evaluation by the Council of Europe's Moneyval committee, which helps countries comply with international anti-money laundering norms. While the Vatican bank passed the first test last year, Moneyval gave the bank several poor or failing grades.

Amid the calls for reform of the Vatican bureaucracy that have erupted in recent months, there has been a steadily increasing suggestion in the Italian media that the Vatican could easily do away with its bank, since it can carry out most of its financial activities through commercial banks and thus rid itself of a stain on its reputation.

While there's no indication the Institute for Religious Works will close any time soon, one of Francis' most eagerly watched first appointments will be that of his secretary of state, who traditionally presides over the commission of cardinals that oversees the bank.

For now, Francis on Saturday temporarily named all Vatican officials in their current positions, saying he would decide whether to confirm them or name someone else after a period of "reflection, prayer and dialogue," the Vatican said.

The Vatican also released details of the pope's week ahead, saying he would meet with Argentine President Cristina Fernandez on the eve of his Tuesday installation Mass and then visit Benedict XVI at the papal retreat at Castel Gandolfo on Saturday.

The Fernandez meeting will be sensitive talks, given the years of open tensions over the then-archbishop's strong opposition to initiatives that led Argentina to become the first Latin American country to legalize gay marriage. He also opposed Fernandez's initiatives to promote free contraception and artificial insemination.

During his audience with journalists Saturday, Francis poured on the charm, thanking them for their work covering the election — "and you have worked, eh?" he said chuckling. He urged them to view the church not as a political entity but as a "dramatically spiritual" human institution and learn its true nature "with its virtues and its sins."

"The church exists to communicate this: truth, goodness and beauty personified. We are all called not to communicate ourselves, but this essential trio."

In recognition that not all journalists in the room were Christian or even believers, he offered a blessing without the traditional Catholic formula or gesture, saying he would bless each one in silence "respecting your conscience, but knowing that each one of you is a child of God."

I was specially surprised at how he urged his compatriots to use their traveling money for charity instead and how's he's refusing many of the luxuries that implies being a Pope.

[Faster]

Hadrian would have been an interesting name.

[Olympian2004]

I must say he comes across like an extremely charming and approachable guy indeed. His style seems to be completely different than even of popular (but also slightly narcisstic) John Paul II. In fact, Francis reminds me more of the legendary John XXIII in terms of his attitude and approach towards the office. I just read that today, after a mass in the Vatican chapel Sant'Anna, he stood at the chapel's exit to bid every visitor farewell personally, just like an ordinary priest or vicar in a common parish. I certainly hope that he is able to keep this style in the years to come. I heard that some people in the Vatican already have raised an eyebrow because of his very informal style.

But I still fear that this charme won't translate to Francis' "politics". The time will come that he will hurt a lot of feelings with conservatives attitudes especially towards homosexual marriage, the celibacy or women's role in the Catholic Church.

[DannyelBrazil]

The Pope seems to be a very nice guy. Francis showed himself very humble (which is amazing for an Argentine! ) and well-humoured (which is very nice, since Europeans are getting mad with his informal way to be - and I'm loving).

Time to forget a bit the cold European approach to the Church and let it be a bit South-American way...

Pope Francis got my sympathy. I like him.

PS: Francis is doing everything so well so far, hope he won't destroy the nice reputation conceeding an audience to soccer star player Diego Maradona... Keep it humble, Francis.

[Rob2012]

You hope he doesn't extend the Hand of God to him, you mean?

[DannyelBrazil]

You hope he doesn't extend the Hand of God to him, you mean?

Maradona already thinks he's god, and now he thinks Francis is his courier...

BTW, I think you agree with me, in the end, the ones who suffered with the Hand of God were not the Brazilians...

[baron-pierreIV]

Hadrian would have been an interesting name.

Named after a wall? I would've wanted Caleb. Very different.

[DannyelBrazil]

How would it be Caleb in Latin? Calebius ?

[baron-pierreIV]

John Paul was NOT Latin. Francis is NOT Latin. So why Caleb have to Latinized?

[DannyelBrazil]

All Pope names are ALWAYS in Latin, since Latin is the official language of the Catholic Church...

Since these names are titles, they can be trasnlated to other languages, like kings titles (Queen Elizabeth in Spanish is Reina Isabel, i.e.)...
Actually, Pope Francis (English variant) is officially Papa Franciscus...

Pope John Paul II was officially "Papa Ioanes Paulus Secundus"

In Portuguese, we had:

Papa João Paulo II (for English speakers: John Paul II)

Papa Bento XVI (for English speakers: Benedict XVI) and now

Papa Francisco (for English speakers: Francis)

John Paul was NOT Latin. Francis is NOT Latin. So why Caleb have to Latinized?

Baron, didn't you really think the Pope names were chosen in English?

[baron-pierreIV]

well, Pope Caleb will be the first one to be named in Esperanto! Then, we know the Church will have progressed by an inch.

[Faster]

To answer your question danny, it would be Chaleb. Though literally it would be Canis. And no Pope would take a name that referencings only a Jew and means dog.

Hadrian is the Latin form of Adrian, there have been 6 of those.

[DannyelBrazil]

To answer your question danny, it would be Chaleb. Though literally it would be Canis. And no Pope would take a name that referencings only a Jew and means dog.

Hadrian is the Latin form of Adrian, there have been 6 of those.

Yes, it sounded a bit weird to me to claim Chaleb as a name for Pope, but didn't know all the meanings, thank you for the explanation! Always good to know something new!

I knew about the Popes named Adrian (or Hadrianus, in latin), I was reading some stuff about Popes last week.

John Paul was NOT Latin. Francis is NOT Latin. So why Caleb have to Latinized?

Still funny to remember...

[gotosy]

Vatican releases Pope Francis' coat of arms, motto and ring

The Vatican said that neither his papal ring nor his coat of arms will

be ornate. The coat of arms is the same one he used archbishop of Buenos

Aires, with the addition of the papal symbols of a bishops' miter and gold

and silver-crossed keys.

A gold star representing the Virgin Mary, and the nardo, a grape-like plant

with which St Joseph is often represented, are painted on a bright blue

background. Above them is the emblem of Francis' Jesuit order. Together the

three represent Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

The papal ring is in gold-plated silver and was originally offered to Paul VI

in the 1960's.

The Vatican also unveiled the coat of arms and motto Francis will use - which

remain the same as those he used as archbishop of Buenos Aires.

The coat of arms shows three symbols on a blue background: at the top, a sun

with the letters IHS in the middle - the logo of the Jesuit Society - and

underneath a five-point star and a lily, symbolising the Virgin Mary and St

Joseph.

The Latin motto beneath the crest is "miserando atque eligendo" - which refers

to a Bible passage showing Jesus Christ's "mercy" in choosing Matthew, a tax

collector, to be one of his disciples.

"The motto recalls Pope Francis's personal vocation and he wanted to keep it,"

Fr Lombardi said.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/the-pope/9937813/Vatican-releases-Pope-Francis-coat-of-arms-motto-and-ring.html

[krow]

I was reading some stuff about Popes last week.

what a strange coincidence, so was i.

[Ikarus360]

^^ Simplistic. It kinda reminds me of John Paul II coat of arms, which was similar.

Also i'm glad that he followed Benedict XVI trend of replacing the old Papal Tiara with the Mitre, reflecting humbleness and simplicity.

[DannyelBrazil]

what a strange coincidence, so was i.

And part of the manking who like to search more about the news breaking around =]

[Texas]

Thank goodness that Joe Biden didn't make a fool of himself while he was there, as he as a tendency to do that.

[gotosy]

Pope, former pope meet in first such encounter in 600 years

[baron-pierreIV]

Sucka!!

[Jimena]

Pope Francis is going to make a fantastic job, he must visit Latin America soon, you don't see a Spanish native speaker Pope all days.

[Ikarus360]

^^ In fact I believe he's coming next month to Brazil for the Episcopal Conference. I dare to say he might make a tour through Latin America in the future.