Spot the difference on this Pope.

[Katashi_itto]

[GeorgeGist]

1. Red Pope is elevated.

[Katashi_itto]

2. That's one of the things, yes!

[SidDithers]

3. Spot the doctrinal differences...nt

Sid

[Katashi_itto]

11. No control over Doctrine. What he has control of is "Interpretation of Doctrine."

Which he is already slowly laying groundwork for some major changes...

[morningfog]

13. For your health, blood pressure and time,

I recommend hide by keyword "pope." It would save your so much time.

[Bluenorthwest]

21. Others will not ignore the enemies of equality, choice and kindness just to please folks who wish

to celebrate those figures. Francis is an anti gay, anti choice political activist. This is a political website, and this is a political discussion forum. General Discussion's SOP forbid religious subjects in GD. Thus, any and all Francis the Talking Pope threads are either political threads or threads that should be locked by hosts as off topic in GD.
It is very telling that you seek exclusion in order to enjoy the Pope threads. Got to discriminate and tell others they are not welcome, which is what Jesus would have done of course.
Now, tell me how great Pat Robertson is, I hear he wore a simple cotton shirt and sent a check to help the poor!

[jeff47]

22. When a political leader does some good

we should acknowledge that good, even when he does evil elsewhere.

Pope Francis's attempt to focus the church more on Jesus' economic teachings is a good thing, and we can celebrate him doing that while still objecting to his positions on homosexuals and abortion.

[Katashi_itto]

25. Agree!

[morningfog]

30. I don't seek exclusion of anyone,

Just constructive advice. I don't like the pope, I don't like the catholic church, I agree that he's still a bigot.

I do like when world leaders take steps or make comments that call out inequalities and capitalism. It is only a good thing to have the head of any large organization move the discussion to the left.

What you found "telling" was very far off. I don't give two shits about the pope. He's years ahead on the last bastard, but that's about it.

[Laelth]

4. k&r for Pope Francis. n/t

-Laelth

[ReRe]

5. Pope Francis

I like him. The difference is like day and night.

[Love Bug]

6. It's what he does that really counts.

I am liking the symbolism shown here and some of the things he says. But what really matters is the real CHANGE he makes in doctrine and actions of the Church.

[Drahthaardogs]

7. The Pope has no authority to change Church Doctrine

He can only change how the Church enforces such Doctrines. The Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church is written law.

[Bluenorthwest]

20. So how does that relate to his years of venom spewing hate attacks against gay people in his

home country? How does that relate to the efforts by Dolan and others to protect RCC wealth from being taken by the victims of RCC predators? Is that more written law that trumps all other laws, trumps right, wrong and Jesus words and replaces them all with a human set of dogmas that no one can change? People wrote that shit, people can change it.
Any philosophy that sees women and gay people as less than equal to straight men is pure evil. Especially when they coddle child abusers, and the term child abuser is overly kind to these men who claim superiority to others.

[Drahthaardogs]

23. Those are your feelings about the Church,which has absolutely nothing to do with the authorityof the

the Pope to change Church Doctrine. Therefore, let me re-iterate because it seems you missed the point. THE POPE LACKS THE AUTHORITY TO CHANGE CHURCH DOCTRINE. NO ONE CAN CHANGE CHURCH DOCTRINE. IT IS FORBIDDEN.

Hai Capito?

[DeSwiss]

8. ''Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.'' ~Jesus n/t

[weissmam]

9. survival

Two points

1. He is not a stupid man- If the new Pope didn't do this there was a very good chance that in a few decades the RCC would become irrelivant in a very real sense as its adhearants move father and father away from its teachings

2. I wonder what the wing nuts are going to do when the RCC all of a sudden starts accepting LBGT and contraception and there two biggest talking points go by by

[MH1]

10. A large part of the right wing fundamentalist crowd already disown the Catholic Church

as not being truly "Christian".

That crowd will not be affected at all, except maybe to use any leftward shift in the Catholic Church as "proof" that they were right all along about them.

Of course, social-conservative Catholics make up a significant chunk of republican voters, so politically it could have an impact; except that most Catholics I know vote "the way they damn well please" and acknowledge that they may differ from church doctrine (or not). I would say that in general, Catholics are led by the nose politically a whole lot less than the fundamentalists I know.

[greiner3]

16. "...right wing fundamentalist crowd already disown the Catholic Church as not being true Christians"

This has been true, in the US, for as long as I can remember; I'm 57.

But, the majority of Catholics are, or will be, in S. America and Africa so the US is sort of irrelevant.

[Bluenorthwest]

14. It is offensive when people claim Francis is accepting of LBGT people when he is a global leader

in opposition to our rights and equality and when he has said so many awful things about us and our families. Is there no call for honesty in this alleged 'faith community'?
Francis said gay relationships are "an attack on God's plan which comes from the author of evil." I will assume you agree with that.
Francis, head of the organization filled with child rapists, said that adoption by gay parents was 'discrimination against the child'.
The President of his home country Argentina called Francis' attacks on gay people 'Medieval and suggestive of the Inquisition.'
To call the enemy of equality a friend of those lacing equality is a very specific and ugly sort of mendacity.

[Drahthaardogs]

24. Where do you guys come up with this stuff?

1) The RCC has GROWN in membership worldwide by about 12%. Despite the popular talking point (which is wrong) espoused here on DU, membership is NOT declining.

2) I see the Church accepting LBGT people in the near future. I do NOT see them changing their stance on birth control.

[Bluenorthwest]

12. Both are aggressive anti gay propagandists and political activists who also oppose reproductive

choice and equality for women. The props and costumes don't matter a bit. What matters is the actions both men take which are the same, they both protect horrific child abusers in their cohort, they both spread venomous hate against gay people to build a smokescreen for the defense of those child abusers.
In Argentina, 'Wood Chair Pope' was so awful in his attack on gay people that the President there said his language was 'Medieval and suggestive of the Inquisition'. Worse, in fact, than Gold Chair Pope.
If Pat Robertson wears a nice suit, do you also praise his sartorial choices and forgive his bigoted and hateful attacks on innocent people?
In closing I will say that according to Jesus Christ, both men are hypocrites, for Jesus said 'Do not pray in public, only hypocrites do that'. Both of these men pray in public for a living. Hypocrites according to Jesus. Also, both men overlook terrible crimes in their own community while judging what they see as flaws in others, Jesus said don't dare judge that speck in your brother's eye when you have a child abusing plank in your own eye. Jesus, said to be of Nazareth, said this: "Call no man father." Both of these men demand to be called 'Father' by all, and even 'Holy Father' and they make that demand in the name of Jesus, who forbade such titles.
Both men claim to be 'Vicar of a Guy Whose Teachings We Don't Follow At All'.

[trotsky]

17. What you said.

Thank you.

[Bluenorthwest]

19. Who knew that Pat Robertson could have been a DU hero if he'd worn the right costumes?

It's all about the imagery and fashion for those who care not about others. They like the show, so if the show's price is the destruction of innocence and the slandering of minority groups that's fine with them.

[Vashta Nerada]

29. +1000 for my fellow DU Pope Hater group member.

[MyNameGoesHere]

15. UNtil proven different

I am assuming this is some damn fine marketing gimmick. Of course I am not sure how long it is going to take to convince me to reconsider 1000 years of different behavior. Possibly 1000 years.

[rpannier]

18. The guy on the left is either falling asleep or had too many

I do like the chair
I like his style and, so far, much of his substance

[libodem]

26. Very impressive

I genuflect in your general direction. I appreciate the humility. Very appropriate. Send the savings to the poor.

I love it!

[Kingofalldems]

27. Pigboy Limbaugh hates him. He's gotta be first rate now.

[Lex]

33. That's a very good sign

that this Pope is doing the right things.

[Vashta Nerada]

28. They both hold the same beliefs on gays, women, and contraception.

[madokie]

31. I'm no where near religious but I like this Pope

He seems to be what those who do really needs.

[BootinUp]

32. He's a Pope for our time. nt