New Pope Thread

It seems a bit wierd to me: I'd have thoughta) not going to die soon
b) was never a naziwould both appear in the list of requirements for a new pope, and they've elected a 78 year old ex-nazi/member of Hitler youth. And, yes, I know the whole nazi thing is a bit unfair; but this guy is supposed to stand as a moral leader to a billion Catholics and all.

Because the guy was still a child at the time. He was 18 when the war ended (and he deserted). I consider it unreasonable to judge anyone for something they did sixty years ago, especially when they did it when so very young.

I don't actually believe that people are born with their sexual orientations anyway. Not that that's really relevant. I don't see how that's really relevant. Either you believe it's reasonable to judge someone on something they did sixty years ago, or you don't. Bringing the obnoxious bigotry of that person into it doesn't change matters. Still, given the public perception of it all, I'd have still thought the Catholic Church would want a whiter-than-white candidate - especially given their already rather tarnished image.

I find the phraseology of the question odd but, yes, I think so. People are certainly responsible for their actions, however I don't think something someone did sixty years ago before they were even an adult and hasn't done since is relevant to a current assessment of them as a person. Why do I care what the bible says? For that matter, why would the Pope? In Catholic doctrine, the bible is just one source of god's word to be taken along side the traditions of the Catholic church and the proclamations of the Pope - now since the Catholic church accepts that Priests have the authority to take confession and give pennance; clearly that requires that a Priest has the authority to pass judgement. Even, if we did take the biblical statement as relevant, the interpretation is highly questionable. One could argue that the Pope is making a statement on the issue of the morality of homosexuality, not passing judgement on any particular homosexual. Except, as I'm sure you'd find if you enquired, the Pope does not consider homosexuality to be something you have no control over. Nor, I believe, does the Catholic church consider homosexuality to be an unforgivable sin - I don't believe they'd consider a homosexual act commited sixty years ago, and which you have confessed, to be relevant.

I'm not sure how that can be a meaningful question? How can you be held responsible for something you don't do? Do you have a reference for that? I'm not overly familiar with Catholic doctrine, I'll freely admit, but it doesn't match up with what I've heard elsewhere. 1. I haven't said anything about whether he had a choice or not comes into it; I've argued that it's irrelevant what someone did sixty years ago, especially when it was before they were even an adult. So I am again puzzled as to the relevance of what you're saying.2. How is that a good argument anyway? It smacks of "but he did it first, miss" to me. If you don't think it's just to judge someone over something they have no control over, you should not judge him over it - it makes no difference what he thinks on the matter. "Do unto others and you would have them do unto you" and all that.

Hi Crash, Once again, what difference does that make to me? I'm not going to base my moral opinions on what the Catholics think. Time renders transgressions irrelevant, beating up on someone for something they did sixty years ago and haven't done since is irrelevant, unjust and unreasonable. I agree with you on that. But to then judging him on the same basis that you think is unjust is hypocrisy.

You're seriously telling me that whatever else he has or hasn't do in his life the mere fact he was in the hitler youth renders him morally reprehensible for the rest of his life? Come on! If they'd survived, and then lived for sixty years as decent people, yeah, I'd say the fact they hijacked a plane sixty years ago was pretty irrelevant to an assessment of them now.

Only on the internet can two people who agree argue so much.