If Catholic Church had a new leader...

bnt

Anyway - I wasn't blaming the Church re Schools: they have control of the schools because people give them the mandate to do so, by checking "Catholic" on the Census forms. When the 2011 Census results come out in April, expect the proportion of Catholics to be a bit lower than they were in 2001 ... and even then, calling yourself "Catholic" doesn't mean what it used to. What about those "hatch, match & dispatch" Catholics, who see the inside of a church perhaps once a year?

Back to the original question: I know the Pope has control of the Vatican, but when it comes to wider Catholic policy & theology, how much influence does he really have? The last major discussion of that sort was called Vatican II (1962-65), and I was amused to see that every Pope since then played an active role in Vatican II. So the next Pope might be "young blood" compared to these old fogeys ... will it take a "Vatican III" to get more sweeping changes, such as allowing gay priests to get married?

BlackCatMeoww

bnt wrote: »

Anyway - I wasn't blaming the Church re Schools: they have control of the schools because people give them the mandate to do so, by checking "Catholic" on the Census forms. When the 2011 Census results come out in April, expect the proportion of Catholics to be a bit lower than they were in 2001 ... and even then, calling yourself "Catholic" doesn't mean what it used to. What about those "hatch, match & dispatch" Catholics, who see the inside of a church perhaps once a year?

Back to the original question: I know the Pope has control of the Vatican, but when it comes to wider Catholic policy & theology, how much influence does he really have? The last major discussion of that sort was called Vatican II (1962-65), and I was amused to see that every Pope since then played an active role in Vatican II. So the next Pope might be "young blood" compared to these old fogeys ... will it take a "Vatican III" to get more sweeping changes, such as allowing gay priests to get married?

Gay priests?! You must be having a laugh. I.e. trolling.

BlackCatMeoww

St.Spodo wrote: »

Father Damo wrote: »

In what country? The church hsnt had any influence on anyone in this country in 20 years.

A nun came into my younger sister's school and showed her class a video of an abortion being performed. This was about 6 months ago.

Catholic church in anti-abortion shocker!

Stark

St.Spodo wrote: »

A nun came into my younger sister's school and showed her class a video of an abortion being performed. This was about 6 months ago.

Wouldn't have thought a video of someone taking a mifepristone pill would be all that interesting tbh.

Father Damo

St.Spodo wrote: »

A nun came into my younger sister's school and showed her class a video of an abortion being performed. This was about 6 months ago.

Cant say I approve. Nor can I say I am offended.

lividduck wrote: »

Catholic Communion and Confirmation organized in over 90% of primary schools.

So what. Its a great day out for the kids.

The Angelus said in over 90% of primary schools.

Remind me which prayer the Angelus is. Because despite 12 years of enduring these supposed Catholic madrassas I cant even remember.

Roman Catholic catecism taught in 90% of primary schools.

What again is the catheticism? I cqan remember my 12 times tables but not this stuff. Surely its not because we spent fcuk all time doing it? If church education was so prevalent I should know this stuff off by heart.

State funded broadcasts of Mass and the Angelus

I too am dead opposed to mass broadcasts on Sunday on RTE designed to cheer up the elderly and infirm who are too ill to go to mass on Sunday mornings. Should be a porn marathon on instead.

Namlub wrote: »

I'm in 6th year - we stand up to pray before every class, we have three compulsory religion classes a week where we read Catholic propaganda magazines, learn about the Catholic church's (nothing about any other religion) teachings on marriage, contraception etc, we have regular masses which we can't opt out of, I basically got ash forced on me on Ash Wednesday...I really don't know where you got this idea that Irish schools have suddenly become all progressive.

You are hyping this up a bit. I remember all this. And it was more about anti drug, anti drink and anti teen pregnancy than anything remotely to do with actual Catholic belief. We were never once told that pre marital sex, homosexuality or contraception were morally wrong (think we might have been told abortion was wrong, so what. We were probably told the death penalty was wrong and all, who gives a flying fcuk).

mixed up

I haven't read this thread i just seen the title.The church can get whatever leader they want it's still all a load of bollox in my opinion.I don't believe in any of it and even if it's all true why would i care about something that happened all them years ago?I go to wedding,christenings,confirmations and funerals and even they bore the fcuk out of me.

Namlub

Father Damo wrote: »

You are hyping this up a bit. I remember all this. And it was more about anti drug, anti drink and anti teen pregnancy than anything remotely to do with actual Catholic belief. We were never once told that pre marital sex, homosexuality or contraception were morally wrong (think we might have been told abortion was wrong, so what. We were probably told the death penalty was wrong and all, who gives a flying fcuk).

Unless you're an 18 year old girl in my year, you're not in the position to tell me that I'm 'hyping' anything up. You're assuming that everyone's experiences with religion in school match yours, which is either incredibly naive or just disingenuous.

Father Damo

Namlub wrote: »

18 year old girl in my year...... in the position .

Mmm.



Ahem, anyway. Sorry but I honestly dont believe that the vast majority of schools in Ireland have any level of meaningful religious instruction these days. And that people who moan about it are just looking for a cause.

lividduck

Father Damo wrote: »

Mmm.



Ahem, anyway. Sorry but I honestly dont believe that the vast majority of schools in Ireland have any level of meaningful religious instruction these days. And that people who moan about it are just looking for a cause.

I suppose you also refuse to believe that the earth orbits the sun as well!

Stark

Father Damo wrote: »

Ahem, anyway. Sorry but I honestly dont believe that the vast majority of schools in Ireland have any level of meaningful religious instruction these days. And that people who moan about it are just looking for a cause.

Oh really?

http://www.learningireland.ie/Irish_schools__high_in_spirit_but_low_on_sport_and_sums/index.html

Then why do OECD reports show that Irish schoolchildren spent the highest amount of time of any children in the world on religion, while spending the lowest amount of time on Maths?

I Heart Internet

lividduck wrote: »

Actually the state is!

The state is responsible for educating your children? That's sad.

The state has a responsibility for providing facilities and means to educate all children.....but to say it is responsible for educating them? That strikes me as very narrow thinking, and a narrow definition of education.

bnt

BlackCatMeoww wrote: »

Gay priests?! You must be having a laugh. I.e. trolling.

If only. Priests are people too, you know ... with all that comes with that. Recognising that is not trolling: not recognising it is simply denial of something that is actually happening today. Read this, for example, or search for "gay priests ireland".

I have to ask: what state of mind does a man have to be in, to voluntarily enter a profession that denies him a full life as an adult male human? Is it always voluntary? Is that state of mind permanent, or a temporary one that led to a choice they may later regret? This idea that, because priests take a vow of celibacy, that they can completely shut down their sexual nature, is one that simply hasn't stood up to scrutiny over the years.

As long as the Vatican insists that clergy deny their full humanity, we will keep seeing clergy with secret families, such as Bishop Casey, and child abuse. Either way, we will still see priests in gay bars: the only question is whether they get in trouble for it, or not. :cool:

This is relevant to the topic because this is the kind of reform that a new Pope could bring in ... eventually. It couldn't be a quick or easy process, of course - hence my idea for it as something for "Vatican III".

Sleepy

OK, I'm a fairly die-hard atheist: having a civil marriage in a hotel, didn't christen my child to placate our education system, wear flying spaghetti monster t-shirts regularly and dismiss all religion as superstitious nonsense that's believed by those too weak or arrogant to accept the facts.

That said, someone taking control of the Catholic church and running it according to the teachings of Christ they claim to believe in (as in the OP) rather than as a business would have my respect. The potential good the organisations power and wealth could do in this world wouldn't make their beliefs any more credible: they'd certainly make them a lot less hypocritical however.

elefant

Stark wrote: »

You'd think being all powerful he might be able to maintain some sort of website/twitter account with the up-to-date information.

Be some craic if the pope had a twitter account. I bet he'd come up with really good Demba Ba jokes.