Pope Francis has died (updated 21st April 2025)

That's why I think that the Catholic Church is overdue a schism. The traditionalist hardliners and the progressive hardliners absolutely hate each other and are just waiting to get into power so they can excommunicate the other faction. Any moderate compromise would simply be unacceptable to either faction - Pope Francis was supposed to be that compromise candidate and has completely pissed off both sides during his 12 years as pope.

It might also accelerate the decline of Catholicism in Europe, as the ethnonationalists start branding Catholicism as a "third world African / Asian shithole religion" and start claiming that Europe needs to "return" to pagan European religions because being European is more important than being Catholic.

I didn't know that but it makes sense now. So the Vatican sided with the Nazis and now they side with the modern day Nazis led by Putin. Fcuk me they're a great bunch.

I wasn't talking about Irish cradle Catholics, but rather cradle Catholics in some parts of continental Europe like Germany and the Benelux region.

Pope Frank anecdote:

Herself has a cousin whose granddaughter has downs. Said granddaughter and another kid with downs are going to be confirmed, the church they're members of, had voted (uhuh) that all the kids would be confirmed by the bishop in the main chapel - except the downs kids, who were to be confirmed in the basement chapel. For their own good, of course.

This was some years after Frank became Pope. The pope's visiting NYC (where cousin's family is,) around this time and after his Mass he walks among the audience. Well, the mother of the other kid had taken him and the granddaughter to the Mass and they made their way up to Frank at the end who waved his hands over them and said kind things. The mother mentions to one of Frank's assitants this business with the confirmation in the basement. Said assistant takes her information and says he'll talk to Frank about it.

Fast forward and in a few days, there's a message from their local priest, that those Downs kids are to be confirmed in New York's St. Patrick Cathedral by the local Cardinal. They're the only ones from their congregation getting such a prestigious location for the event.

Seems like Frank was a good guy, and at lest in this case he did (or his people did) the right thing. Pretty awful those kids fellow congregation members were so cruel, but hey, it is the RCC.

Mod Edit: Warned for trolling

Quite a bizarre leap.

Why are you so sure that they're the same people and why are you not acknowledging that there are still significant numbers of practising catholics here, people who don't have time for the church but judge men of the cloth as individuals, and people who are still hostile towards the British? (Despite the British today not being the same people who colonised and brutalised the Irish, and massive numbers of British being of Irish heritage).

British monarchs are not over here robbing our independence as we speak; however priests are still raping children or attempting to?

Did you read the news recently yeah?

Who's this Frank lad?

Agree.

RIP Pope Francis . A man of humility who did his best to reshape the Church's path from greed and bigotry to something that is worthy of Jesus Christ .

Hopefully whomever succeeds him will carry on his work and improve on it further . Badly needed .

Many lapsed Catholics may never return but at least the Roman Catholic Church should not be driving people away

Having watched Conclave not so long ago am hoping for a miracle !

The only things that spring to mind are calling for a greater role for women in the church and welcoming of those of a LGBTQ persuasion. Some people call him radical,but if that's what they call radical there's little hope for it's revival in the western world.

I kind of thought something was up when cathal and Camilla paid a visit a few weeks ago . Rip

Hey,we have an Irish man running the show finally.