Can someone explain .... (pope related)

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Posted by Aug07OFCbride

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Posted by ant n tilde

all great responses!!! very informative

I think another reason is that the Pope is seen as a direct descendant of St Peter

Jesus himself asked Peter to lead his church and all of these years later Benedict is seen as a descendant of that and chosen by God

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yep. this is what is meant by 'apostolic succession'

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i know that now . . .

bc i just looked it up!!

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Posted by ant n tilde

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Posted by Aug07OFCbride

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Posted by ant n tilde

all great responses!!! very informative

I think another reason is that the Pope is seen as a direct descendant of St Peter

Jesus himself asked Peter to lead his church and all of these years later Benedict is seen as a descendant of that and chosen by God

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yep. this is what is meant by 'apostolic succession'

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i know that now . . .

bc i just looked it up!!

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no prob!

i really should have just written the explanation in the thread instead of just stating the term ....so you definitely added to the whole discussion

If anyone is interested, the Pope is blessing children with disabilities right now - its on channel 9

what channel is that? Im in PA.

NM...i found it on fox news. thx.

i am an ex catholic and i honestly never got the whole lets go nuts for the pope thing. I see him nothing as a regular priest who was given power to run more then one parish. But the position holds MUCH power outside of the catholic faith. The pope should also be a humanitarian to all people. Some popes like the last one did an amazing job of bringing nations together diffusing hostile groups, etc.

With that power he has people want him dead like any powerful individual so thats why we have the pope mobile. I see him less as a celebrity and more of a diplomat in my mind.

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Posted by PreshusSmurf

... why the Pope is such a big deal?

I'm Jewish, and I just don't get it. I don't mean to offend anyone .... I am really curious about this, and thought someone here might have answers for me

Also ... did they fly his Popemobile over, or build a new one here for him?

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dh and i were just watching him on tv and were wondering the same thing! this was a good thread!!

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Posted by nifheim

i am an ex catholic and i honestly never got the whole lets go nuts for the pope thing. I see him nothing as a regular priest who was given power to run more then one parish. But the position holds MUCH power outside of the catholic faith. The pope should also be a humanitarian to all people. Some popes like the last one did an amazing job of bringing nations together diffusing hostile groups, etc.

With that power he has people want him dead like any powerful individual so thats why we have the pope mobile. I see him less as a celebrity and more of a diplomat in my mind.

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yes. growing up catholic, i also didn't really understood why people would 'go nuts over' the Pope. He is the leader of the church, plays a very important role within the church, he is a man who has dedicated his life to living for God, but I personally didn't and wouldn't ever want to succumb to an imbalanced view where I lose sight of Jesus and what he accomplished for all of us, in the midst of: appreciating the Pope for who he is, participating in the rituals of the church, etc. I don't know if my wording is unclear. Hopefully, no one will take it the wrong way. I would say that my grandmother is someone who feels very strongly about the Pope. She was born in Italy and lived there until she was about my age and so she is a very faithful Catholic and sees the Pope as someone of great authority and so on. I just try to appreciate and respect how Catholics view the Pope. But I also try, personally, not to lose sight of or deemphasize what Christianity is really about- Jesus and His sacrifice and grace that allows us to be saved. I am definitely NOT saying all Catholics do this, either, or that Catholics do this more than other denominations on the whole or that it's any reason to make a judgment. K, I am babbling now! I guess my final thought on it would be...is the Pope any more precious in the eyes of the Lord than any other faithful Christian?, according to the Bible, I would say no. Bc there is no act that can make someone any more 'saved' or 'better' than the next Christian. According to my belief based on the Bible, Jesus' sacrifice was made for all of us out of His personal love for each and every one of us. But the Pope IS in a place of leadership for the Catholic Church and so his example becomes very important to many Catholics, which I don't think is a bad thing.

Sorry I hope I didn't take this thread off course, Jess! But this last post just got me thinkin. I know religion can be a touchy subject because it is such a personal thing, so I hope I didn't offend anyone!

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Posted by Aug07OFCbride

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Posted by nifheim

i am an ex catholic and i honestly never got the whole lets go nuts for the pope thing. I see him nothing as a regular priest who was given power to run more then one parish. But the position holds MUCH power outside of the catholic faith. The pope should also be a humanitarian to all people. Some popes like the last one did an amazing job of bringing nations together diffusing hostile groups, etc.

With that power he has people want him dead like any powerful individual so thats why we have the pope mobile. I see him less as a celebrity and more of a diplomat in my mind.

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yes. growing up catholic, i also didn't really understood why people would 'go nuts over' the Pope. He is the leader of the church, plays a very important role within the church, he is a man who has dedicated his life to living for God, but I personally didn't and wouldn't ever want to succumb to an imbalanced view where I lose sight of Jesus and what he accomplished for all of us, in the midst of: appreciating the Pope for who he is, participating in the rituals of the church, etc. I don't know if my wording is unclear. Hopefully, no one will take it the wrong way. I would say that my grandmother is someone who feels very strongly about the Pope. She was born in Italy and lived there until she was about my age and so she is a very faithful Catholic and sees the Pope as someone of great authority and so on. I just try to appreciate and respect how Catholics view the Pope. But I also try, personally, not to lose sight of or deemphasize what Christianity is really about- Jesus and His sacrifice and grace that allows us to be saved. I am definitely NOT saying all Catholics do this, either, or that Catholics do this more than other denominations on the whole or that it's any reason to make a judgment. K, I am babbling now! I guess my final thought on it would be...is the Pope any more precious in the eyes of the Lord than any other faithful Christian?, according to the Bible, I would say no. Bc there is no act that can make someone any more 'saved' or 'better' than the next Christian. According to my belief based on the Bible, Jesus' sacrifice was made for all of us out of His personal love for each and every one of us. But the Pope IS in a place of leadership for the Catholic Church and so his example becomes very important to many Catholics, which I don't think is a bad thing.

Sorry I hope I didn't take this thread off course, Jess! But this last post just got me thinkin. I know religion can be a touchy subject because it is such a personal thing, so I hope I didn't offend anyone!

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I understand what you are saying AND so does Pope Benedict! Today during his mass in St Patrick's cathedral he asked us all to pray for him, as he is a succesor to St Peter he is also HUMAN like St Peter and flawed, so he needs our prayers!

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Posted by ant n tilde

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Posted by Aug07OFCbride

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Posted by nifheim

i am an ex catholic and i honestly never got the whole lets go nuts for the pope thing. I see him nothing as a regular priest who was given power to run more then one parish. But the position holds MUCH power outside of the catholic faith. The pope should also be a humanitarian to all people. Some popes like the last one did an amazing job of bringing nations together diffusing hostile groups, etc.

With that power he has people want him dead like any powerful individual so thats why we have the pope mobile. I see him less as a celebrity and more of a diplomat in my mind.

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yes. growing up catholic, i also didn't really understood why people would 'go nuts over' the Pope. He is the leader of the church, plays a very important role within the church, he is a man who has dedicated his life to living for God, but I personally didn't and wouldn't ever want to succumb to an imbalanced view where I lose sight of Jesus and what he accomplished for all of us, in the midst of: appreciating the Pope for who he is, participating in the rituals of the church, etc. I don't know if my wording is unclear. Hopefully, no one will take it the wrong way. I would say that my grandmother is someone who feels very strongly about the Pope. She was born in Italy and lived there until she was about my age and so she is a very faithful Catholic and sees the Pope as someone of great authority and so on. I just try to appreciate and respect how Catholics view the Pope. But I also try, personally, not to lose sight of or deemphasize what Christianity is really about- Jesus and His sacrifice and grace that allows us to be saved. I am definitely NOT saying all Catholics do this, either, or that Catholics do this more than other denominations on the whole or that it's any reason to make a judgment. K, I am babbling now! I guess my final thought on it would be...is the Pope any more precious in the eyes of the Lord than any other faithful Christian?, according to the Bible, I would say no. Bc there is no act that can make someone any more 'saved' or 'better' than the next Christian. According to my belief based on the Bible, Jesus' sacrifice was made for all of us out of His personal love for each and every one of us. But the Pope IS in a place of leadership for the Catholic Church and so his example becomes very important to many Catholics, which I don't think is a bad thing.

Sorry I hope I didn't take this thread off course, Jess! But this last post just got me thinkin. I know religion can be a touchy subject because it is such a personal thing, so I hope I didn't offend anyone!

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I understand what you are saying AND so does Pope Benedict! Today during his mass in St Patrick's cathedral he asked us all to pray for him, as he is a succesor to St Peter he is also HUMAN like St Peter and flawed, so he needs our prayers!

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You got it! I was watching too.

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Posted by soon2bmrsVPT

the pope speaks english, with an accent. He's a big deal because he is the head of the Catholic church. That alone is a good enough reason for those that have a strong faith or hold all holy people in high regard.

No other religion has a figure head that is as unifying or visable as the Pope. He unifies all Catholics all over the world. In our religion, we believe he is the most Christ like individual in our presence. That is what is he is to portray.

In the past (which these times are long gone) the highest & most powerful individual was the Pope. Shiit didn't go down unless the big man said so.

Regardless of what anyone thinks, Catholicism is still the greatest/largest religion in the world. It may not be the fastest growing, but its getting larger due to the great influx of southern/central america. Soooo therefore, the Pope is the 2nd most powerful person in the world *to most people*


I hope that explained it a little better.

<- Roman Catholic

the Pope Mobile, they probably assembled it here. All it is is bulletproof glass on a golf cart. Did you know he also has his own jet?? It's called 'Shephard 1' hahahahahah so cute

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well said

Here's 'Shepherd One'

Dagnabit.. I wanted a shepherd a lambs on it

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Posted by soon2bmrsVPT

Here's 'Shepherd One'

Dagnabit.. I wanted a shepherd a lambs on it

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Dh told me about this plane a few days ago and I DID NOT believe that was the name of the plane

I heard the Popemobile is custom made by Mercedes Benz/Dialmer & it was flown over. It also has the rims of the Maybach, which is a ridiculously expensive car.

Since we're on the subject of religion....( and I'm a Roman Catholic ), I have a question for the Jewish!!! Why do Orthodox Jews have long curls on the side of their heads, and have white things hanging underneath their black suits? And why do they ALWAYS wear hats? And as for the women, why do they wear skirts, and bandana like things on their heads? I'm curious.Because my neighborhood is Italian and Jewish. I understand the Italian part, just not the jewish part. Someone please explain.

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Posted by werock0709

Since we're on the subject of religion....( and I'm a Roman Catholic ), I have a question for the Jewish!!! Why do Orthodox Jews have long curls on the side of their heads, and have white things hanging underneath their black suits? And why do they ALWAYS wear hats? And as for the women, why do they wear skirts, and bandana like things on their heads? I'm curious.Because my neighborhood is Italian and Jewish. I understand the Italian part, just not the jewish part. Someone please explain.

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I know the women wear skirts because to see the spilt of their legs if they wore pants is considered inappropriate. Also they wear wigs or bandanas because only their husbands can see their hair.

As for the curls and the strings- I have no clue!

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Posted by werock0709

Since we're on the subject of religion....( and I'm a Roman Catholic ), I have a question for the Jewish!!! Why do Orthodox Jews have long curls on the side of their heads, and have white things hanging underneath their black suits? And why do they ALWAYS wear hats? And as for the women, why do they wear skirts, and bandana like things on their heads? I'm curious.Because my neighborhood is Italian and Jewish. I understand the Italian part, just not the jewish part. Someone please explain.

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Some Wikipedia links...

According to Wikipedia, the clothing you mention are characteristic of Hasidic Judaism, which is a subgroup of Orthodox Judaism. Men and women follow conduct and dress codes called tzniut.

The hair styles of the men follow specific codes in the Torah on the prohibition of cutting one's hair. Married women are forbidden to show their hair for modesty, covering it with scarves or wigs. The pages seem to describe the various kinds of hats worn by men in great detail but don't really give a reasoning why. The white threads are tzitzit.

you know when a pope dies (maybe all high up religious figures as well) they bang him on the head 3 times with a silver hammer to 'check' and call him by his baptismal name and if he doesnt answer..well then there you have it


i though that was funny and i nt get it one bit

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Posted by soon2bmrsVPT


Other religions have had figure heads, but have been unable to sustain an appointed figure. Catholics have kept the Pope in power because they believe he is the closest thing you can get to Christ or to God in our world today.

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I will try my best to answer your question, Jess and would like to comment on the above quote because it is not entirely accurate.

While soon2bmrsVPT made some good points, they are not entirely accurate. The Church does NOT view the Pope as the closest thing to Christ or God in our world. The Church views EVERYONE as Christ. We are all created in God's image.... Pope Benedict is an ordinary priest asked to do extraordinary things. In addition, to clarify, the Pople is NOT a figure head, that would be the farthest from the truth. Due to the literal divine intervention in choosing the Pope (see below), we look to the Pope to be the best guide in intrepeting Church teachings and solving the Church's problems. When the Pope says something, it is taken as truth.

Bishops, cardinals and the pope are ALL priests. However, they are asked to take on a greater role in terms of organizing the Church... the Church is so vast and huge, we must have connection with the Vatican, so those priests with 'higher' titles do that, while priests as we know it, are the ones that do the direct ministering to the people. not that bishops and cardinals don't do that, but it is the praish priests and the priests in orders that are doing this everyday.

Back to the Pope...., the Church believes in the Holy Trinity, the Father (God), the Son (Christ) and the Holy Spirit. The Pope is special because we believe that the Pope is CHOSEN by the Holy Spirit to lead the Church. When a Pope dies, ALL the cardinals from around the world convene at the Vatican to choose a new pope. This is a time of great amounts of prayer, reflection and solitude as well as discussions about who might be the best pope. The Cardinals vote and it really is by the divine intervention of the Holy Spriti that cardinals are able to come together and agree on the vote. it must be unanimous. Therefore, the Pope is special because through the grace of the Holy Spritit the Cardinals are able to choose him. Does this make sense?

The Pope is an avareage man expected to do extraorinary things , but the Cardinals choose a man who will best move the Church into the future. For example, Pope John Paul II was a simple man from humble beginnings. He was chosen because of his gentle soul ---under Pope John Paul, the Church moved into a more ecumenical spirit, but Pope John Paul was STEADFAST in preaching about the core values of the Church that are being neglected by not just Catholics, but as society as a whole. Josef Ratzinger was chosen next to keep much of what JP II pushed into this new century.... also, Ratzinger is extremely intelligent and is a well-known scholar and theologian, so the time was also right for the Church to have a scholar to articulate the teachings of the Church to the world.

To answer Jess' question about him being a celebrity, it's not that exactly. People just like being in his presence for what he represents: the Church and its teachings. Also. regarding people going crazy to get tickets, etc. It's hard to explain this to a non-Catholic, even a Christian non-catholic. But what is so amazing about the Catholic church is that it is the one Church all over the world that is constant. The Mass is the SAME no matter where you go, all over the world. Our traditions know no language barrier, no country border, etc. so to have Mass said by the Holy Father is a most incredible experience because you feel so connected to the millions of Catholics all over the world as he is our unifying figure.

Does this help?

OMG... that was long!

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Posted by failurebydsign

you know when a pope dies (maybe all high up religious figures as well) they bang him on the head 3 times with a silver hammer to 'check' and call him by his baptismal name and if he doesnt answer..well then there you have it


i though that was funny and i nt get it one bit

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This was done because thundreds of years ago they didn't have the medical technology we have... so i guess a hammer was the next best thing! Seriously though, a new pope could not be chosen until the previous one dies (there is no resigning or retiring) so they really did have to make sure he was truly dead. I believe when they called the baptismal name and didnt' get an asnwer, that represented that Christ had called him to heaven and therefore he was no longer on this earth.