Can someone explain .... (pope related)

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Posted by donegal419

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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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let me clarify, I was trying to explain in the most simplest of terms. I wasn't going to go into the specific workings of how a pope is chosen. I was using the term 'catholics' loosely. By catholics, I am referring to the general public. The public, as well as vatican councils, have kept the pope in power because the public has over time PLACED HIM ON A PEDESTAL and view him as the closest thing to christ in our world today..

Sorry Jess. I didn't realize that would be misread

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Posted by soon2bmrsVPT

let me clarify, I was trying to explain in the most simplest of terms. I wasn't going to go into the specific workings of how a pope is chosen. I was using the term 'catholics' loosely. By catholics, I am referring to the general public. The public, as well as vatican councils, have kept the pope in power because the public has over time PLACED HIM ON A PEDESTAL and view him as the closest thing to christ in our world today..

Sorry Jess. I didn't realize that would be misread

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You don't have to get upset.... i wasn't misreading it, i was just explaining it more fully. i just posted my thoughts because my posting in the sinplest of terms, like you did, doesnt' really explain it from a theological or historical standpoint, so i figured why not properly explain.

Also, I agree with you that the PUBLIC has put him up on a pedestal.... basically for many reasons, the main one being ignorance. many catholics do not understand his role, how he is chosen, etc. that is why i wanted to explain it further. it is amazing to me how many Catholics in this country and around the world, just blindly follow and have no idea about things. Not just the Pople, but even most Church teachings. it's sad, really...

Also, viewing the pope as the closest thing to Christ is just inaccurate and false and any one that is priest or other religious title would tell you the same.

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Posted by donegal419

Also, viewing the pope as the closest thing to Christ is just inaccurate and false and any one that is priest or other religious title would tell you the same.

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This was a key point that I was thrown by and agree needed clarification. Thats why I tried to address that the Pope isn't the 'closest thing to Christ.' He's human and flawed, like the rest of us. Like you said, rather, he is an ordinary man asked to take on an extraordinary job.

But what you said in a previous post about the Church teaching that 'EVERYONE is Christ.' I was a Catholic for 24 years and was never taught that. In those words, its not even Biblically accurate. I'm not sure if its just your wording though, as you may have meant something else entirely. There is ONE Christ, one savior, who lived a sinless life that none of us can and died on the cross to accomplish our salvation. Christ IS within us and in our hearts by virtue of the Holy Spirit.....but we are certainly not and can not be Christ.

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Posted by Aug07OFCbride


But what you said in a previous post about the Church teaching that 'EVERYONE is Christ.' I was a Catholic for 24 years and was never taught that. In those words, its not even Biblically accurate. I'm not sure if its just your wording though, as you may have meant something else entirely. There is ONE Christ, one savior, who lived a sinless life that none of us can and died on the cross to accomplish our salvation. Christ IS within us and in our hearts by virtue of the Holy Spirit.....but we are certainly not and can not be Christ.

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i agree with you! that was not worded well when i said everyone is Christ. Rather, I meant what you said above: that Christ IS within us.... by no means did I mean that we can be Christ.

I also meant that the Catholic Church teaches that we should SEE Christ in all those around us: the poor, neglected, the sick, that annoying person at work. since Christ is within all of us, we should treat them as such.

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Posted by donegal419

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Posted by Aug07OFCbride


But what you said in a previous post about the Church teaching that 'EVERYONE is Christ.' I was a Catholic for 24 years and was never taught that. In those words, its not even Biblically accurate. I'm not sure if its just your wording though, as you may have meant something else entirely. There is ONE Christ, one savior, who lived a sinless life that none of us can and died on the cross to accomplish our salvation. Christ IS within us and in our hearts by virtue of the Holy Spirit.....but we are certainly not and can not be Christ.

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i agree with you! that was not worded well when i said everyone is Christ. Rather, I meant what you said above: that Christ IS within us.... by no means did I mean that we can be Christ.

I also meant that the Catholic Church teaches that we should SEE Christ in all those around us: the poor, neglected, the sick, that annoying person at work. since Christ is within all of us, we should treat them as such.

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gotcha thats kind of what i thought you were getting at!

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Posted by donegal419

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Posted by soon2bmrsVPT

let me clarify, I was trying to explain in the most simplest of terms. I wasn't going to go into the specific workings of how a pope is chosen. I was using the term 'catholics' loosely. By catholics, I am referring to the general public. The public, as well as vatican councils, have kept the pope in power because the public has over time PLACED HIM ON A PEDESTAL and view him as the closest thing to christ in our world today..

Sorry Jess. I didn't realize that would be misread

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You don't have to get upset.... i wasn't misreading it, i was just explaining it more fully. i just posted my thoughts because my posting in the sinplest of terms, like you did, doesnt' really explain it from a theological or historical standpoint, so i figured why not properly explain.

Also, I agree with you that the PUBLIC has put him up on a pedestal.... basically for many reasons, the main one being ignorance. many catholics do not understand his role, how he is chosen, etc. that is why i wanted to explain it further. it is amazing to me how many Catholics in this country and around the world, just blindly follow and have no idea about things. Not just the Pople, but even most Church teachings. it's sad, really...

Also, viewing the pope as the closest thing to Christ is just inaccurate and false and any one that is priest or other religious title would tell you the same.

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I'm not getting upset. I do however, think this post is getting too technical. It was a simple question and I attempted to explain it as best I could. Was it as clear as it could be? no. I don't think it was needed to call out others as 'inaccurate'. If I didn't have my big girl panties on today, I'd probably take it personally that 2 other posters were correcting me when all I was trying to do was help

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Posted by soon2bmrsVPT

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Posted by donegal419

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Posted by soon2bmrsVPT

let me clarify, I was trying to explain in the most simplest of terms. I wasn't going to go into the specific workings of how a pope is chosen. I was using the term 'catholics' loosely. By catholics, I am referring to the general public. The public, as well as vatican councils, have kept the pope in power because the public has over time PLACED HIM ON A PEDESTAL and view him as the closest thing to christ in our world today..

Sorry Jess. I didn't realize that would be misread

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You don't have to get upset.... i wasn't misreading it, i was just explaining it more fully. i just posted my thoughts because my posting in the sinplest of terms, like you did, doesnt' really explain it from a theological or historical standpoint, so i figured why not properly explain.

Also, I agree with you that the PUBLIC has put him up on a pedestal.... basically for many reasons, the main one being ignorance. many catholics do not understand his role, how he is chosen, etc. that is why i wanted to explain it further. it is amazing to me how many Catholics in this country and around the world, just blindly follow and have no idea about things. Not just the Pople, but even most Church teachings. it's sad, really...

Also, viewing the pope as the closest thing to Christ is just inaccurate and false and any one that is priest or other religious title would tell you the same.

---

I'm not getting upset. I do however, think this post is getting too technical. It was a simple question and I attempted to explain it as best I could. Was it as clear as it could be? no. I don't think it was needed to call out others as 'inaccurate'. If I didn't have my big girl panties on today, I'd probably take it personally that 2 other posters were correcting me when all I was trying to do was help

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aw heather, didn't mean anything by it... was just trying to clarify. you did a fine job, not that it matters what i think. i was just sharing what i knew to try to contribute to the thread and clear up the answer.

i hear ya heather. to each his/her own. to many Christians the Bible is God's Word, the ultimate authority so trying to apply and live it is of primary focus. others look at it entirely differently. what one may feel is following blindy another might see as faith. i know plenty of us have our own viewpoints on religion and spirituality on here and i respect that... like i said, to each their own!

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Posted by soon2bmrsVPT

I'm not getting upset. I do however, think this post is getting too technical. It was a simple question and I attempted to explain it as best I could. Was it as clear as it could be? no. I don't think it was needed to call out others as 'inaccurate'. If I didn't have my big girl panties on today, I'd probably take it personally that 2 other posters were correcting me when all I was trying to do was help

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I know that you explained your answer the best you could. . . I did the same, albeit more technical, so sorry for that, if that bothered you. also, i didn't mean for you to think that i thought your whole post was 'inaccurate.' all i meant was that when you said that the Church believes the Pope to be the most Christ like figure---that really is not true, so i just thought i would clear it up, but didnt' mean to sound mean or anything like that!!!!

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Posted by donegal419

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Posted by soon2bmrsVPT

I'm not getting upset. I do however, think this post is getting too technical. It was a simple question and I attempted to explain it as best I could. Was it as clear as it could be? no. I don't think it was needed to call out others as 'inaccurate'. If I didn't have my big girl panties on today, I'd probably take it personally that 2 other posters were correcting me when all I was trying to do was help

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I know that you explained your answer the best you could. . . I did the same, albeit more technical, so sorry for that, if that bothered you. also, i didn't mean for you to think that i thought your whole post was 'inaccurate.' all i meant was that when you said that the Church believes the Pope to be the most Christ like figure---that really is not true, so i just thought i would clear it up, but didnt' mean to sound mean or anything like that!!!!

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I got that. Don't worry. All I meant was that the 'church' believes blah blah blah. Again, by church or catholic I was using it loosely to encompass the majority of followers. I didn't realize it would be read in a different fashion

doesn't Cat always say that this guy makes all posts better? haha

i heard this helps too!...

i wanted to thank ALL of you for taking the time to respond to my post, your answers were all very informative and i know many of you put a lot of time into responding ....

i hope no one got offended by my questions, and even more so -- i hope no one was offended by each others responses on the thread.

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Posted by PreshusSmurf



i hope no one got offended by my questions, and even more so -- i hope no one was offended by each others responses on the thread.

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I was offended by both the question and the answers

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Posted by MeNBobs

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Posted by PreshusSmurf



i hope no one got offended by my questions, and even more so -- i hope no one was offended by each others responses on the thread.

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I was offended by both the question and the answers

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Gee, thanks Melon Boobs!


Oh wait, makes it all better .... right?

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Posted by PreshusSmurf

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Posted by MeNBobs


I was offended by both the question and the answers

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Gee, thanks Melon Boobs!


Oh wait, makes it all better .... right?

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Haha that's right. Go try it out it is fun.

Your makeup is awful and your dress is ugly No one can get mad at that guy or this one .