Not that I have any thing against religion & all the good work done by any church but...
could someone explain why deep sorrow is felt over Pope John Paul's death? If any one has a guarenteed ticket to heaven I think it would be him. Shouldn't we all be cheering that he gone to a better place? Why isn't there a massive celebration taking place instead of all this morose feeling of loss? Sure, he will be missed, but if we live good honest lives during our time on this world we will surely meet up again.

As a non-religious person, I would assume Catholics in general are feeling a mixture of sorrow for his passing, joy for his "going home" and a degree of nervousness waiting for a new Pope to be named. He has had a difficult time with his health over the past few years, and I'll give him credit for continuing to do what he felt was his duty.

one thing i found impressive, that i only found out last night, was that he met and prayed with the twat who shot him! no that takes something special.

as i said to swmbo last night, better an old fella than a child.

Vote for Pope DAVE........

"The Pope is Dead" .... Film with Robbie Coltrane.

Personally I am:
Agnostic, Dsylexic, and an Insomniac.
I lay awake at night, wondering if there is a DOG.

Or is there more than one Dog or is there one Almighty Dog who is omnivorous above all others. I'm Catholic as a result of my parents but I don't attend church, the last time I went some bloke in a frock splashed cold water on me so I keep away now. It probably explains my childhood aversion to baths. He was a good man who will be missed by a lot of people.

...Its when you go into a public toilet and some bloke in a frock tries to splash something over you, that you've got to worry....'cos it sure as feck won't be water!!!

Andy.

This last Pope seemed like a great guy to hang out with (though I never did). I think it's on that level that sadness is appropriate - for our loss, not for his death. As others have said, I'm sure that if there's a heaven, he's there.

On a personal note, I've wished that my religion had something like a Pope, but as the founder (and sole member) of the Zen Quaker denomination, we have nothing so grand. It's really hard to start a religious movement this long after the Reformation. I'm looking forward to release of the movie Luther to get some ideas on promotion.

All you need is the right PR or the internet just before a cencious comes out, after the last one most of the people in england turned out to be jedi.

they refused to acknowledge it though didnt they! i put jedi down...

Not much of a jedi are you, you should have used your mind trick to make them acknowledge it.

i feel sorry for the pope as a human being, but i think the catholic church is a bit full of itself.

how could you describe the pope as

'his conciousness is compromised'?

'he already sees the face of jesus'

at the end of the day, this is a man made religion, and the pope was just a man, chosen by men. How does that give him a direct line to god? wasnt that jesus?

somewhere, there is a bishop, that because of his colleagues, will also have a direct line to god. at the moment, hes just a bishop, but trasformed by the decisions of men to something higher.

how does that work then?

the pope seems to be a novel role. In any other job needing a really good top man, any disability to perform would have you retired and another put in your place. If the chairman of ICI or Microsoft was 84, and not really with it, would you put money in their shares? nope - neither would i.

so, if there is a new pope, appointed at 58 like this one was, then hes gonna be ok for a few years, then you have an encumbent in the role who might be pretty incapable for several years at the end of his papacy. (sp?). And this is a person that decides the moral direaction of 100s of millions.

atb

steve

How come religous bodies, and its not just the Catholic church are mostly all crupt?
The Vatican City (not where Batman hung out BTW) is the most expensive land in the world per sq mile. but it is the primary religion (or joint religion) in 18 of the 20 poorest countries in the world.
C of E arent much better, try owning a freehold in London!
I probably am agonstic. I do feel most religions help make you morally better but cant help feeling batrayed by the two facedness.

What's happening with the pope mobile? Possible donor car?

I suppose you could make use of the alloys ;-)





[Edited on 10/4/05 by pauldm]

Pope my ride Sorry your reverence but I had to do it.

Bit late on this, but when I heard that all the people in Vatican square were praying for the popes soul it did make me think that if his soul had to be prayed for, what hope have the rest of us got?

Your souls, our souls, they all need praying for!