Conclave

[Drake Tungsten]

Kayne West did much more for Jay-Z than Puffy.

I admit to being biased, though. I ****in' hate Puffy.

[Ted Striker]

Most people do

I don't like him that much but he has a good body of work out there

[Ted Striker]

Although I really like Timbaland, that whole "reversing the bass and snare/rim shot drums" thing he does never gets old.

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by Heresson


Such films perhaps should be allowed, but with great sign "contains historical lies and baseless propaganda" on every scene.

Good idea. Perhaps then the Roman Catholic Church could do the same with its version of history too.


After all, they come up with 'propaganda' in the first place...

[Ben Kenobi]

If Ratzinger becomes Pope, the Anglicans and Lutherans better prepare for the influx of liberal catholics in Europe and the US converting; because Ratzinger is extremely conservative.

As opposed to the conversion of conservative Anglicans and Lutherans to Catholicism?

I think we'll manage just fine

[Ben Kenobi]

That's not the process Ben has described going through. He's been required to do much more than that.

I'm not even finished yet.

Anyhow, this is what I have went through, but the process is not necessarily this rigorous for everyone.

In 2003 I started attending RCIA classes, in the fall. These classes are once a week, for about 2 hours. These are the standard classes required of everyone. Also, I was supposed to attend mass every week, which I didn't do then, but nor was I required to since I was not a candidate. The classes lasted until May of that year, and involved most of Catholic doctrine required for entry into the church.

In the years previous I also had done my readings on my own time, which are as rigorous as I chose them to be, mostly Protestant authors, and their commentary and assessment on Catholic doctrine. I started reading more Catholics as I got into the swing of things, and Scott Hahn mostly in the summer of 2004.

In the fall, I wasn't sure, and not until Nov. 2004 did I choose to re-enter RCIA with the desire to enter the church. Again, the similar classes, but also mass once a week, and adoration once a month. I also went to the abbey in December, as recommended by a good friend of mine who drove us all out to go. I found much of it review, but the discipline certainly helped.

Again, about 2 hours a week, plus mass, right up until the Easter vigil. The last month we would meet about twice as often, generally Wednesdays, and then later on the Sunday.

What I have left, is about another two months of classes, and then I will be finished my candidacy.

[Ben Kenobi]

So you're saying that all the classes he had to take to prepare are only required in order for converts to take communion and that those born into the Roman Catholic Church don't have to take the classes? So it's sort of like naturalization?

Nope, there is no requirement for Catholics baptised as infants into the chutch. What the candidates receive is confirmation which is available to any baptised Catholic who wishes to enter fully into the life of the church.

Generally, those 'cradle Catholics' receive a fair amount training, through catechism classes as they grow up. I've seen many of these Catholics also go to our RCIA classes, since they feel their training is insufficient.

[Ben Kenobi]

Not sure if this has been covered (as there are alot of posts in this thread and I'm too lazy to read them all), but what are the general feelings about how the Pope is elected? I mean, there are only 117 votes, but almost (or over) a billion Catholics. Where is the leftist liberal protests about how people don't have an equal voice? Where's the "I'm a Catholic, why don't I get a say in who my leader is?"?

I'm surprised this question hasn't been picked up.

First of all, it's not really considered so much a vote, but rather, all the cardinals coming to agreement upon God's wishes for the upcoming pope.

After all, this is not a public ballot, and the sequestering of the cardinals is intended to encourage personal reflection and consideration rather than collaboration. They don't have a run off, but they continue until one of the selections obtains 60 percent of the votes.

It's not really, "do I get a say?" but rather, "what does God want for the church?" That's the most important concern.

Secondly, the idea of equivalent representation is a bit difficult to achieve. Even if you voted, how would you make it so that everyone had an equal say, and how the ballotting could be properly tabulated and all. When you start getting into the ramifications of a worldwide church, then it becomes much more obvious why this system has been chosen.

Voting on these things is easier when you only have one congregation to manage. Beyond that the system is rather unweildy

[Ben Kenobi]

You guys do DNA testing to ensure that the Pope is a genuine descendant of the apostles?

Doc, do you really want to get into Apostolic Succession?

My advice is, don't prod the bear.

[JohnT]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4462077.stm

New Pope elected!

New pope selected by cardinals

Thousands gathered in St Peter's square to watch the smoke
White smoke has been seen from the Sistine Chapel chimney indicating that a new pope has been elected.
The bells of St Peter's Basilica rang out shortly after 1800 local time (1600 GMT) to confirm the news.

There were jubilant scenes in St Peter's Square where many thousands of pilgrims had gathered.

The new pontiff was chosen on the fourth ballot held by the 115 cardinals meeting to select a successor to Pope John Paul II.

There is no word on the new pope's identity or what name he will choose, which the Vatican has indicated will be announced 45 minutes after his election.

The new leader of 1.1 billion Roman Catholics worldwide will soon appear on the balcony of the Vatican palace to greet the public and give his tradition "Urbi et Orbi" blessing to the city of Rome and the world.

As the great bells of the basilica tolled the crowds below danced and chanted "Viva il Papa!" or "Long live the Pope!"

The election by a two-thirds majority of the 1115 electing cardinals came on the fourth ballot of the conclave which began on Monday.

More details soon.

[Spiffor]

Wow. It went much faster than I thought

[alva]

Another conservative smuck...

Well, I guess that's good news for furthering the secularism throughout Europe.

[Bereta_Eder]

He's not aaaall bad. He's against Tyrkey in Europe

[DanS]

Personally, I'm pretty underwhelmed by this decision, but he will be more of a stable transitional figure than anything.

[Spiffor]

Is he supposed to die soon?