I'm kinda falling in love with the new pope.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Also driving people out of a temple, even using whips (Scripture never says Jesus actually whipped the money lenders, just used the whip to drive them out - and in every Passion movie I've seen Jesus is using the whip to get their attention and as a threat, but never uses it on anyone), is a far cry from smiting.

[Elok]

The new pope, as far as I can tell, is not particularly different from the last two popes in anything other than superficial image. Which kentonio seems to be eating right up.

Meet the new pope
The same as the old pope

[Elok]

and in every Passion movie I've seen Jesus is using the whip to get their attention and as a threat, but never uses it on anyone

I bet all those movies had Jesus played by a white dude too.

[giblets]

Well, as Al B. Sure! will inform you, middle easterners are white.

[Felch]

Also driving people out of a temple, even using whips (Scripture never says Jesus actually whipped the money lenders, just used the whip to drive them out - and in every Passion movie I've seen Jesus is using the whip to get their attention and as a threat, but never uses it on anyone), is a far cry from smiting.

Trading in the Temple was how those guys paid their bills. It was what kept them from starving. Short of some holy smiting they weren't going to back away from their livelihood.

Smiting 1 - Not smiting 0

[Alexander's Horse]

I hope he survives, John Paul I tried to reform the Vatican and didn't last.

Note for non-catholics - except for a small minority of catholics like Ben, the Vatican, good or bad, just isn't that important to their faith life. Protestants and athiests seem to take far more interest in the goings on there.

[Ben Kenobi]

Note for non-catholics - except for a small minority of catholics like Ben, the Vatican, good or bad, just isn't that important to their faith life. Protestants and athiests seem to take far more interest in the goings on there.

Well ok. Thanks AH. That means a lot to me.

[The Mad Monk]

Remember the money changers in the Temple? Jesus smote the **** out of them.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]174550[/ATTACH]

Why does Jesus have tiny arms?

[Dinner]

Clearly he was an agent of Satan.

[Aeson]

Evolution. Shorter arms means less leverage on the shoulders when on the cross.

[Alexander's Horse]

Well ok. Thanks AH. That means a lot to me.

Don't mention it

The real human leadership of the church is, and always has been, the saints. From age to age this has been true, with a few exceptions the Popes are not remembered, but everyone knows of Saint Paul, Francis of Assisi and so forth right down to the present day with people like Mother Teresa and Padre Pio. These are the people that inspire catholics.

[Ben Kenobi]

The real human leadership of the church is, and always has been, the saints. From age to age this has been true, with a few exceptions the Popes are not remembered, but everyone knows of Saint Paul, Francis of Assisi and so forth right down to the present day with people like Mother Teresa and Padre Pio. These are the people that inspire catholics.

To someone coming from the outside - what's remarkably Catholic was Pope John Paul II. To me and many others, he *was* Catholicism personified. Then you have someone like Benedict. Then Francis, etc. It's been an embarrassment of riches for this past while.

I didn't know very much about Francis of Assisi, and we regarded St. Paul as one of ours. We don't have that legacy that you folks have with a Catholic education and being familiar with the long lists of Saints.

As for Popes, I'd beg to differ. There have been some really important ones. My list, those I consider significant to teach about in my class:

St. Paul
Pope Damasus
St. Leo the Great
Gregory the Great
Leo III
Nicolas the Great
Gregory VII
Gregory XIII
Urban II
Innocent III
Pius V
Pius IX
Leo XIII
Pius X
John Paul II
Benedict XVI

[-Jrabbit]

In Catholic school, we weren't taught about any but the current pope. But we knew all the saints' names (and in many cases, anecdotal stories) because we had to pick one for our confirmation name.

[The Mad Monk]

Why does Jesus have tiny arms?

Also:

What are those animals on the lower left?

Are the two old guys on the right making out?

Who's the hobbit with the dove?

[Ben Kenobi]

In Catholic school, we weren't taught about any but the current pope. But we knew all the saints' names (and in many cases, anecdotal stories) because we had to pick one for our confirmation name.

Interesting! I have one class for that, and I bring out all the cards and students can look through it. I confess I find it difficult to teach the saints because there are simply so many of them and I don't know the stories all that well. I need to spend more time on that.