In seminary I was part of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkley, CA, and my professor for Church History was a Jesuit priest—I was later ordained as a Presbyterian minister, female). I have never been prouder to get a B+. Later, I changed careers and went to Seattle University (Jesuit institution) Law School—and became a Public Defender. Pope Francis was the exemplar of what the Jesuits taught and believed. He is sitting at the great banquet table in Heaven.
Pope Francis was a rarity; he was the first Jesuit to attain the highest office in the Catholic Church. It is surprising to find Friedrich Nietzsche and Blaise Pascal as starting points in his encyclicals. Especially since Jesuits were discouraged from entering the church hierarchy by their founder, Ignatius of Loyola.
I wondered how it could be that the vice president would openly criticize his new Church.
As it turns out, the basic tenet of this new band of Catholics:
"Post-liberals share some longstanding Catholic conservative views, such as opposition to abortion and LGBTQ+ rights. They envision a counterrevolution in which they take over government bureaucracy and institutions like universities from within, replacing entrenched “elites” with their own and acting upon their vision of the “common good.”
Sure enough, Mr. Vance has described himself as a post liberal.
Because, like Ross Douthat, he is a vitriolic covert who thinks he knows better than those who have been practicing the Catholic faith their entire lives. Pope Francis is the exemplar of what the Jesuits stand for.
"Hegseth’s deputy, businessman Steve Feinberg, is by all accounts a sober and serious person. He’s no expert on defense policy, and I don’t know that he has the character to stand up to Trump, as Jim Mattis and Mark Esper did in Trump’s first term. But there’s a chance he would be at least competent and honest."
"Competent" and "honest" are disqualifying in the Trump administration. Also, have you seen Feinberg? No fake boobs or bottle blonde hair. He's no Fox News host.
The US church is only a part of the entire Church, and the rad-trads are a small part of the US Church. Pope Francis appointed 118 of the 135 voting cardinals who encompass the whole world. There are 17 US cardinals with only 10 of them eligible to vote. The politics of the US doesn't matter much to the rest of the cardinals. There is exactly 1 Opus Dei cardinal among the 135, and he was appointed by John Paul II, so I doubt Opus Dei will be much, if any, factor in the election. Of the 135, only 17 come from North America.
I would prefer to be guilty of a surfeit of empathy. That "intellectual " arguing that empathy is a bad thing is simply trying to provide a justification for selfishness.
In a charitable thought they are wounded people, so I feel compassion for them. But, at the same time, they don’t get to screw everyone else over because they are unhappy. Translation, I would like to follow the example of a Monty Pythons sketch where the nurse would hit John Cleese upside the head so that his brain would work.
"Two days before he passed, he met with Vice President JD Vance—a meeting that until the last minute seemed unlikely not just because of the Pope’s poor health but because of his clear discomfort with the Trump administration’s agenda." Worst is yet to come. Donald "The Beast" Trump is building a wall once again. Colossal tariff wall that is the beginning of the end for the system of down. At first the beast will pull the plug out of the global economy. The worst financial crisis of human history will pull a swarm of the banks underwater and the bank run begins. Then the beast will collapse a mountain of debt shattering the backbone of the monetary system causing a systemic risk to realize. Finally the beast will cast American citizens into a system slavery under the name of Ronald Wilson Reagan, just to "honor his legacy" count the number. After the destruction a new world order will be established in the US. And the Golden Age begins from the ruins of the world wide collapse. All of the system slaves will love it. No more cash - just digital transactions. No more traditional criminal activity. No more tax evasion. No more transactions without the "all seeing eye". Outcasts will hate the world without freedom, hope and privacy. To cover up the mess and distract the public by smoke and mirrors, the beast will engage in a war with Iran. Lies and deceit, corruption and decay, dancing on the graves will continue. Until; Black hole sun, won't you come, won't you come... I want to play a game. Time has come to opt out of the empire of filth. Live or die...
Congratulations and best wishes to you and your wife, Joe. Thanks for this piece on Pope Francis to you all. It is painful to see people yielding to divisive politics, whether of the left, or of the right. Judging people is always an arrogant choice. No one knows anybody else so completely and in sufficient depth to affirm anything, as if there was no room for mistakes. Why is it so difficult to avoid judging the people? Judging their creeds, ideas, behaviors is always preferable. Anger might be justified, for instance, the reactive anger of a mistreated person. But language is naturally equivocal; thus, clarifications are needed before reacting as if language could be inerrantly interpreted with absolute certainty. Throwing anger around may be a necessity, sometimes, even urgent, but ill-intended anger against groups, generalizing, is like racist and sexist discrimination against unknown people. That is likely a fanatical behavior that may be psychotic.
His death saddens me. He appeared to be a very good man who sincerely wish to make positive changes. I think people expected too much change too fast. Changing an institution as old, diverse, and large as the Roman Catholic Church is like maneuvering a large cargo ship into a narrow shipping canal. It’s got to be done very carefully and slowly.
A former catholic here - atheist now. I admired the pope even when I disagreed on some issues. For the most part, he was consistently a humanitarian who cared about all the world's people regardless of belief. I hope that last minute visit with the devil himself - VP Vance - didn't trigger his stroke.
One of the most consequential Popes in history, he was lovingly and rightfully called "a spiritual rebel and a happy troublemaker" - unafraid to discuss issues considered taboo, especially the rights of migrants. He truly believed in the "infinite dignity of all," and I'm sure he was well aware that Trump and Vance do not. His legacy will stand the test of time.
I have no sympathy nor will I pat on the back those Hegseth minions who got fired.
They were part of the agenda of firing women and minorities in high ranking positions of the military, took apart the website of minorities, including Jackie Robinson, service in the military, took away any acknowledgment of people of color from history and think Naval Academy cadets should read books from noted authors.
Surely there is a good conspiracy theory out there that Vance's visit caused/hastened Pope Francis's death. Or are conspiracy theories only held by those who support the VP?
Not all 501(3)c organizations organizations are charities. But they are all supposed to be public benefit and not-for-profit. That is, they must benefit the public good or public trust and their profits must be reserved or reinvested in the organization, not paid out to shareholders.
In seminary I was part of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkley, CA, and my professor for Church History was a Jesuit priest—I was later ordained as a Presbyterian minister, female). I have never been prouder to get a B+. Later, I changed careers and went to Seattle University (Jesuit institution) Law School—and became a Public Defender. Pope Francis was the exemplar of what the Jesuits taught and believed. He is sitting at the great banquet table in Heaven.
Pope Francis was a rarity; he was the first Jesuit to attain the highest office in the Catholic Church. It is surprising to find Friedrich Nietzsche and Blaise Pascal as starting points in his encyclicals. Especially since Jesuits were discouraged from entering the church hierarchy by their founder, Ignatius of Loyola.
I wondered how it could be that the vice president would openly criticize his new Church.
As it turns out, the basic tenet of this new band of Catholics:
"Post-liberals share some longstanding Catholic conservative views, such as opposition to abortion and LGBTQ+ rights. They envision a counterrevolution in which they take over government bureaucracy and institutions like universities from within, replacing entrenched “elites” with their own and acting upon their vision of the “common good.”
Sure enough, Mr. Vance has described himself as a post liberal.
So, why would he head to the Vatican?
Because, like Ross Douthat, he is a vitriolic covert who thinks he knows better than those who have been practicing the Catholic faith their entire lives. Pope Francis is the exemplar of what the Jesuits stand for.
"Hegseth’s deputy, businessman Steve Feinberg, is by all accounts a sober and serious person. He’s no expert on defense policy, and I don’t know that he has the character to stand up to Trump, as Jim Mattis and Mark Esper did in Trump’s first term. But there’s a chance he would be at least competent and honest."
"Competent" and "honest" are disqualifying in the Trump administration. Also, have you seen Feinberg? No fake boobs or bottle blonde hair. He's no Fox News host.
Can anyone comment on the politics on the selection of Francis's successor?
How do the politics of Catholic laity relate to that of the church hierarchy in the United States?
The role of Opus Dei in the process of the selection and on the church in America?
I've read that these are all issues, but don't know enough to understand what's going on.
Thanks.
The US church is only a part of the entire Church, and the rad-trads are a small part of the US Church. Pope Francis appointed 118 of the 135 voting cardinals who encompass the whole world. There are 17 US cardinals with only 10 of them eligible to vote. The politics of the US doesn't matter much to the rest of the cardinals. There is exactly 1 Opus Dei cardinal among the 135, and he was appointed by John Paul II, so I doubt Opus Dei will be much, if any, factor in the election. Of the 135, only 17 come from North America.
Please let his choices be made manifest. The next pope needs to carry on his legacy.
Thanks! That’s very helpful to know.
I would prefer to be guilty of a surfeit of empathy. That "intellectual " arguing that empathy is a bad thing is simply trying to provide a justification for selfishness.
In a charitable thought they are wounded people, so I feel compassion for them. But, at the same time, they don’t get to screw everyone else over because they are unhappy. Translation, I would like to follow the example of a Monty Pythons sketch where the nurse would hit John Cleese upside the head so that his brain would work.
"Two days before he passed, he met with Vice President JD Vance—a meeting that until the last minute seemed unlikely not just because of the Pope’s poor health but because of his clear discomfort with the Trump administration’s agenda." Worst is yet to come. Donald "The Beast" Trump is building a wall once again. Colossal tariff wall that is the beginning of the end for the system of down. At first the beast will pull the plug out of the global economy. The worst financial crisis of human history will pull a swarm of the banks underwater and the bank run begins. Then the beast will collapse a mountain of debt shattering the backbone of the monetary system causing a systemic risk to realize. Finally the beast will cast American citizens into a system slavery under the name of Ronald Wilson Reagan, just to "honor his legacy" count the number. After the destruction a new world order will be established in the US. And the Golden Age begins from the ruins of the world wide collapse. All of the system slaves will love it. No more cash - just digital transactions. No more traditional criminal activity. No more tax evasion. No more transactions without the "all seeing eye". Outcasts will hate the world without freedom, hope and privacy. To cover up the mess and distract the public by smoke and mirrors, the beast will engage in a war with Iran. Lies and deceit, corruption and decay, dancing on the graves will continue. Until; Black hole sun, won't you come, won't you come... I want to play a game. Time has come to opt out of the empire of filth. Live or die...
Unless you challenge “the Beast.” For many of us, that is our life’s purpose.
I'm glad to hear it!
Congratulations and best wishes to you and your wife, Joe. Thanks for this piece on Pope Francis to you all. It is painful to see people yielding to divisive politics, whether of the left, or of the right. Judging people is always an arrogant choice. No one knows anybody else so completely and in sufficient depth to affirm anything, as if there was no room for mistakes. Why is it so difficult to avoid judging the people? Judging their creeds, ideas, behaviors is always preferable. Anger might be justified, for instance, the reactive anger of a mistreated person. But language is naturally equivocal; thus, clarifications are needed before reacting as if language could be inerrantly interpreted with absolute certainty. Throwing anger around may be a necessity, sometimes, even urgent, but ill-intended anger against groups, generalizing, is like racist and sexist discrimination against unknown people. That is likely a fanatical behavior that may be psychotic.
His death saddens me. He appeared to be a very good man who sincerely wish to make positive changes. I think people expected too much change too fast. Changing an institution as old, diverse, and large as the Roman Catholic Church is like maneuvering a large cargo ship into a narrow shipping canal. It’s got to be done very carefully and slowly.
There hasn’t been a conclave since 2013. I
This is Deb P. I wonder if the college of Cardinals will be able to keep this conclave isolated.
A former catholic here - atheist now. I admired the pope even when I disagreed on some issues. For the most part, he was consistently a humanitarian who cared about all the world's people regardless of belief. I hope that last minute visit with the devil himself - VP Vance - didn't trigger his stroke.
I am not Catholic but when I learned that Pope Francis had died, I felt like a light had gone out. A very dark world just got darker.
One of the most consequential Popes in history, he was lovingly and rightfully called "a spiritual rebel and a happy troublemaker" - unafraid to discuss issues considered taboo, especially the rights of migrants. He truly believed in the "infinite dignity of all," and I'm sure he was well aware that Trump and Vance do not. His legacy will stand the test of time.
He truly was a follower of Jesus, the first “a spiritual rebel and happy troublemaker.”
I have no sympathy nor will I pat on the back those Hegseth minions who got fired.
They were part of the agenda of firing women and minorities in high ranking positions of the military, took apart the website of minorities, including Jackie Robinson, service in the military, took away any acknowledgment of people of color from history and think Naval Academy cadets should read books from noted authors.
Eff these people.
Surely there is a good conspiracy theory out there that Vance's visit caused/hastened Pope Francis's death. Or are conspiracy theories only held by those who support the VP?
Certainly the stress of having to look at that smug face of his and feign cordiality could have contributed to the stroke that killed him.
Thank you Joe for your
compassionate opening
on the very sad death of
Pope Francis. He will be
terribly missed. Rest in
eternal peace Pope
Francis.
Thanks for the piece on Francis. Also for the video bit with Tim. He will be missed, to say the least. Have a wonderful wedding.
Not all 501(3)c organizations organizations are charities. But they are all supposed to be public benefit and not-for-profit. That is, they must benefit the public good or public trust and their profits must be reserved or reinvested in the organization, not paid out to shareholders.