BREAKING: White smoke from the Vatican!

Not so much a moderate really. He's a hardcore conservative on social issues at least, and that's the focus of the current church. He's not from the unfettered-markets-über-alles wing of the church, but unless he becomes a genuine activist with an emphasis on that point he's not going to offer any kind of a new direction for the church. We'll still have a church that excommunicates nuns for saving women's lives and that fully supports oppressors of the poor so long as they hate homosexuals with a virulent passion.

A Latin Jesuit. That's big.

Old, white, bigot.

Yep, I called it.

Next.

Huh. Hadn't realized he was a Jesuit. That is major.

I was thinking within the context of the church. I mean, he rejects liberation theology and toes the party line on things like homosexuality, but he also is evidently big on social justice, something that can't be said about his two immediate predecessors. But admittedly, I don't know much about the guy, just did some quick googling after the announcement.

At least this guy wasn't a Nazi like the last Pope but he still didn't bother to protest the military dictatorship in Argentina in the 70's and 80's.

FTP!

THE FALKLANDS ARE BIRITSH!

Then maybe they should let the faggots be choir boys?

It's hard to expect any sort of dramatic change when every eligible candidate was hand picked by one of the last two popes, but at least it's a non-European for once.

For better or worse, the future of the church isn't really in Europe. It's good they're recognizing that.

Often it's necessary to toe the party line in order to get to a position of power where you can make changes.

Yea, well... don't expect too much. You do not make arch bishop by breaking with everything. Step by baby step.

Relax. You're going to Hell for other reasons entirely.

They will have to work and keep Europeans in. It's where the money comes from. A piss poor African might be 'the future' but he won't sponsor the Catholic lifestyle.

Should have had a young black criminal instead, right?

That's true, but it sucked to see this kindly, seemingly sweet and compassionate man say those very warm words of greeting and humility, only to find out shortly thereafter that his stances are just as bigoted as the previous Pope.

I wanted to like him, but it looks like more of the same.

If you were expecting any Catholic cardinal--let alone one who would be selected as the Pope--to express anything other than a negative view of all things pertaining to homosexuality, you were bound to be disappointed.

Homosexuality is a sin and a private matter best left between a priest and his altar boy.

I'm sorta wishing it was all smoke. Just all kinds of smoke billowing up out of there, along with flames. Lots and lots of flames and smoke and screaming, burning people. Can't forget the screaming, burning people. Screaming, burning and flailing around amongst the burning tapestries.

However, the drop-off in candidates for the priesthood in the developing world has made representation in the developing world stronger.

Since Vatican II, the shift has gone from recruiting U.S. missionaries to "save souls" in the developing world, to having to recruit parish priests from South America to serve in Boston and Brooklyn.

Fun times.

Hey, hey, slow down there!
..I pre-came a little there.

Social justice....ripping off the producers for the benefit of the broken down... not surprised you are on board.

"Social justice" is just a way to cloak thieving in noble verbage. No surprise His Howliness The Poop would embrace that.

He's pretty much a die hard conservative which is the last thing the Catholic Church needs.

On the upside given that they've chosen the path to irrelevance they can look forward to ever shrinking congregations, ever fewer tithes, and ever less relevance to the real world. Which is good news for the rest of us.

It'll be so much fun to revisit this thread in a year or so...

When they're electing another one?

It's more important to be right on the issues. Which you are obviously not. Sorry.

Well, you know, hope springs eternal that the church would take a step forward instead of a running leap to the side.

Now you wouldn't be calling for the death of a Pope, would you? You're hoping for another early retirement, correct?

Ha! Judging by the Catholic Church's actions it is more important to them to buy gay bath houses next to the Vatican so they can all bugger each other there than to deal with the issue honestly and actually *GASP* reform the Church to better reflect reality. Nope, they'll just pretend it doesn't exist while they spend their evenings in a Church owned gay sauna with rent boys.

How can that possibly be considered a good solution to anything?

The next time some Righteous Righty cites the "If Gubmint didn't steal our money, people would give more to charity " canard, we can look to these prime examples as proof that they don't really believe that; they just want people to die: