![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
what I say?
Apr. 19th, 2005 04:45 pmNo one expects the German Inquisition!!
Ratzinger now Benedict the 16th
The last time there was a German Pope, the church had just split in two and a star exploded in ζ Tauri.
Coincidence? I think not!
**edit:
OH, excuse me! The last German Pope was apparently ADRIAN VI because the Netherlands were considered part of Germany at the time. Adrian of course was kind of the William Henry Harrison of the papacy (well, he died in 120 days) and is known for being pedantic and professorial, as well as saying maybe the pope could be wrong once in a while. **
note: another "crazy" prediction by me has been shown correct.
Look at that mug. Proof that everyone gets what they deserve. In an era when 59 million think Bush is cool, it's hardly surprising that 78 people think this guy is the final solution. You know exactly what I mean. I note the yayhoos over at ratzingerfanclub.com are experiencing "server overload."
American Catholics, expect your excommunication notices in the mail! Andrew Sullivan, gay, conservative, Catholic Bush-backer who actually makes sense from time to time (go figure, right?) has some insights.
Look, if you think this is just ha ha funny, you're appallingly wrong and naive. Benedict XVI is the most conservative Catholic in the world, with the possible exception of Mel Gibson. When he speaks, 1.2 billion people are expected to treat every word he says as absolutely infallible (seriously. as in "incapable of error"). Technically, if Bennie16 says "black is white," there's a billion people who are supposed to agree with him or risk eternal damnation. Screw that, it's not even about "supposed to." Think instead of everyone agrees that he's right, more like, he's right no matter what they say or what their senses tell them. Black IS white (we have always been at war with Eurasia).
Now, in practice, American Catholics in particular, have accepted what their pope tells them insofar as it's been useful to their own agendas (publicly strongly anti-gay, strongly anti-abortion, privately just a little bit... hazy... on anti-birth control). Benedict has made public statements that sound an awful lot like big ol' warnings to Americans in particular (though, apparently, more like everything since the 17th century in general). He's 78, and may only reign for like 5 years. But think about this. George Bush took about 24 months to mess everything up. Imagine someone way smarter, with absolute power and that little infallibility clause. Five years out to be just about enough to finish the job. It's like they elected C. Montgomery Burns pope.
The best thing I can say about the guy is that he risked his life to desert from the German army before it was clear the Nazis had lost the war. Good on yer, mate, you weren't ideologically a Nazi!
Ratzinger now Benedict the 16th
The last time there was a German Pope, the church had just split in two and a star exploded in ζ Tauri.
Coincidence? I think not!
**edit:
OH, excuse me! The last German Pope was apparently ADRIAN VI because the Netherlands were considered part of Germany at the time. Adrian of course was kind of the William Henry Harrison of the papacy (well, he died in 120 days) and is known for being pedantic and professorial, as well as saying maybe the pope could be wrong once in a while. **
note: another "crazy" prediction by me has been shown correct.
Look at that mug. Proof that everyone gets what they deserve. In an era when 59 million think Bush is cool, it's hardly surprising that 78 people think this guy is the final solution. You know exactly what I mean. I note the yayhoos over at ratzingerfanclub.com are experiencing "server overload."
American Catholics, expect your excommunication notices in the mail! Andrew Sullivan, gay, conservative, Catholic Bush-backer who actually makes sense from time to time (go figure, right?) has some insights.
Look, if you think this is just ha ha funny, you're appallingly wrong and naive. Benedict XVI is the most conservative Catholic in the world, with the possible exception of Mel Gibson. When he speaks, 1.2 billion people are expected to treat every word he says as absolutely infallible (seriously. as in "incapable of error"). Technically, if Bennie16 says "black is white," there's a billion people who are supposed to agree with him or risk eternal damnation. Screw that, it's not even about "supposed to." Think instead of everyone agrees that he's right, more like, he's right no matter what they say or what their senses tell them. Black IS white (we have always been at war with Eurasia).
Now, in practice, American Catholics in particular, have accepted what their pope tells them insofar as it's been useful to their own agendas (publicly strongly anti-gay, strongly anti-abortion, privately just a little bit... hazy... on anti-birth control). Benedict has made public statements that sound an awful lot like big ol' warnings to Americans in particular (though, apparently, more like everything since the 17th century in general). He's 78, and may only reign for like 5 years. But think about this. George Bush took about 24 months to mess everything up. Imagine someone way smarter, with absolute power and that little infallibility clause. Five years out to be just about enough to finish the job. It's like they elected C. Montgomery Burns pope.
The best thing I can say about the guy is that he risked his life to desert from the German army before it was clear the Nazis had lost the war. Good on yer, mate, you weren't ideologically a Nazi!