Pope candidates

[The Gaffer]

I'm a bit confused. What did she do exactly?

Everybody here is in fits of LOL because Gordon Brown is on a state visit to the US at the same time, and nobody in the US cares because the Pope's in town.

[sisterandcousinandaunt]

Well, I knew he was here, but I figured he went to the wrong address, because I saw him meeting with Barack.

I mean, nice to be in on the ground floor, and all.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Originally Posted by The last sane person

Meh... I'm more insulted that the Catholics stole the idea of the pope wearing white and his visitors wearing dark or black from Zorastrians.

I don't personally care WHAT she does. We're a ****ing embarassment anyways.

Erm...no. It was started with Pope Pius V, who was a Dominican



and chose to continue wearing his habit after his election. Other popes continued to wear white, and the papal habit was simplified to the cassock and mozzetta.

I am curious: what Zoroastrian custom, exactly, were you thinking we'd hijacked?

I'm also curious, why you would be insulted by that? Customs and practices flow quite freely over ethnic and religious boundaries, and have done so throughout history. Why would a particular example be offensive?

[GrayMouser]

Originally Posted by sisterandcousinandaunt

If YOU would like to meet the Pope painted blue and call him 'Yo, Dude", more power to you.

Her official JOB, for which the citizens of this country pay all her living expenses, travel, etc., including expensive protocol experts, is to represent our country gracefully.

Looking like Britney Spears is off the list. Or the mother of the bride or whatever she was playin' at. No wonder her girls are such ... embarrassments.

When you're a guest, you follow the rules of your host, though I remember every right-winger in America screaming "dhimmitude!" when Nancy Pelosi wore a headscarf when meeting Muslim leaders in their own countries (somehow, they didn't notive Laura Bush and Condi Rice doing the same thing.)

When someone's a guest in your country, they follow your rules.

Given that the justification for women covering their head (according to catholicplanet.com, anyway) is

"But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a woman is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. Any man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, but any woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled dishonors her head�it is the same as if her head were shaven. For if a woman will not veil herself, then she should cut off her hair; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her wear a veil.
"For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. (For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.) That is why a woman ought to have a veil on her head, because of the angels....If any one is disposed to be contentious, we recognize no other practice, nor do the churches of God." (1 Corinthians 11:3-10,16)

So a woman should cover her head around the pope to show her submission to men.

[sisterandcousinandaunt]

Actually, it was more like to show humility to God, that one wore a head covering in church, but the problem here is not that the Bushs don't show humility, because their whole Imperial thing is all hubris, it's because it doesn't show respect.

Yes, theoretically you can serve pork at the state dinner for Ehud Olmert, and he can just eat the veggies. But it ain't polite. What would it cost her to be polite? It's not like she didn't have anything else to wear. @@

[GrayMouser]

Originally Posted by sisterandcousinandaunt

Actually, it was more like to show humility to God, that one wore a head covering in church, but the problem here is not that the Bushs don't show humility, because their whole Imperial thing is all hubris, it's because it doesn't show respect.

Yes, theoretically you can serve pork at the state dinner for Ehud Olmert, and he can just eat the veggies. But it ain't polite. What would it cost her to be polite? It's not like she didn't have anything else to wear. @@

So if a Saudi Arabian religious leader turns up she should wear a burqa?

[Curubethion]

catholicplanet.com does not appear to be a reputable Catholic source. A quick glance of mine at their Eschatological section indicates that they are not in line with what I would consider to be orthodoxy. It's just a bit wacko. I didn't see the site referencing the Catechism of the Catholic Church (the best place to go to for a reference on Catholic teachings) anywhere. They just extrapolated from scriptures.

And I don't have any clue what one previous poster was talking about when they implied that some religious rule would've prohibited Mrs. Bush from wearing white, and required her to wear a veil. I'd like to see a specific reference, rather than some vague mention of hearsay. I have heard nothing of this moral commandment.

[Insidious Rex]

So is anyone else weirded out/mildy amused by this whole Pope as Rock Star phenomenon? Whats with all the nuns snapping cell phone shots and little kids trying to high five him at Yankee Stadium? And some of the screaming and swooning in DC and NY has been almost Beatlesque. Is this how it should be? I must say this is the first time Ive seen devout Catholics as groupies... But really theres no difference from the very same reaction I saw among Dead Heads when Jerry Garcia would appear.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Rexy, did you completely miss everything that was ever connected to John Paul II (of blessed memory)? HE was the rock star!

I agree, Curu. Some of the articles appear to be decidedly...absurd. Like the Catholic College one. Apparently, every member of the staff, faculty, and student body has to be a devout and practicing Catholic...yeah......apparently there has been and never will be a Catholic college....

EDIT: P. S. It is considered proper etiquette for women to wear headveils in papal audiences; I haven't heard the black thing, but makes sense. Even Queen Elizabeth II did both.

Two heads of Church and State:


EDIT AGAIN: Looks like LaBu has done it in the past:

[Insidious Rex]

Originally Posted by Gwaimir Windgem

Rexy, did you completely miss everything that was ever connected to John Paul II (of blessed memory)? HE was the rock star!

Oh I know he was incredibly popular but I don’t really remember his previous visits frankly and this was the first one that was so in my face. I witnessed the subway fill with clueless but quite excited Catholics of all shapes and ages and colors including nuns bubbling with excitement as if they were going to see a concert and priests acting like boobs pushing people out of the way so they can be first onto subway trains. I saw sorority sisters at Catholic University spell out his full name and title on their chests as a tribute! Id never seen the tittering and swooning factor before. It seems so odd. And you saw it from the highest ranks not just the common peasants. Seeing old clips of John Paul amid cheering crowds in Poland and South America didn’t garner the same feelings.