Latins and Africans have had mixed reactions with the announcement of a German being appointed as Pope, and why not? Those areas of the world are the places where Catholic practice is at its highest. The church is growing fastest in Africa, where traditional rituals that are similar to Catholic rituals make it an easy conversion. Catholicism is a religion that is practiced locally with a mix of indigenous tradition and Roman ritual. Take Ireland, for example, and the story of St. Brigid. It is one of the reasons that the church has been so powerful over time.
If the church under an orthodox pope will not let the locals adapt their own traditions to the religion, they will just go away, and that is not good for a church which claims it is experiencing a "crisis of faith" due to declining numbers.
Americans are divided, too.
what religion are you ? my best guess, Unitarian.
ReplyDeleteif you are not Catholic, why are you worried?
I am not religious. I like and hate all religions equally. I believe in god as a spiritual force and not some guy on a cloud sitting there pushing buttons. I am facinated by comparitive religion and the philosophies behind religion. I like the rituals in the Catholic Church and how they transcend time.
ReplyDeleteI am concerned because the "developed" world has once again snubbed the "developing" world. I am concerned because the Pope holds vast power over the minds of so many in the world, and there are those who do whatever he says. Whereas Communism worships the state, Catholism worships the Pope. Other than that they aren't very different. I don't need any more cons following the dictator in the vatican making policy in this country. It directly affects me.
anyway, you're the one that wanted the link.
ReplyDeleteahhh Unitarians.
ReplyDeleteto be honest, you should have stated:
ReplyDeleteThe New York Times "claims" Americans are divided.
you must not know any catholics
ReplyDeleteyou must not know any outside of leftists circles in DC and NYC.
ReplyDeletehow do you know i am not now or in the future a Catholic?
i only know 10 boatloads+
ha ha, right. you can only worship one god- either the christian god or the free market. you can't have both.
ReplyDelete