Pope Overdrive

[GoodSpeak]

I don't get it.

I am as sensitive to this man's passing as the next guy, OK?

However, why are we troubled with this media onslaught of the Pope this, the Pope that, the Pope something else? Can ya help me here?


I mean, if the head Rabbi or Presbyterian guy died would we even hear about it? Pictures? Media trucks? Film at freakin' eleven....?

Geez.


Enough already.


My local paper [as an example] has run front page Pope stories since Christmas, for God's sake.




This is ridiculous.

[Brian Olewnick]

You're going to Hell for that post, Goody.

[GoodSpeak]

Originally Posted by Brian Olewnick

You're going to Hell for that post, Goody.

Oh.




Tell you what....I'll hold the door for you, OK?





















thbbbbtttt

The death of important figures does get incredibly overblown these days, but that's because everybody and their momma wants to be in on the frenzy. And unlike when we were kids, there's an enormous amount of media outlets these days.


Think about it, when I was a kid you basically had cB.S., nbc, and abc on the tube. Maybe an independent. They mostly had regular programming. Not news 24/7. Now think about the way it is today.


It only stands to reason that you would be so inundated with coverage. You've got half a million leeches out there trying to out do the others.


Do like me, go out and work in the yard.

[crawjo]

Well, let me say first off that the only media coverage I've seen has been through the newspapers and on C-SPAN. So I have no idea what anybody else is doing, and I imagine I don't want to know. But I will give a two-part answer to your question, first stating why I think this Pope merits extra coverage and second what I think of the coverage I have seen.

1.) By any standard, this was a remarkable Pope, even if you don't like him. His ideological influence over the Catholic Church has been extensive, and he's been Pope for a very long time. 27 years is a long time to be Pope. Also, let's remember that (judging by the numbers I've seen) the Catholic Church is the largest single religious body in the world, and he's the leader, and he's been the leader for a long time. The spectacle of all those people packing into Vatican City to be near the funeral services tells you how important he was to many people.

2.) Of the newspaper coverage I've seen, I will agree that much of the coverage has been over-the-top. Not so much in the volume of coverage, but rather by the content. The massive headline up here in Albany was "Faithful lose their guiding star" or something like that, as if Catholics around the world will just be lost now that he's gone. I think technically Christ and the Gospels are supposed to be their guiding star, not the Pope. Also, I think too much of the coverage has been Reaganesque, talking about how great he was and how everybody loved him. I know that everybody did NOT love him. Just read Andrew Sullivan's blog for one part of that perspective. If we are going to cover his death this extensively, I wish the news media would at least take that opportunity to examine some of the nuances of his legacy: like the decilne of the Church in the United States or the situation in Latin America, along with how much he was loved by his native Poland, etc. etc.

But overall, I think this is a major event that should be covered. With the exception of the abuse scandal, what happens in the Catholic Church mostly gets ignored by the mainstream media, so I think this gives them a chance to "catch up" and talk about where the Church is now and where it is headed.

[Sergio Zamora]

And why don't we ever hear anything about His Holiness, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew? Granted, 'Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople' just doesn't have the same pithy directness as 'Pope', but still...



Dig the kooky hat!

[bostontricky]

Didn't know they dug ZZ Top such much in Istanbul, Sergio. Is that beard a job requirement?

[GoodSpeak]

c-BS, Brother Dolan?


Puh-leeze.





Like FOX we're-lyin'-out-of-our-collective-asses-just-to-be-attractive-to-conservative-viewers Network isn't full of bullshit?





















Gimme a break here, huh?

I wasn't aware that I was touting Fox.





*ahem*


No. YOU give me a break.






















OK?

[frankenmeister7]

and another thing, why can't the pope retire. give them a good 40 years and retire these dudes and let them have a nice pension?? the rest of the human race retires at 65-70.

why would anyone pray for a man who is senile, has parkinsons disease and has fallen asleep at the last 10 easters. then to have mass and have the holiest of holies past out on drinking the sacramental wine or trip on his robe while giving out communion.

i prayed that this man died in comfort, but he was in pain.

what logic does the catholic church have to keep a man who is deaf, shaking while mumbling a passage from the bible and just sit like a load of bricks.

the papalcy needs to changes its way for the future our country.

what a waste.

Karol Whatever his last name was, was good in his early days and thats how i want to remember such a nice individual.

[GoodSpeak]

Originally Posted by Scott Dolan

I wasn't aware that I was touting Fox.





*ahem*


No. YOU give me a break.






















OK?

[heaviest of sighs]

OK, Brother Dolan.




























sheesh

[crawjo]

Actually, the Pope can retire. I believe I read a report stating that in his will, the Pope indicated that he had contemplated retiring "resigning" several years ago. I don't know how many times that has happened--or, indeed, if it has EVER happened--but technically a Pope can retire, just like a Supreme Court Justice can retire.

[GoodSpeak]

Originally Posted by frankenmeister7

what logic does the catholic church have to keep a man who is deaf, shaking while mumbling a passage from the bible and just sit like a load of bricks.

the papalcy needs to changes its way for the future our country.

what a waste.

Amen to that, Frankenmeister7.

[Sergio Zamora]

Originally Posted by crawjo

Actually, the Pope can retire. I believe I read a report stating that in his will, the Pope indicated that he had contemplated retiring "resigning" several years ago. I don't know how many times that has happened--or, indeed, if it has EVER happened--but technically a Pope can retire, just like a Supreme Court Justice can retire.

I know of popes that have been removed from office, but this was way back when the Byzantine Empire still held sway with the papal see (so, it'd be before 800 - before Charlemagne). I'm just really bad at dates and names, so I can't remember who or when, but I'm sure it had to do with one of the heresies of the time.

[HenryMc]

"the papalcy needs to changes its way for the future our country "

what?

What has the papacy got to do with your country besides being one of the christian religions?

As for the rest of what you wrote you plainly dont get it.

Pope John Paul II made a commitment in life to God. His beliefs sustained him through his sickness and his suffering. His life proved in some ways that part of his message that the sick and old are valuable too.

You see only an old man, weak with age and illness but you have failed to see his soul and his heart.

[moneyp]

I think I would have liked the Pope personally. He played hockey as a youth in Poland and was a fan of the game, I liked his taste in classical music (NPR played some of his favorite compositions this past week) and he had pretty good taste in film, as evidenced by the Vatican Film List.

Except for the whole hardcore religion thing, my kinda guy.

[Enforcer]

Originally Posted by mone peterson

Except for the whole hardcore religion thing, my kinda guy.

Your same reservations about liking me, interestingly enough.

[Monte Smith]

Sorry Goody, but it is going to be All Pope All the Time throughout the month of April, as the media crawls all over first the funeral and then the election and installation of a brand new pope. This story has everything requisite for a media frenzy. It's got death and politics and teary crowds and people in funny hats. It's like Court TV meets the Second Coming.

Originally Posted by GoodSpeak

I mean, if the head Rabbi or Presbyterian guy died would we even hear about it? Pictures? Media trucks? Film at freakin' eleven....?

Now there's the thing. I heard a commentator refer to the masses gathered at the Vatican as "the sort of crowd you'd see gather for the death of any major world religious leader, probably." But the thing is, the guy was nuts. Because there is no world religious leader on a par with a pope. No faith has a solitary leader at the helm of an institution like the Vatican. Judaism doesn't. Nor Islam or Buddhism or the doctrines of India and East Asia. Nor the Eastern Christian churches, nor the Protestant schismatics. And no faith has been as central to the history of a continent (and because of the voyages of discovery, several continents) as the Catholic Church. The pope, I am saying (without slander of other religious leaders who may be esteemed but just don't have the same heft), is uniquely positioned to be a SUPHAHSTAH!

For other religions, it's kinda like the Mormons. The death of an LDS president is no doubt huge in Salt Lake City. But that's a smaller market. Dead popes are blockbusters.

[GoodSpeak]

Originally Posted by Monte Smith

Sorry Goody, but it is going to be All Pope All the Time throughout the month of April, as the media crawls all over first the funeral and then the election and installation of a brand new pope. This story has everything requisite for a media frenzy. It's got death and politics and teary crowds and people in funny hats. It's like Court TV meets the Second Coming.



Now there's the thing. I heard a commentator refer to the masses gathered at the Vatican as "the sort of crowd you'd see gather for the death of any major world religious leader, probably." But the thing is, the guy was nuts. Because there is no world religious leader on a par with a pope. No faith has a solitary leader at the helm of an institution like the Vatican. Judaism doesn't. Nor Islam or Buddhism or the doctrines of India and East Asia. Nor the Eastern Christian churches, nor the Protestant schismatics. And no faith has been as central to the history a a continent (and because of the voyages of discovery, several continents) as the Catholic Church. The pope, I am saying (without slander of other religious leaders who may be esteemed but just don't have the same heft), is uniquely positioned to be a SUPHAHSTAH!

For other religions, it's kinda like the Mormons. The death of an LDS president is no doubt huge in Salt Lake City. But that's a smaller market. Dead popes are blockbusters.

You are absolutely correct, Monte.


I just get tired of all the unnecessary hugga-mugga, you know?

[Sergio Zamora]

Originally Posted by bostontricky

Is that beard a job requirement?

It makes the outfit

[clinthopson]

The redeeming quality of PJII kicking off is that it got the media circus out of Florida.

[Monte Smith]

Originally Posted by clinthopson

The redeeming quality of PJII kicking off is that it got the media circus out of Florida.

Kind of like how Father Damien took within his own soul the polluted spirit of Pazoozoo from the little girl Regan and then lept out the window (defenestration!) and fell down the Exorcist steps in Georgetown.

Great movie.

Yeah, and the more recent version of it was even better. That thing where she does that little upside down spider walk down the stairs.



I had to leave the bathroom light on that night!!!


Was the cats name really Pazoozoo? Man, that pretty fucking sweet!!

[bluenoter]

The cat's name is spelled Pazuzu (just as "lept" is spelled "leapt," Monte ). And Pazuzu was a "real" Mesopotamian demonic deity.

[Sergio Zamora]

Originally Posted by bluenoter

The cat's name is spelled Pazuzu (just as "lept" is spelled "leapt," Monte ). And Pazuzu was a "real" Mesopotamian demonic deity.

Not to be confused with this guy

[Enforcer]

Originally Posted by bluenoter

The cat's name is spelled Pazuzu (just as "lept" is spelled "leapt," Monte ). And Pazuzu was a "real" Mesopotamian demonic deity.

And the cat was a vicious motherf**ker with a thirst for possessing kids and f**king up the lives of families everywhere.

Adding his personal touch to the legend,
Larry

[jesus marion joseph]

Only in the Alley could a thread on the Pope endure a logical digression into Mesopotamian spirit possessions...

Nobody can disect a subject to its most absurdly logical conclusion quite like the Alleymeisters.

[Chris D]

This just in...


The pope is still dead.

List your sources or get lost!!