Thursday, February 24, 2005
Papal Bull
Not to be insensitive or crude or anything... but let's stop the handwringing over the Pope's condition, m'kay? He's old. He's very old. He's too old to get elected Pope now. He's also ill. Very ill. I can't help but think that the Vatican medics are propping him up with every trick in their book just so they don't have to deal with puffing that white smoke up the chimney any sooner than they have to. Or, in other words, I suspect an old man's life is being sustained for the sake of politics. There isn't one faction that feels sufficiently secure in getting their guy on the throne yet, so they aren't ready for the Pope to give notice.
But, honestly, why do we still have a papacy, anyway? It's a concept that ceased to become relevant to the world at least since the time of Martin Luther and, given all the sex scandals among the rank and file clergy, I really don't think the head of that church deserves the status of world leader. (Likewise, the English monarchy hasn't been relevant since Queen Victoria kicked off, but at least they seem to get the concept of figurehead.)
Radical idea -- when John Paul II buys the farm (I'm betting it'll be before this Easter), let's not hire a replacement. The Catholic church has done it without a Pope (or with multiple Popes) before. Or, if they insist on installing another Pope, let them at least admit that the man has no real political importance outside of that New York apartment sized principality called Vatican City. (To all of you who are going to start kvetching about how John Paul Jr. personally ended Communism and brought down the Berlin wall, blah blah blah -- bullshit. He had about as much to do with it as Reagan did, which is... not much. Actually, Communism was brought down by... Marx, Lenin and Stalin. Or, in other words, the tide of history was always against the Soviet Union. That Capitalist cannibal action, you know. The USSR was split up by Western Style consumerism.)
But, I do digress...
And perhaps I do wish John Paul II many more years of life. It'll save us from the endless TV news wailing and whining, as if something important is actually happening while they brick those Cardinals up and wait for that puff of smoke.
Jesus. You think they'd have finally evolved to giving notice by instant message or something. "d00ds - hv nu pope. brk dwn door."
But, honestly, why do we still have a papacy, anyway? It's a concept that ceased to become relevant to the world at least since the time of Martin Luther and, given all the sex scandals among the rank and file clergy, I really don't think the head of that church deserves the status of world leader. (Likewise, the English monarchy hasn't been relevant since Queen Victoria kicked off, but at least they seem to get the concept of figurehead.)
Radical idea -- when John Paul II buys the farm (I'm betting it'll be before this Easter), let's not hire a replacement. The Catholic church has done it without a Pope (or with multiple Popes) before. Or, if they insist on installing another Pope, let them at least admit that the man has no real political importance outside of that New York apartment sized principality called Vatican City. (To all of you who are going to start kvetching about how John Paul Jr. personally ended Communism and brought down the Berlin wall, blah blah blah -- bullshit. He had about as much to do with it as Reagan did, which is... not much. Actually, Communism was brought down by... Marx, Lenin and Stalin. Or, in other words, the tide of history was always against the Soviet Union. That Capitalist cannibal action, you know. The USSR was split up by Western Style consumerism.)
But, I do digress...
And perhaps I do wish John Paul II many more years of life. It'll save us from the endless TV news wailing and whining, as if something important is actually happening while they brick those Cardinals up and wait for that puff of smoke.
Jesus. You think they'd have finally evolved to giving notice by instant message or something. "d00ds - hv nu pope. brk dwn door."
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