New Pope Elected: Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina becomes Pope Francis!

[verdant monkai]

Good move by the Catholic god squad.
Catholicism is rampant down in South America so this guy will be insanely popular there.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Am I the only one who sees the pope as a dead ringer for Jonathan Pryce?

 

[Albino Boo]

My point is rather simple France would not negotiate with a foreign power over territorial claims why should the UK. Just because Germany isn't currently claiming Alsace Lorraine it does not overturn the 500 year dispute. Also when the Argentine fascist military dictatorship invade in 1982 there was no know oil deposits. To remove the murders of 20,000 of their own citizens, the UK lost 285 lives and with those deaths any chance of negation ended.

The dictatorship invaded precisely because they were losing popularity and made one last gasp attempt to regain momentum. It failed, and now that regime is history.

I'm not even thinking about territorial claim here. The Falklands should stay British as long as the Falklanders want to stay under the UK's rule, but harvesting resources in that area is another thing entirely. I always found it weird and unfair how some nations will benefit greatly from the luck of living on a valuable land whilst others suffer. If those resources can be used to benefit Latin America positively I think that'd be a much better use of them than just making a rich country even richer.

This is one of the many serious problems with nation states.

Swaziland has next to no natural resources and manages its economy perfectly well and Nigeria which is the 11th largest oil producer in the world is a baskets case. Argentina was economic expansion in the late 19th and early 20th century rivalled that of the US but the country became politically unstable in the 20s and ever since then repeated attempts at Peronist economic policy keeps resulting in the same thing. Short term improvements in standards of living followed by periods of high inflation and eventual bankruptcy. This happened under Peron, Carlos Menem in the 90s and now is happening under Kirchner. Its the same story repeated across Latin America to some extent or another, the problem is not lack of resources but bad government. Look at the standards of living in Venezuela and compare them to Norway. Despite having oil money for since 1916 the average Venezuelan is poorer than the average Norwegian which only has had oil for 35 years. The best thing to benefit Latin America would be to stop voting for demagogues who exploit sectional interests to stay in power. All the resources in the world will not overcome bad policy.

 

[SidheKnight]

Argentinian?

Cheated using the Hand of God I bet.

I wonder how many people are going to get an admittedly rather famous sports reference on here.

Two so far.

Oh dear lord, I can't unsee it. In fact, I'm just imagining it now...

"Oh, I'm afraid that prayer to save your child didn't work Sister Mary. Now let's have a look at what you could've won"

And then they bring out a speedboat.

In fact, not only that he is definitely George Bluth Sr from Arrested Development.

What with the recent scandal and all, he might have to be very wary of the No Touching rule.

That absolutely made my day. Fucking brilliant.

This ^

Being Argentinian too, I remember how Bergoglio opposed gay marriage in this country and helped the military dictatorship further their agenda (though that could be said for the entire Catholic church, not just this guy).

So don't expect anything to change. He's just another homophobic, anti-choice conservative, just like his entire religion.

I'm not sure why anyone would expect anything different. A huge institution full of bigots isn't going to elect someone with different views. I highly doubt anyone could even get anywhere near the level of a cardinal without being vehemently opposed to homosexuality.

His wiki article says he was opposed to the distribution of contraceptives in Argentina as well, but the source may not be reliable. As an Argentine, do you know if is that correct?

It is correct, sadly.

 

[Madgamer13]

Yay, another pope. I do not envy his position as head of an institution of alleged child molesters, since the only way out for him, last time I checked, is to meet his maker. No retirement for this old codger.

I hope his worldwide congregation doesn't hastily judge him and send him straight to the lord thy god's hell.

 

[IGetNoSlack]

He's just another homophobic, anti-choice conservative, just like his entire religion.

Save it for R&P.

Also, as a straight, white, Catholic who actually supports gay marriage, I take offense (then again, I'm disabled.)

 

[TheDoctor455]

Unless they elect a pope that...

1) Outs all of the pedophiles to the police,

2) Stops the Vatican's stupidly bigotted campaign against the LGT community...

3) Stops spreading lies about STDs, contraceptives, and condoms...

4) returns the vast wealth of treasures and sources of knowledge that the Vatican has stolen from... just about everyone over the centuries...


well...

unless that happens...

who the new pope is doesn't matter in the slightest.

 

[generals3]

Unless they elect a pope that...

1) Outs all of the pedophiles to the police,

2) Stops the Vatican's stupidly bigotted campaign against the LGT community...

3) Stops spreading lies about STDs, contraceptives, and condoms...

4) returns the vast wealth of treasures and sources of knowledge that the Vatican has stolen from... just about everyone over the centuries...


well...

unless that happens...

who the new pope is doesn't matter in the slightest.

1) So basically violate the principle of secrecy of confessions?
2) Considering the new pope has stated gay people should be respected that condition is met. And no being in favor of marriage as defined by the religion doesn't equate to bigotry in my books.
3) I agree though the new pope seems to accept the use of condoms so that condition is probably met too
4) I don't really see the point. I have not seen many requests to do so and i doubt most people which were "robbed" still exist.

Wait what happened to The Emperor? I was at least expecting Darth Pope to be next.

Anyways, good I guess? Is the Pope anything other than a figurehead for the Catholic church?

Be patient. Now he's still Pope Anakin but it's just a matter of time.
And just as a note, the pope is basically like the president of the Catholic church. So it's not purely symbolic.

 

[Guilherme Zoldan]

A new old white guy has replaced the previous old white guy on the throne of the simbol of everything wrong with religion.
Woo hoo

 

[TheDoctor455]

Unless they elect a pope that...

1) Outs all of the pedophiles to the police,

2) Stops the Vatican's stupidly bigotted campaign against the LGT community...

3) Stops spreading lies about STDs, contraceptives, and condoms...

4) returns the vast wealth of treasures and sources of knowledge that the Vatican has stolen from... just about everyone over the centuries...


well...

unless that happens...

who the new pope is doesn't matter in the slightest.

1) So basically violate the principle of secrecy of confessions?
2) Considering the new pope has stated gay people should be respected that condition is met. And no being in favor of marriage as defined by the religion doesn't equate to bigotry in my books.
3) I agree though the new pope seems to accept the use of condoms so that condition is probably met too
4) I don't really see the point. I have not seen many requests to do so and i doubt most people which were "robbed" still exist.

Wait what happened to The Emperor? I was at least expecting Darth Pope to be next.

Anyways, good I guess? Is the Pope anything other than a figurehead for the Catholic church?

Be patient. Now he's still Pope Anakin but it's just a matter of time.
And just as a note, the pope is basically like the president of the Catholic church. So it's not purely symbolic.

Hmm...

1) Lawyers and Psychologists are required by law to break their confidentiality with clients when they feel there is a clear and present danger to someone else if they kept their silence. I just think its high time that the Vatican do the same. Oh, and let's not forget that some of the pedophiles that were... 'encouraged' to leave the church... were often recommended (by other clergy) into positions where they would be working with children.

2) I'm holding out a maybe on that one still. I say let's wait for the pope to say... lean on governments to undo the damage that previous popes have done by pressuring various governments to criminalize the LGT community.

3) Not until they stop banging on about 'abstinence only', and start providing accurate information.

4) I didn't say to individuals, I said to the countries that those treasures came from. I want to see the contents of the Vatican's vaults in the various national museums where they belong. I also want to see the various works of science, literature, and so on to be released to proper academic archives for any responsible scholar to peruse. It is the very least that the Vatican can do as an apology for the massive human rights violations that the organization has committed in the past, both far back and more recent. (its more the collected knowledge they've been withholding that gets my goat than anything else on this one)

 

[Tanis]

Oh look, a figurehead in a big hat, I'm so frightened that he'll oppress our rights and make the world highly conservative... /sarcasm

I think I'll head to Tim Minchin for this:

Spoiler: NSFW, HIGHLY OFFENSIVE TO CHRISTIANS

Spoiler: I warned you

I mean, I guess it's nice if you're into this, depends on your view of the man. But like my above statement suggests, he's mostly harmless, like Earth

/)
Exactingly what I was thinking.

OT:


So...
If I'm following this right...


The last pope was an ex-Nazi.
-Nazi Youth, forced in, but still...

The new pope is from a country that lots of Nazis fled to.
-Many with the help of the Roman Catholic Church.

Does this mean the pope after him will be from Germany?
????

 

[HoneyVision]

I'm sure he's a nice guy, but really, who gives half a shit? He's completely irrelevant outside his realm. Catholics need to correct themselves and their hypocrisies before addressing the rest of the world and other Christians. Catholics are the prime example of the misconception of "safety by numbers". Not that I have anything personal against Catholics, I have many close Catholic friends, but they seem to know shit all about what it is to be a faithful Christian.

 

[HoneyVision]

As one of the four or five Argentines that roam Escapist I can vouch for Jorge being as homophobic and backward as it gets. He also has a history with the Dictatorship of '76, but don't ask him about it, he gets embarrassed on the subject.

This ^

Being Argentinian too, I remember how Bergoglio opposed gay marriage in this country and helped the military dictatorship further their agenda (though that could be said for the entire Catholic church, not just this guy).

So don't expect anything to change. He's just another homophobic, anti-choice conservative, just like his entire religion.

Way to completely stereotype 1/3 of the world *rolls eyes*.

But I do agree with you about him being backwards. This guys reeks of intolerance. I'm a Christian but would it KILL the papacy to elect someone with half a brain? The Christian doctrine opposes the world in many ways but the papacy seems intent on making this opposition as violent and as heated as possible.

 

[OmniscientOstrich]

Soooo, same shit different day then, basically?

 

[mysecondlife]

Yes, it's happened far faster than anyone expected. Whether you are Catholic, another religion or irreligious, one of the most memorable events of 2013 has come to a head, the election of a new pope. Just a few minutes ago white smoke emerged from the Sistine chapel.

19:15 Update [HEADING=2]All hail Francis![/HEADING]

The first pope from South America and first from outside Europe for over a thousand year, first Jesuit pope too.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21777494

So, what are your thoughts on the new pope?

My thought is that he looks like George Bluth Sr.

Spoiler: large image

Am I the only one who sees the pope as a dead ringer for Jonathan Pryce?

I dare say I have even better comparison

 

[JemothSkarii]

As one of the four or five Argentines that roam Escapist I can vouch for Jorge being as homophobic and backward as it gets. He also has a history with the Dictatorship of '76, but don't ask him about it, he gets embarrassed on the subject.

This ^

Being Argentinian too, I remember how Bergoglio opposed gay marriage in this country and helped the military dictatorship further their agenda (though that could be said for the entire Catholic church, not just this guy).

So don't expect anything to change. He's just another homophobic, anti-choice conservative, just like his entire religion.

Way to completely stereotype 1/3 of the world *rolls eyes*.

But I do agree with you about him being backwards. This guys reeks of intolerance. I'm a Christian but would it KILL the papacy to elect someone with half a brain? The Christian doctrine opposes the world in many ways but the papacy seems intent on making this opposition as violent and as heated as possible.

Uhm, Last I heard there's about 1 billion Catholics in the world, which would make it....

*checks google*

1/7th of the world's population. But I could be wrong...hmm, yeah, around 1 billion.

Just wanted to clear that up.

 

[AnarchistFish]

My point is rather simple France would not negotiate with a foreign power over territorial claims why should the UK. Just because Germany isn't currently claiming Alsace Lorraine it does not overturn the 500 year dispute. Also when the Argentine fascist military dictatorship invade in 1982 there was no know oil deposits. To remove the murders of 20,000 of their own citizens, the UK lost 285 lives and with those deaths any chance of negation ended.

The dictatorship invaded precisely because they were losing popularity and made one last gasp attempt to regain momentum. It failed, and now that regime is history.

I'm not even thinking about territorial claim here. The Falklands should stay British as long as the Falklanders want to stay under the UK's rule, but harvesting resources in that area is another thing entirely. I always found it weird and unfair how some nations will benefit greatly from the luck of living on a valuable land whilst others suffer. If those resources can be used to benefit Latin America positively I think that'd be a much better use of them than just making a rich country even richer.

This is one of the many serious problems with nation states.

Swaziland has next to no natural resources and manages its economy perfectly well and Nigeria which is the 11th largest oil producer in the world is a baskets case. Argentina was economic expansion in the late 19th and early 20th century rivalled that of the US but the country became politically unstable in the 20s and ever since then repeated attempts at Peronist economic policy keeps resulting in the same thing. Short term improvements in standards of living followed by periods of high inflation and eventual bankruptcy. This happened under Peron, Carlos Menem in the 90s and now is happening under Kirchner. Its the same story repeated across Latin America to some extent or another, the problem is not lack of resources but bad government. Look at the standards of living in Venezuela and compare them to Norway. Despite having oil money for since 1916 the average Venezuelan is poorer than the average Norwegian which only has had oil for 35 years. The best thing to benefit Latin America would be to stop voting for demagogues who exploit sectional interests to stay in power. All the resources in the world will not overcome bad policy.

Swaziland is pretty poor and growth hasn't been too strong.
Although governing does affect how well resources are used, it's not the only factor and you'd still need resources to be in that position. Having such large amounts of a resources, which you can both sell and use, is gonna put you in a better position than a country which has to actually buy those resources. Different circumstances affect how good a position a country is in to start off. Some can overcome that (Japan with very few natural resources being a very good example) but others struggle. There's quite a strong connection between a country being landlocked and its economy being weaker than the global average, for example.

Much of the political instability in the past wasn't helped at all by outside influence (the US supporting dictators such as Augusto Pinochet in Chile, governments and TNCs supporting dictators which allowed them to more easily profit from these countries economically) and as for blaming people on voting in idiots, that's another topic entirely but I'd struggle to blame entire populations for those kind of people gaining power. Especially when they gain power through military coups. Norway had centuries to reach stability, but in South America these countries only became independent of Spain (or Portugal) in the 19th century within divisions which were heavily influenced by the colonial powers. As it is, Latin America is developing pretty rapidly at the moment and seems to be settling down politically. Venezuela actually wasn't far off catching up with Norway on GDP Capita at one point in the mid 20th century and overall GDP in South America is starting to grow more healthily than before.

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

Oh so this is the new celibate guy who wants to tell women what to do with their bodies.

Nice.