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From	Message
jonheck 21-Apr-25, 06:22	Pope Francis Pope Francis passed on this morning. Thanks for everything you gave us, RIP.
bobspringett 21-Apr-25, 14:58	He was certainly one of the better popes. One of the less obvious aspects of his time was that he had twelve years in which to 'stack' the College of Cardinals. Will this be enough to ensure his reformist momentum be continued? Or will those accustomed to obedience fall back into a comfortable authoritarianism? This isn't a danger only to the Catholic Church; all organisations tend to be headed by people who have been able to use the culture of that organisation to their own advancement. Party politics is the perfect example! I recall decades ago, one minister who was being threatened with disciplinary action by the Bishop for wearing 'street clothes' as he led services rather than the standard surplice (who in Sydney Anglicans wears a surplice these days? Brian was setting the pace!). I was one of the Wardens at the time; I told him that God calls his children into the Church, and his saints out of it. So let's hope the Cardinals elect a saint, not a priest. Genuine humility at leadership levels is almost a contradiction in terms, but we can hope.
victoriasas 21-Apr-25, 15:41	I don’t know enough about Pope Francis to say what was admirable and objectionable about him but I’d love if members of this club talked about that. I’m not a big fan of the Catholic church as I think a lot of what it believes, practices and promotes is unBiblical, but I am interested in who the new pope is. Any thoughts on who the new pope could be or should be?
bobspringett 21-Apr-25, 16:14	In my view as a Christian who recognises value in a broad range of Church traditions, the main reason I see Francis as significant is that he was primarily a pastor rather than a theologian. He saw people as they were, in the midst of the minutiae of daily life and with all the different problems they faced. He did not see them through a dogmatic lens. Of course, he left untouched many faults in the Roman Church. A ship that size can't be turned around in one reign, but will take a series of taps on the tiller over a century or more. The important thing is that the culture first be changed to allow for such course corrections to be seen as 'normal'. This is why a like-minded successor is so important. Speaking of which; anyone who wants a free copy of the publisher's PDF proofs of 'Pope Barnabas', just send me a PM with an email address. www.amazon.com.au
lord_shiva 21-Apr-25, 20:47	Pope Barnabas I swear I had the paperback version, which I loaned to my cousin-in-law (at the time a practicing Catholic). I have not heard back from him and suspect he didn't read it. It was a great read!
dmaestro 22-Apr-25, 00:19	I see Pope Francis as a great Pope as well as model modern Christian precisely because he was primarily pastoral and service oriented. The world response to his loss shows that.

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