NOT JUST SINEAD TEARS UP POPE PICTURES

The Reverend Andrea Maggi burned a photo of Pope Benedict claiming that he is no shepherd but a man that abandoned his flock. Half the congregation in the church of Santo Stefano Protomatire of Castel Vittorio walked out in shock. I guess this priest must have been watching re-runs of SNL and caught the episode of Sinead O'Connor tearing up the picture of Pope John Paul II.  Supposedly this priest is in a fragile state of mind so, I wonder if he was running out of altar boys to molest since it's a small village.

The bottom line is that the Catholic Church was in dire straits long before Benedict came in so for some  village idiot priest to burn Benedict's photo only makes a statement that speaks to the ignorance of so many in the Catholic Church. I would go as far as saying that the decision Benedict made was probably the best move in recent Catholic history. Benedict was older and losing faculties and did not want to stay past his prime. I don't blame Benedict for his decision because at the end of the day what could he do if he was in bad health. I think that the biggest problem is that some obscure members of the church see this as a way to make a statement.

My advice to the reverend is to go make himself a nice stew and drink himself half to death. This kind of accident is yet another reason why the Catholic Church is seen as more of a fading institution than as a place to follow. Like Sinead said some years back " Fight the real enemy."

FOR FUTURE POPES

Now that Pope Benedict retired there is talk that his decision may create a term limit imposition for future popes. I think that this particular development is extremely interesting to say the least. While I understand term limits for high political office I don't quite understand how this imposition would affect anyone. Since the separation of church and state the role of the catholic church has been limited to symbolic and spiritual. I do understand that the Catholic Church's highest figures do wield significance influence but actual power is a totally different story.

It's been mentioned that this development would put the Pontiff in place under a great deal of scrutiny and pressure but I fail to understand what that would accomplish. Even the biggest atheist would recognize that one of the most influential figures in the 20th century was Pope John Paul II and that his 26 years as Pontiff are not likely to repeated in any way shape or form. The truth of the matter is that Pope John Paul II is a lot like FDR in terms of what he accomplished.

It remains to be seen what the next figure will be able to do but one thing is for sure there will not be another truly polarizing figure in the Catholic Church's key spot.