h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Excellent link TRiG!

And the knives start sliding into backs - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21563345

You're telling me a Catholic priest and vocal homophobe stands accused of inappropriate sexual conduct with other men? Why, I never heard of such a thing, that's such an unlikely coincidence!

Guess it makes a nice change that his accusers were all of legal age when the alleged behaviour took place: that's relatively unusual.

Why do Roman Catholic clergy have to be celibate (although it seems many aren't)?

What is the thinking behind it, and what were its origins? Is there anything in the new testament or old testament for that matter regarding having to be celibrate in order to spread the various religious messages?

Complicated question to answer. A large part of the origin of it lies in medieval priests passing church land onto their children, and thus depleting the church's resources. There are theological reasons as well though.

I wuz tol' itz cuz Mother Mary was a virgin
that no holy man wuz to ever know women.
Only iffen he was celibate could he be as one
with the lord and his mammy.


~jwf~

a) inheritance of fathers properties - dividing between children

Is this the generally accepted reason from academia? I can see how having celibate clergy (effectively the management and leadership) would safeguard against the creation of direct heriditary positions at the top (as per royalty) and as elsewhere (as per barons and lords). It also prevents the "churches" extended properties being claimed by children of local clergy. We know what happened when King Henry VIII got into power basically taking over the English church and then the Roman churches "property / valuables" for himself and his cronies.

b) The virgin Mary

I suppose that Mary had to be made a virgin once it was decided that Jesus was the son of God, and God being a man / patriarch would only take a virgin for the "celestial" copulation. I presume that virginity was important in those times in the taking of wives.

I've just seen a documentary on RTÉ One about Bennedict. He was a rather pretty teenager. It had a lot of Cardinal Séan Brady in it. There was a piece in the Irish Independent today about Séan Brady. As a cardinal, he'll be one of the ones to elect the next pope. Irish survivors of abuse have asked him not to attend, because he was involved in the cover-ups. He's said that he's made the decision, and he's going to attend.

Which opens the question of why he's free to make that decision. If he was involved in the cover-ups (which he most definitely was), shouldn't he be in prison?

TRiG.

Bigot of the Year resigns = http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21572724

{...he would not take part in the election for a successor to the Pope - leaving Britain unrepresented in the election}

Should I feel less enfranchised now that a Scotsman whose religion I don't follow is no longer representing me.

And he'd only become British if Cardinal Murray-O-Whatsit actually won the title.

He's Norn Irish

And anyway, he'd go by what he felt was best, rather than putting out any feelers at all to the community, let alone discussing, who they felt should be the next pope

The persistent thing about viewing candidates and electors by country of origin is starting to irritate me. They really don't look at it that way, or there wouldn't be so many Italian popes. The country is irrelevant in the decision, and is *definitely* irrelevant as soon as they are elected.

"No Pontification without Representation!"

Can we have a "like" button please?

We'll go throw wine and wafers into the Tiber

So it seems Cardinal Keith O'Brien's problem with Gay Marriage was probably more about commitment worries than theological belief!



FB

Also, I'm assured that this is actually real. Adopt a Cardinal: http://www.adoptacardinal.org.

TRiG.

Bookmakers and gamblers rejoice!

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/02/27/173049904/picking-a-pope-try-the-sweet-sistine-bracket-challenge

And here it is direct from the horse's mouth:

http://www.religionnews.com/


~jwf~

I was just about to post a link to the Sweet Sistine! Thanks, ~jwf~.