Well hey, it’s an easy news story isn’t it? Stand in St. Peters Square and interview mournful passers-by.
To some, the Pontiff was a divisive figure
John Paul muzzled liberal theologians and brought about a decline in the number of practicing Catholics in some areas, critics say.
“Divisive?” I’d call him reactionary. As the article hints at, he blocked the reforms of Vatican II whenever possible and did his best to drag the Church back to the Middle Ages.
However, for some comic relief, consider –
Pope reborn as superhero in comic
Pope John Paul II is being reborn in a Colombian comic book as a superhero battling evil with an anti-Devil cape and special chastity pants.
Race to succeed Pope includes even the fictional
The race is on to succeed John Paul II as pope and bookmakers are already getting in on the act. But not all the candidates are quite what they seem.
According to The Washington Post on Tuesday, gamblers can back Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi of Italy at odds of 11 to 4. “Or they can take their chances on Father Dougal Maguire of Craggy Island, Ireland, a long shot at 1,000 to 1.”
But the Post’s reporter was unaware of a key detail that, generous odds aside, would make canny bettors take a pass on Father Dougal.
He is a fictional character.
The next Pope will be reactionary too. Don’t waste time hoping for even a moderate.