Ratzinger

[faith_my_eyes]

1. Why does he preach purely intellectually???
I've read one his homilies and saw the inauguration mass, and he is one boring preacher and he speaks from a purely intellectual point of view.
2. Why did he "bless" the crowd with an upside down sign of the cross???
3. Who died and made him pope???
4. Can someone specifically explain the process of choosing a new pope??? and why their decision for some reason is infallible...
5. Is there any proof that he wasn't a true Nazi besides his own testimony???
6. Why does he look so unhappy???
I know you may think this is just me being judgmental, but he does seriously look very unhappy, you must admit.

Obviously, I don't really trust this guy.
:sleep:

Edited April 25, 2005 by faith_my_eyes

[Aloysius]

[b]6[/b]UNHAPPY??? I haven't seen him not smiling since he was elected...
but if you do see him unhappy, it's probably due to the terrible burden of responsibility he bears. while in the curia he tried to resign on more than one occassion because he personally doesn't feel up to the job... he sees himself as a 'humble worker in the Lord's vineyard" and an "insufficient instrument" through which God works. it's a terrible burden to be Pope. however, I've seen a non-stop smile and glow on his face ever since his election


what an interesting list of loaded questions.

[b]4[/b]anyway, the Cardinals seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit to choose the pope. now, they could choose a bad man to be pope, we've had bad popes before, but the person who is elected is always the valid pope who cannot err binding th eChurch in a matter of faith or morals.

[b]5[/b]the Jerusalem post says Ratzinger wasn't a Nazi. a person who served with him in the German Army remembers his bravery in the face of nazi superiors, boldly and proudly admitting that he wanted to be a priest. (let's not forget how anti-Catholic the nazis were). Absolutely every known action and writing of Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger is friendly to the Jewish people, he is already on good terms with the cheif rabbi of rome... umm... need you any other proof that this guy isn't an anti-semite and thus isn't a nazi?

[b]5[/b]it is a matter of history that enrollment in the Hitler Youth was MANDATORY. It is also a matter of history that Joseph Ratzinger avoided such enrollment as much as possible but was unable. Judging by his fruits, his actions, his words, his writings this man is absolutely a man of PEACE who was against the war.

[b]1[/b]preaching intellectually? please... would you rather him just water everything down? it is important to raise up our intellects to contemplate the mysteries of God. he is very intelligent and is acting in his role as TEACHER, because right now the Catholic Church has a major catechesis crises. People don't know what the faith is, what the faith teaches. they think that they can just "be good" and ""love"" and so long as everyone else is 'being good" and ""loving"" everything is just dandy. they forget the beauty and intricacy of their faith, that being good doesn't save, GRACE saves through FAITH, all being good does is help your faith. many Catholics understand next to nothing about God, and that's a problem. they are starved of an understanding that is rightfully theirs and could help them spiritually relate to God better, if they understand who He really is.

[b]1[/b]I'm sorry you find his homilies boring, I find homilies of priests who are not as quoteunquote "intellectual" in their homilies INSULTING, DEGRADING, AND MUCH MORE BORING than any homily Benedict XVI has given. I am quite inspired and excited by Benedict's homilies.

[b]1[/b]It is time to do some spring cleaning in the Church, to really catechize the faithful and get them to understand what the faith truley is.

[b]2[/b]upsidedown sign of the cross? are you freakin kidding me???? he didn't go back up high enough after he went back down and you're inferring satanism or some alterior motive? my goodness. one time my priest was blessing and it was basically a capital T more than a cross.... he probably worships Mr. T and was giving us all the Mr. T "blessing"... stay in Church fool. (err.. that's a Mr. T. impression right? only with school? ah well I'm not sure)

[b]3[/b] John Paul II, his CLOSE PERSONAL FRIEND WHO TRUSTED HIM ENOUGH TO PUT HIM IN A HIGH POSITION, died. The cardinals, most of whom were made cardinals by the deceased John Paul II, made him pope.

[Myles Domini]

[quote]Why does he preach purely intellectually???[/quote]

I would disagree with you about Benedict XVI's homily's. Personally, I've simply eaten up everything he's had to say over the past week and indeed since the late Great Pope John Paul II's funeral. I happen to believe he not only has a penetrating mind but a breadth of knoweldge which in itself is breathtaking. However, I suppose everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

[quote]Why did he "bless" the crowd with an upside down sign of the cross???[/quote]

Cant answer this one cos I didnt notice it.

[quote]Who died and made him pope???[/quote]

The See of St Peter became Vacant when the late Great Pope John Paul II died. He was elected Pope by the conclave by the grace of God according to the Lord's providential plan.

[quote]Can someone specifically explain the process of choosing a new pope??? and why their decision for some reason is infallible...[/quote]

[url="http://www.ewtn.com/HolySee/Interregnum/index.asp"]http://www.ewtn.com/HolySee/Interregnum/index.asp[/url] this link will explain what happens when the See of St Peter becomes vacant upon the death of a Pope and how a new one is elected. As for one everyone believes its an act of God, well because we all believe in Divine Providence. God is the hand behind history who shows his power in bringing good from the evil that men sometimes do including some of his Pope's. God will not allow a man to come to the throne of St Peter who will destroy his Church, the right man for the job is always chosen, but sometimes that man does not always do right by God and abuses his free will.

[quote]Is there any proof that he wasn't a true Nazi besides his own testimony???
[/quote]

I dont think so although I'd add there is no testimony he was a 'true Nazi'. He certainly never joined the Nazi party and he has never been identified as a convinced Nazi youth. Moroever, these allegations arent widely believed either even in Israel:

[quote]Ratzinger a Nazi? Don't believe it
Sam Ser, THE JERUSALEM POST Apr. 18, 2005

London's Sunday Times would have us believe that one of the leading contenders for the papacy is a closet Nazi. In if-only-they-knew tones, the newspaper informs readers that German-born Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was a member of the Hitler Youth during World War II and suggests that, because of this, the "panzer cardinal" would be quite a contrast to his predecessor, John Paul II.

The article also classifies Ratzinger as a "theological anti-Semite" for believing in Jesus so strongly that – gasp! – he thinks that everyone, even Jews, should accept him as the messiah.

To all this we should say, "This is news?!"

As the Sunday Times article admits, Ratzinger's membership in the Hitler Youth was not voluntary but compulsory; also admitted are the facts that the cardinal – only a teenager during the period in question – was the son of an anti-Nazi policeman, that he was given a dispensation from Hitler Youth activities because of his religious studies, and that he deserted the German army.

Ratzinger has several times gone on record on his supposedly "problematic" past. In the 1997 book Salt of the Earth, Ratzinger is asked whether he was ever in the Hitler Youth.

"At first we weren't," he says, speaking of himself and his older brother, "but when the compulsory Hitler Youth was introduced in 1941, my brother was obliged to join. I was still too young, but later as a seminarian, I was registered in the Hitler Youth. As soon as I was out of the seminary, I never went back. And that was difficult because the tuition reduction, which I really needed, was tied to proof of attendance at the Hitler Youth.

"Thank goodness there was a very understanding mathematics professor. He himself was a Nazi, but an honest man, and said to me, 'Just go once to get the document so we have it...' When he saw that I simply didn't want to, he said, 'I understand, I'll take care of it' and so I was able to stay free of it."

Ratzinger says this again in his own memoirs, printed in 1998. In his 2002 biography of the cardinal, John Allen, Jr. of the National Catholic Reporter wrote in detail about those events.

The only significant complaint that the Times makes against Ratzinger's wartime conduct is that he resisted quietly and passively, rather than having done something drastic enough to earn him a trip to a concentration camp. Of course, whenever it is said that a German failed the exceptional-resistance-to-the-Nazis test, it would behoove us all to recognize that too many Jews failed it, as well.

If he were truly a Nazi sympathizer, then it would undoubtedly have become evident during the past 60 years. Yet throughout his service in the church, Ratzinger has distinguished himself in the field of Jewish-Catholic relations.

As prefect of the Doctrine of the Faith, Ratzinger played an instrumental role in the Vatican's revolutionary reconciliation with the Jews under John Paul II. He personally prepared Memory and Reconciliation, the 2000 document outlining the church's historical "errors" in its treatment of Jews. And as president of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, Ratzinger oversaw the preparation of The Jewish People and Their Sacred Scriptures in the Christian Bible, a milestone theological explanation for the Jews' rejection of Jesus.

If that's theological anti-Semitism, then we should only be so lucky to "suffer" more of the same.

As for the Hitler Youth issue, not even Yad Vashem has considered it worthy of further investigation. Why should we? [/quote]

This is just an example of how few people, particularly Jewish people, actually believe that he is at all anti-semetic. Indeed, Benedict XVI was congratulated by the Jewish Council of North America when he became Pope and the Chief Rabbi of Rome was invited to his inaugural Mass but couldnt come because of Passover.

[quote]Why does he look so unhappy???[/quote]

Again, I cant say I've noticed this, but if you have it might be because Papa Ratzi was looking forward to leaving Rome to live in the new house he just bought with his brother Georg and concentrate on his theological studies. Particularly in the areas of Original Sin and the transfer of authority in the early Church from Jersualem to Rome, which he had always wanted to write more upon. He has tried to resign from the Roman Curia three times in the past 15 years and at 78 is three years beyond retirement age. Neither he or his brother expected him to be elected, His brother went on record saying because of his age and German nationality it was not going to happen. Benedict XVI's pre-conclave homily was identified indeed as a last shot so to speak. A non-conciliatory sign off that would not appeal to the "moderates" and get them to vote for him but simply to vote in someone competant once he was gone...

...luckily he's still with us though

[argent_paladin]

[quote name='faith_my_eyes' date='Apr 25 2005, 01:52 AM'] 1. Why does he preach purely intellectually???
I've read one his homilies and saw the inauguration mass, and he is one boring preacher and he speaks from a purely intellectual point of view.
2. Why did he "bless" the crowd with an upside down sign of the cross???
3. Who died and made him pope???
4. Can someone specifically explain the process of choosing a new pope??? and why their decision for some reason is infallible...
5. Is there any proof that he wasn't a true Nazi besides his own testimony???
6. Why does he look so unhappy???
I know you may think this is just me being judgmental, but he does seriously look very unhappy, you must admit.

Obviously, I don't really trust this guy.
:sleep: [/quote]
1. He is 78 years old, German and a professor theology. You should forgive him for not speaking like a 15-year-old California cheerleader. He is being authentic to who he is. I would rather he be that than try to be fake and "get down with the kids".

2. The sign of the the cross varies widely. Now that I think about it, virtually all Catholics make the sign of the cross upside-down when they cross themselves, unless you reach down to your belly-button when you make the sign. I touch my forehead, the bottom of my sternum and then just above each armpit. That forms an upside-down cross. So?

3. John Paul II died (or haven't you been keeping up with the news?). The Sacred College of Cardinals in Conclave, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, made him Pope. Any questions?

4. Cardinals (Catholic men chosen by the pope) enter a locked room and by secret ballot elect the pope by 2/3rds majority. It is rumored that Ratzinger recieved nearly 100 out of the 115 votes. It is not, strictly speaking, infallible as some conclaves have chosen antipopes, that is, invalidly. But there is not even the barest hint of a rumor of a speck of doubt that this election is invalid. Benedict is the Pope.

5. Is there any proof that you are not a true neo-Nazi, beside your own testimony?
That logical fallacy is begging the question. It is not his (or anyone's) job to prove that he is not something. It is your job to prove that he is. Imagine if the police just brought people in and asked them to prove that they didn' t commit the crime, but their own testimony wasn't allowed.

And yes, there is proof. His brother for one. Second, every member of the Nazi party was registered, and he wasn't registered. His father is on record for being against the Nazis. He has spoken out repeatedly against every value the Nazis stood for. Yad Vashem, the Holocaust foundation in Jerusalem says that those accusations are unfounded. If there were any evidence that he was a Nazi, he would have been in prison for years after the war.

6. [img]http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/rids/20050419/i/r1070914019.jpg[/img]
[img]http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/nm/20050424/mdf940842.jpg[/img]

Yeah, he looks depressed, even suicidal...
Are you on the same planet as the rest of us?
= happy
= sad

Got it?

[Ash Wednesday]

I'm surprised you didn't ask if the reason why he always stops to pet the cats on the Vatican streets is because he wants to eat them for dinner.

Seriously, I can only hope he will eventually have your trust, but above all else, even if you don't trust him, pray for him.

[Mateo el Feo]

[quote name='faith_my_eyes' date='Apr 25 2005, 02:52 AM']1. Why does he preach purely intellectually???
I've read one his homilies and saw the inauguration mass, and he is one boring preacher and he speaks from a purely intellectual point of view.
2. Why did he "bless" the crowd with an upside down sign of the cross???
3. Who died and made him pope???
4. Can someone specifically explain the process of choosing a new pope??? and why their decision for some reason is infallible...
5. Is there any proof that he wasn't a true Nazi besides his own testimony???
6. Why does he look so unhappy???
I know you may think this is just me being judgmental, but he does seriously look very unhappy, you must admit.

Obviously, I don't really trust this guy.
:sleep:[/quote]
Ironically, the following was part of "faith_my_eyes's first post here.
[quote]If there is one thing I can't stand it is rudeness, and that is just what this is. If you feel that you need to tear someone else apart because of who they are then I think that you need to say that you are sorry...

Please think about what I'm saying. Love thy neighbor as thyself, that is the last lesson that I'm going to leave you with.[/quote]
Going to the Gospel of Matthew:
[quote name='Matthew 7:3']Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?[/quote]
Faith_my_eyes, if you are Catholic, it would be a good time to say a prayer for our new Holy Father. If you are not, I invite you to pray that God leads you to a love for His Son, and to pray for a unity with the Church that Our Lord founded 2000 years ago.

God bless you.

[Socrates]

[quote name='faith_my_eyes' date='Apr 25 2005, 01:52 AM'] 1. Why does he preach purely intellectually???
I've read one his homilies and saw the inauguration mass, and he is one boring preacher and he speaks from a purely intellectual point of view.



[/quote]
It's good the Pope has an intellect! Better than preaching like an idiot!
It's too bad he bores you, but being "exciting" is not a requirement for the Papacy.

[quote]2. Why did he "bless" the crowd with an upside down sign of the cross???[/quote]
The hell you talking about? Now you sound like Jack Chick.

[quote]3. Who died and made him pope???[/quote]

John Paul II died. It is up to the College of Cardinals to choose the next Pope.

[quote]4. Can someone specifically explain the process of choosing a new pope??? and why their decision for some reason is infallible...[/quote]

That information is widely available. Check out a Catholic encyclopedia or good Catholic website. I'm sure someone here can direct you. He was chosen the same method JPII and every other Pope was. If you don't beleive the man selected is the Pope, you are not Catholic.

[quote]5. Is there any proof that he wasn't a true Nazi besides his own testimony???[/quote]

People have explained this to you 500 times. What proof is there that he [b]was[/b] a true Nazi????? If he was, surely the Jewish leaders would be all over him! Get real! Is there any proof that G.W. Bush isn't a Martian?

[quote]6. Why does he look so unhappy???[/quote]
Probably because of idiots like you.

[Guest Back_home]

Your forum confuses me

[Q the Ninja]

I just saw him about two hours ago, and happy may not even be good enough to describe him. He was very happy at the Papal audience, constantly smiling.

His blessing is the same way that the blessing has been done by ever Priest I've ever seen:

....1
4.....3
....2

(That's how it looks if you're looking at him). If you don't believe me, I saw it about 20-30 times.


Is there any proof that any of our grandparents weren't NAZIs or porof about every world leader? It's really hard to prove something like that (unless by age). I think I had someone in my family that was a NAZI. Plus, I bet the Cardinals who are his age would know if he were a Nazi. However, as proof I off his age, which was too young (he was born in 1927). I doubt that the NAZIs, as strict as they were, would allow anyone under the age of 18 serve in the actual army. Plus, at this time I believe he was already in the minor seminary (from the age of 11?), so I doubt he would have consented. On top of that, his father hated the NAZI party and so I doubt that his child (still a young teen at the start of the war, not much older at the end) would have been allowed to serve.


The Pope is very intellectual, and I think part of your trouble with him might be he's a theologian. Pope John Paul II was also a theologian, but more of a philosopher. If you listen to the differences between when a philosopher and a theologian speak, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. He's not totally intellectual, for he's more of an Augustinian (more philosophy/poetry) than a Thomist. Also, as has been stated, the Pope was a professor for many years, and that shows through. But, even so, the Cardinals all knew him personally and chose him knowing his personality and what he would preach/how he would preach as the Holy Father.


Choosing a Pope isn't infallible.


And lastly, Germans (and Italians!) have a tendency not to look happy, even when they are. It's natural for them.

Edited April 27, 2005 by Q the Ninja

[jrndveritatis]

[quote]1. Why does he preach purely intellectually???
[/quote]

Okay, so I have read three of his homilies in the last two weeks:

1) Mass For the Funeral of John Paul the Great
2) Mass at the Opening of the Conclave
3) Mass of Inauguration

Every single one of these homiles was brilliant, and not one of them was overly intellectual.

If you think the homily at the Mass for John Paul was purely intellectual, you obviously must have not seen the weeping crowds, much less read the homily, which was perfectly balanced with theology and remembrance.

The homily at the Mass for the Opening of the Conclave was one of the best homilies I have ever heard. Where else have you ever heard of the "dictatorship of relativism" openly discussed and the idiotic ideologies of our times shown as the frauds that they are: liberalism, Marxism, totalitarianism. Ratzinger knows the truth and he is not afraid to voice it. In this respect he is even more blunt than John Paul the Great, because he has a different style. His homilies are NOT boring.

The Mass of the Inauguration was more intellectual than the others because it covered the symbolism of the pallium and the ring. Yet in these reflections there were insights on God and man which I had never considered before, brilliant insights. Anyways, even before he went into this, he covered very non-intellectual things such as his trepidation and awe at being elected and his prayers for help.


Finally, why are you scared of intellectual homilies? God gave us a mind for a reason. Do you want liberal "I'm fine, You're Fine" homilies which ignore all doctrine and assault the truth? (Note Truth = Christ = God.)


The Truth must be defended and explained and proposed to all. It is not right to hide the Truth because it is hard to understand or difficult to accept. If you do that you are denying the birthright of everyone who is baptized and reborn as a son or daughter of God, and the birthright of every single person in the world, for whom the Truth died so that they could know Him fully.

Edited April 28, 2005 by jrndveritatis

[guardsman]

No one has ever accused Pope Benedict XVI of being a Nazi. (at least no one who understands how Germany worked at the time.) Our Beloved Pope was a member of the Hitler Youth, which was a government run program that became absolutely mandatory in 1939 for anyone 12 years or older. If my math is correct, our current pope was about 12 years old in 1939. He was required to attend those training sessions, just like every other German kid. I'm thinking you were being slightly sarcastic with your questions.

[Noel's angel]

People can't think of any constructive, fact based criticisms of Pope Benedict, so they decide to go for the 'let's call him an Nazi' approach, even though it has been explained numerous times to them that he is not a Nazi, nor was he EVER a Nazi. Just cause they stuck a 'label' on him saying 'Hitler Youth' when he was a young boy, doesn't mean he is a Nazi in his heart.

[Noel's angel]

In 1941, 14-year-old Joseph, like all German teens, was ordered into the Hitler Youth. In his writings, he said he was an unwilling participant and did not attend meetings for long. Two years later, as the tide of war turned against Germany, he was drafted into the army and sent to Munich to man an antiaircraft battery.

He remained there until September 1944, when he was transferred to the Austria-Hungary border. There he built embankments and dug tank traps. A kindly officer arranged his transfer back to the area of Traunstein after only two months, he has said. Once home, he promptly deserted, risking summary execution.

In the spring of 1945, U.S. soldiers took him prisoner, and he remained in a crowded POW camp for six weeks. On June 19, 1945, he was released, having escaped the war without firing a shot.

But the war, and particularly his country's murder of 6 million Jews, remained with him. Those who have studied Benedict said the horrors of the Holocaust led to his partnership with John Paul in working toward closer relations with Jews, and he is said to have been an architect of a December 2000 document expressing remorse on behalf of Catholics for anti-Jewish attitudes that led to "deplorable acts of violence."


Sounds like a Nazi to me.....