Little Pet Peeve Y'all

[Tink]

[color=#ff0066]Ok, my little ditty. Pope John Paull II said "I hope to have communion with the people, that is the most important thing. " And in doing that he made millions realize that although he was our Holy Father, he is also a sinner and a sheep just like us. He is to be respected, yes, but don't you think it would be inspiring and encouraging to know that so many children, teens, and adults connected with you in such a way that they could relate to you on a real level, rather than feel separated and beneath you? I don't know where it's from, but someone has said, "My feet ain't got nothing to do with my nickname, but when folks get it in their heads that a feller's got big feet, soon the feet start looking big." When we give Pope Benedict XVI the nickname B16 or Papa Ratzi, at least for me it helps me to feel like I'm closer to him, because he's human. True, he is our leader and wonderful pope, but he is also a man.

In his presence, I'm sure I'd call him Holy Father, but as has been said, that would more than likely be in a formal setting. I'm good friends with a nun who lived in Rome for years and years, and is very close with Pope Benedict XVI. She knows him well, dined with him and went to Mass with him, and she even calls him Papa Ratzi![/color]

Edited October 23, 2005 by Tink

[dspen2005]

but b16 is awesome.... b16 is doing great things. i like reading the homilies that b16 gives. b16. b16. b16. b16. b16. b16. b16.

[Era Might]

[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/eremite_85/JP220Shades.jpg[/img]

Don't be fooled. Right after this picture was taken, John Paul told Bono to grovel on his knees for being so irreverent and informal!

:

Edited October 24, 2005 by Era Might

[Proud2BCatholic139]

That was funny!!!

[toledo_jesus]

[quote name='Era Might' date='Oct 23 2005, 02:20 PM']Well, we have different conceptions of respect.

No, I don't worry myself about getting royal titles right for the sake of getting royal titles right. And if a Bishop ever took offense at me calling him "Bishop" or "Cardinal" rather than "Your Excellency", I would politely tell him to take a deep breathe.

And I stand by what I said. I don't think the Holy Father gives a whoot that his children have affectionate names for him. And it goes without saying that I don't think the Lord does either.
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yeah...you do that! Even if the Pope is not stern with you, imagine the bishops and other higher-ups that surround him. You would be glowered down because you are just a layperson, and that action would be uppity. your whole encounter would turn very frosty, and you'd be shuttled out.

Plus the Swiss Guard would use their pikes on you.

[toledo_jesus]

It would appear that the Pope took Bono's glasses. interesting, the Holy Father initiated the irreverence...his prerogative.
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Talking to The Sunday Times about the world leaders he's met including George W Bush, Russian President Putin and Tony Blair, the U2 singer recalled how the Catholic Leader Pope John Paul II made him part with his trademark glasses.


"He seemed to be starring at me," Bono recalled of their meeting. "I wondered was it the fact I was wearing my blue fly-shades? So I took them off in case I was causing some offence."


However it seems the frail Pope had other ideas. "When I was introduced to him he was still starring at them," the singer added. "He kept looking at them in my hand so I offered them to him as a gift in return for the rosary he'd just given."


At this point the U2 man received a lesson in showmanship.


"Not only did he put them on, he smiled the wickedest grin you could ever imagine," said Bono. "He was a comedian. His sense of humour was completely intact... I thought 'Wow! The Drop The Debt campaign will have the Pope in my glasses on the front page of every newspaper!'"

[argent_paladin]

1. I think it is great that the vitamin B16 fights "free radicals". I think it is the perfect name for His Holiness!

2. As the leader of the "League of Lolek Lovers", I can assure you that the group was 100% respectful of the Holy Father.

3. Do you even know what "pope" means? In Italian, it is "papa", which is the affectionate, intimate term for father. Similarly, Christ told us to call God "abba", which means father. We don't call him "the Transcendent Prime Mover" or something abstract, but father. We don't call the pope, "Pontifex Maximus" but "papa".

4. Using such terms of endearment have two effects. First, they create a sense of closeness. Yes, he is the shepherd and we are his flock, but the flock is close to the shepherd. It *can* be disrespectful, but it isn't inherently so. Second, it creates an in-group. It marks off those who strongly identify with their faith. That is why I created the League of Lolek Lovers. Only those who know a lot about JP2 would know what that title means. It makes our group feel special.

5. It is all about context. "Your Holiness" is the appropriate address if he were in the room, but, for most of us, that will not be the case.
Imagine a family where the father insisted on always being addressed as "Sir" or "Father" (my cousin's family was like that), in order to maintain respectful relations. Don't you think, though, that there is a time when "Daddy" or "Pappa" might be appropriate? I don't think it reduces respect when it is said.

Is it disrespectful to call someone a servant? Well, the pope is the servant of the servants of God. St. Paul called himself a slave to Christ. Jesus renamed Simon "Rock".

6. It is definitely NOT only an American thing to create nicknames. Ratzinger had a dozen nicknames in German and Pope Benedict has dozens in Italy. Every culture has nicknames.