He is old and has been through a lot of illness and heartbreak recently, but I saw him on TV on Xmas and he really really was one step away from weekend at Bernies (weekend at Pope John Paul II?). What's scarier to think about is who is really running the Vatican right now. Anyone ever read Umberto Eco? Those Opus Dei guys are probably setting everything up for when JP2 goes, that they'll be in a position to keep hard core conservative running the show and we will never have the reforms needed. We need majors reforms, like a Vatican 3 where they address the sex scandals in a forceful manner and take a long hard look at issues such as letting women become priests, letting priests marry, and opening up the church to more progressive ideas. My one criticism is that the current Pope has taken such a hard core position in picking ultra conservatives in his inner circle and in picking Cardinals. Look what happened in Boston with Law and Law's former inner circle members in Boston, Egan and Murphy are facing major scandals in NYC and RVC Long Island.
My father is Catholic and knows the Latin mass in his sleep. He doesn't go to church anymore because of all the hierarchy and scandal. It is sad.
<img src = http://thereisnogod.faithweb.com/images/kaga.gif>
thanks ADF for the SigPic!!
slanted and enchanted...