Pope Francis

More of the same, I fear - anti abortion, anti contraception, anti homosexuality....

Worrying that he is a Jesuit.

He's sticking to the same tired old stupid attitudes to contraception. How can you be against abortion, and oppose contraception? Only a 76 year old virgin can be that unrealistic.

He opposes homosexuality too, completely disregarding modern science that tells us that people are born that way, they do not choose it.

He also supports celibacy - maybe it is sour grapes - if he couldn't have a wife, why should any other priest be allowed one?

Why oh why do religious leaders have to be so ignorant of the reality of real life?

He is supposed to be OK on social justice. Only for some, I imagine.

Let's hope he cleans up the Vatican, fixes all the financial crimes, and sorts out the paedophile cover-ups, before he dies or resigns.

Maybe the next one will have some common sense, regarding celibacy and contraception, if nothing else.

My verdict?

Bah humbug!

I wonder what Jesus would have made of the Catholic Church today. Would it have been what he intended. I wonder!!!

Totally agree with Joan - he has a nice smile but is too old to address all the many fundamental issues the Church is facing. Radical reform is needed but sadly he is not the right choice........but who is?

The thing that worries me is the veneration of the Pope.There is the danger of him becoming like a cult leader.Like most institutions there is much that is good in the Catholic Church but much that I feel is misguided.I don't wish to upset Catholics as in many ways I envy their faith but it is when they are Papists rather than Catholics that the problem arises.Please correct me if you think it is me who is misguided.

I think the limited information we have about him so far - and Radio 4 covered it in great detail - addresses most of the points raised above. He apparently lived a very frugal life as Archbishop, living in a bed sit and cooking his own meals. He's a Jesuit ie a member of a religious order not given to conspicuous consumption and often quite radical. He's never been part of the Vatican set up. He has a reputation for embracing pthe causes of the poor. His first words to Rome and the world as Pope were informal and free of pomp. Why not give him a chance?

It is good that he advocates for the poor - but many of the poor of S America are victims of the contraception ban - large familes with no means to support them.

He needs to start looking at the causes of the widespread poverty rather than just tinkering with trying to alleviate the poverty that has been exacerbated by the policies of his church.

I am happy to give him a chance - it would be good if he grasped the opportunity to prevent poverty.

I made a promise [to myself] NOT to say anything more on the subject of the CC. However, I cannot contain my incredulity a moment longer. What a load of old tosh! That's it! I shall leave the believers in peace.
I'm off to tend the poorly pussycat.

Commentators seem to think that he will be able to tackle the Augean stables that the Curia has become. That would be a good first step – but he's still just a man in a frock.

Well said lily gran! He has lovely kind face I think and poor chap inherited an awful lot stuff to sort best luck to him

My lovely No.2 son said:
If he's going to choose a girls name(sic), it should be Evita!

Mishap exactly - what's the point of talking about poverty and injustice when at the same time you prevent women from having control over their own bodies and the size of their families.

It's just more of the same.

Eloethan surely you not in favour of the hundreds of abortioted healthy foetus daily? If that is women having control over their bodies count me out.

I presume it's Francis xavier rather than Assisi?

celebgran when most of us talk about control over our bodies, we mean controlling our fertility through contraception.

Abortion is another issue all together. It should be legal, because when it is not, women end up being harmed by either having babies they cannot cope with, or by having illegal terminations which often damage their bodies.

I get very cross with the catholic authorities for opposing contraception. Opposing abortion I understand - but it makes no sense when you also oppose contraception. What is wrong with those old men in charge! Do they think everyone should be celibate like them?

Utterly ridiculous.

does seem one or two of them are NOT THAT CELIBATE.

celebgran - maybe, don't you think, there would be fewer women in need of abortions if the CC did not consistently resist the use of condoms and other forms of contraception? Nobody likes the idea of abortions and I certainly think your remark was more than a little out of order. But women are exploited by men and it seems that in many countries another bunch of men are colluding in this by blocking the distribution of contraception.
Did you read the tragic article about young girls in SA being seduced, exploited infected and impregnated by older men? Who could have the temerity to stand up and say that they should be denied an abortion?
Rich catholics ignore the teaching on contraception (and divorce) quite happily. The poor do not.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21783076

celebgran I was actually mainly referring to contraception and sex education.

So far as abortion is concerned, my view is it's the mother, not the Catholic church, that has to give birth to the baby, and it is quite often she who is left to take care of the baby - so I think it should be the mother's decision as to whether she is able to go ahead with a pregnancy.

There are children all round the world living in dire poverty, a significant proportion of whom don't even reach adulthood. Why isn't the Catholic church using its vast wealth to help these children that already exist (and who quite often exist because of the church's policy on contraception).

Another old man in a frock, elected by other old men in frocks to be God's mouthpiece: how can people be taken in by this balderdash? (I wanted to use a much ruder word beginning with B, but it might offend some of my fellow grans)
If I were god (which seems unlikely in the near future as I'm a jewish atheist), I'd want to go away and lie down somewhere quiet until the human race had evolved for another few million years!

sussexpoet #andmuchheadnodding

sussexpoet is it really necessary to be downright insulting about other people's religion?

The one main tenet of Christianity is LOVE. Bear that in mind when you feel like knocking it.

Yes I did realise what you meant eloethan I guess we have agree to differ as I could never condone aborting healthy foetus unless there were medical reasons or it was a result of rape attack.

There are some girls who have repeated abortions.

As for contraception well very few Catholics don't practice that.

Church of England have vast wealth too and you will find cathod does tremendous amount for poverty areas all over the world.

Good to have discussion no intention to offend you!

Jess m you need to think that over a thousand healthy foetus are aborted daily and mainly for convenience did you read about the girl who had 5 abortions and she was only 19!

If there are medical reasons is different matter but it is direly misused.

I think of a line from poem written the year abortion was legalised
"We are even prepared to do murder to bring back a smile to her face"

Hardly anyone stops to think of it as what it really is.