RE: Why do cardinals get to elect the Pope?
March 13, 2019 at 11:17 pm
(This post was last modified: March 13, 2019 at 11:28 pm by fredd bear.)
Simplest answer I can think of ; organised religions are about power above all else.
Having cardinals elect popes is a way of keeping power to themselves. That system of election has historically been as corrupt as any political system.
Most obviously corrupt in terms available information, possibly under the Borgia and Medici popes.
Also worth remembering that for centuries, no member of the clergy, of any rank, could be tried by a civil court, for any reason whatsoever. They could only be tried by an ecclesiastical court. If say a king said :"fuck that, this prick has been raping children, I'm going to hang him" and did so, the pope would excommunicate his arse. A huge deal, as becomes apparent if one reads the history of say the reign of Henry V111.
Fortunately for or atheists, the church isn't allowed to burn people alive any more .They would if they could. The last recorded instance of a pope (in Italy) summarily hanging a person was in 1848.
I leave the last word to my favourite Christian,John Shelby Spong. In this 20 minute video, archbishop Spong explains his view that theChurch has always been about power, and control.He has some very unusual views (for an Archbishop ) on the gospels, homosexuality, and all manner of neat stuff. highly recommended . Needless to say, the good Arch is a deep embarrassment to the Episcopalian Church.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMdWlKgb...CfhVwV7Ei8
Having cardinals elect popes is a way of keeping power to themselves. That system of election has historically been as corrupt as any political system.
Most obviously corrupt in terms available information, possibly under the Borgia and Medici popes.
Also worth remembering that for centuries, no member of the clergy, of any rank, could be tried by a civil court, for any reason whatsoever. They could only be tried by an ecclesiastical court. If say a king said :"fuck that, this prick has been raping children, I'm going to hang him" and did so, the pope would excommunicate his arse. A huge deal, as becomes apparent if one reads the history of say the reign of Henry V111.
Fortunately for or atheists, the church isn't allowed to burn people alive any more .They would if they could. The last recorded instance of a pope (in Italy) summarily hanging a person was in 1848.
I leave the last word to my favourite Christian,John Shelby Spong. In this 20 minute video, archbishop Spong explains his view that theChurch has always been about power, and control.He has some very unusual views (for an Archbishop ) on the gospels, homosexuality, and all manner of neat stuff. highly recommended . Needless to say, the good Arch is a deep embarrassment to the Episcopalian Church.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMdWlKgb...CfhVwV7Ei8
