Former Pope Benedict XVI dies at 95

RIP Pope Benedict

 

I wonder who the first Democrat will be to call him a racist and accuse him of wrongdoing...

 

@Montegriffo has already mentioned that he was a member of the Hitler youth.

 

I wasn't aware of that. Thanks for letting us know.

 

Montegriffo was a member of the Hitler youth?

 

And Head of the Inquisition from 1981 to 2005.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dicastery_for_the_Doctrine_of_the_Faith

 

He was.

 

No but both of my grandfathers were there to fight the forces of Nazism.
They turned up on time too.

 

I was neither confirming nor denying it. Just mentioning that it had been mentioned.

 

Turned up on time? What does THAT mean? In any case, good for your grandfathers. Both my parents were in WWII also. My dad fought from New Guinea to Leyte Gulf and my mom was an Army nurse in Europe. I'm sure that had a lot to do with me becoming a career soldier.

Kudos to your grandfathers... did you serve?

 

He was also accused of covering up child abuse in the Catholic church.
If there is a god he'll be on the down escalator today.

 

RIP....Pope Benedict.

 

In my own way.
I spent 4 or 5 years serving food to HM's armed forces in training camps all over England.

 

Sadly there is evidence that he looked the other way and likely did cover up child abuse. Yet even a great Pope such as John-Paul II and Popes for the last several hundred years looked the other way when they knew dammed well that priests have been committing child abuse. The abuse of children by Catholic priest started when Catholic priests were barred from marrying. That is when horrible men hid in the Catholic Church.

 

By what metric was John Paul II a great pope?
His insistence on banning the use of condoms condemned millions to death by AIDS. He had the opportunity to be a great pope but blew it for the sake of ancient dogma.

 

You stirred an old memory. In the early 1980's I Commanded a nuclear capable artillery battery (M110A2 8") in Germany. We stored nuke rounds for the Brits. I was called upon to run an exercise to practice delivering nuke rounds to a Brit artillery unit. About 20 of my guys and I stayed with a Brit unit in the field for about a week. The Brit Officers had a fancy mess with waiters, china and all the extras. We don't have that in the American Army. One of the traditions in the American Army is for Officers to eat last, only after all the enlisted folks were fed. So I fell in line behind my guys, eating what they ate and eating last. The Brits went nuts, telling me I as undermining good order and discipline. As respectfully as I could, I ignored them. It became quite a big deal. The Brit Commander called my Commander to complain. My Commander flew in on a helicopter, had a private conversation with the Brit Commander, then pulled me aside for a private conversation. He told me to keep doing what I was doing. Years later, I still smile thinking of that experience.

 

His own brother was a director of a church choir, where 231 boys were sexually abused... during the days the Benedict was overseeing that as an archbishop. So he's just part of supporting pedophiles church sex ring, alright. So why a RIP for a pedo supporter instead of a wizz on his grave, I dunno.

And Benedict stepped down due to "health issues" 12 years ago. First time ever in centuries. What an utter nonsense. We would never know, but I'm placing my bets that he just got fired.

 

I forgot about the condom debacle. John-Paul II ‘s ability to speak many languages gave him the tools to reach out to many nations. I think that is why he brought more prestige to the Catholic Church. Back to condoms I think the Catholic church opposed the use of condoms because they tie them to homosexuality.

 

I tend to agree on the firing .

 

I worked briefly in the Household Cavalry officer's mess.
A junior officer's wages didn't cover his mess bill and stabling fees for his horses so you'd need a private income to be able to take a commission.

 

Benedict was no better on the condom issue.
It wasn't until Francis rather feebly condoned the use of condoms in order to prevent STDs that the Catholic church stopped demonising their use.

 

Wow. I thought I was old... but our Army gave up horses long before I was born. In our Army, you can eat in the mess hall (now called a DFAC - Dining Facility) or get an extra allowance for food (generally, Officers get that "Subsistence Allowance"). You can also live in government housing (BOQ = Bachelor Officers Quarters), or family housing, if married) if available, or get a Housing allowance to live on the economy, if government housing is NOT available. When I Enlisted in 1970 my base pay was $99.50/month... $78/mo after taxes and other deductions. I lived in the barracks and ate in the mess hall... life was GRAND!

In 1975 I was Commissioned and got $660/month. Within a few years, when the Army went all VOLUNTEER, that about tripled.

 

I never liked wading in galoshes.

 

There are no ceremonial horses in the US army?

British soldiers now have to pay for their food at point of service rather than having it deducted from their wages. This led to fears that they would go hungry by the end of the month when they had spent all their wages (on beer) so they made it possible for them to get credit at the cookhouse.