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"... it seemed that the Lord was sleeping.”, said the Pope

Here's how the London Daily Telegraph put it:

"Pope's final address: God was asleep on my watch."

"Pope Benedict XVI gave an emotional farewell speech to tens of thousands of faithful in St Peter's Square, saying there were times during his eight-year papacy 'when it seemed that the Lord was sleeping'."

This is extraordinary coming from any prelate. What might he have really meant, besides admitting that his prayers had been useless?

Did he mean that his so-called omnipotent god was impotent too?

And what else?

Tags: Pope, god asleep

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Permalink Reply by Pat on February 28, 2013 at 12:13pm

I just saw a clip on the Pope's resignation. He was still wearing all the trappings of the papacy as he said his adieus to the Cardinals. Red robe, red shoes, gilt laden vestment, etc. I guess if you're going to be impotent, you need to look impotent

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Permalink Reply by Lillie on February 28, 2013 at 4:07pm

But did you see the vacation cottage where he was taken in his helicopter? And he only used it about 5 times a year. Think of the staff and upkeep for this place.

http://news.ca.msn.com/top-stories/inside-castel-gandolfo-pope-bene...

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Permalink Reply by Mathew T. on March 1, 2013 at 11:42am

I wonder how many hungry mouths could have been fed just with the money that went into the laborious process of trimming those hedges...

There's not a religion on earth that drives me more insane than catholicism.

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Permalink Reply by Pat on March 1, 2013 at 11:59am

All I can think of him saying on the way to Castle Gandolfo.

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Permalink Reply by Lillie on March 2, 2013 at 9:24pm

And also, "Don't call me. I'll call you."

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Permalink Reply by matthew greenberg on February 28, 2013 at 12:22pm

asleep, non-existent, made up - tell us something we don't know Papi. it's time for Catholics to wake from their slumber as well.

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Permalink Reply by Dr. Terence Meaden on February 28, 2013 at 12:29pm

Yes; and actually I had the impression that most believers are really sleep walking anyway.

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Permalink Reply by matthew greenberg on February 28, 2013 at 12:34pm

i actually hold out hope for the Catholics. i know in Ireland Catholicism is on it's death bed. now i don't know if they just switched religions or have turned Atheist/Agnostic, but it's a positive sign regardless. it can happen here too, and this papal resignation comes at a sensitive time for American Catholics. anyway, its seems the Vatican has given up on most of the world and is concentrating their efforts on un-educated Africans.

i have no hope for Evangelicals though. they keep getting crazier and more wrapped in their religion. they're a true lost cause.

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Permalink Reply by Mathew T. on March 1, 2013 at 11:45am

You know, I didn't believe you at first about the declining rate of catholics in Ireland. Then I looked at some of the figures - all I can say is wow. I'm very pleasantly surprised.

I'm not sure I agree with your claim about evangelicals, though. They're also on the decline, especially in America.

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Permalink Reply by matthew greenberg on March 1, 2013 at 11:53am

yeah, it's pretty crazy how quickly that came on in Ireland.

evangelicals may be on the decline, but it's minimal. there's no real catalyst like in the catholic church. and evangelicals are growing increasingly rigid and fundamental. most mainstream catholics are calling for reform (they won't get it) from church leaders. they want women priests, married priests, and less of a focus on contraception. there's no such movement in the evangelical world.

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Permalink Reply by Loren Miller on February 28, 2013 at 2:52pm

Joe, it's like this: your "lord" wasn't asleep. It wasn't awake, either. It wasn't ignoring you or laughing at you or having a beer or out for a night with the guys or sleeping off a drunk afterward.

Your lord WAS NOT and IS NOT. It NEVER HAS BEEN ... and after all this time, you actually believe that there was something real about that overblown concept, that makes you out as even more pathetic than I might have thought you are.

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Permalink Reply by Dr. Terence Meaden on February 28, 2013 at 3:17pm

I recall when young and a new Pope had just been elected, a friend whispering to me: "he is about to learn the ultimate of all the secrets that the Vatican holds and passes down to the newby, namely, that the Jesus thing is nothing but a fraud and the Popes have always known it."