VATICAN CITY, April 21 (Reuters) - Pope Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, has died, the Vatican said in a video statement on Monday, ending an often turbulent reign marked by division and tension as he sought to overhaul the hidebound institution. He was 88, and had recently survived a serious bout of double pneumonia.
"Dear brothers and sisters, it is with profound sadness I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis," Cardinal Kevin Farrell announced on the Vatican's TV channel.
"At 7:35 this morning the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father."
Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected pope on March 13, 2013, surprising many Church watchers who had seen the Argentine cleric, known for his concern for the poor, as an outsider.
He sought to project simplicity into the grand role and never took possession of the ornate papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace used by his predecessors, saying he preferred to live in a community setting for his "psychological health".
He inherited a Church that was under attack over a child sex abuse scandal and torn by infighting in the Vatican bureaucracy, and was elected with a clear mandate to restore order.
But as his papacy progressed, he faced fierce criticism from conservatives, who accused him of trashing cherished traditions. He also drew the ire of progressives, who felt he should have done much more to reshape the 2,000-year-old Church.
While he struggled with internal dissent, Francis became a global superstar, drawing huge crowds on his many foreign travels as he tirelessly promoted interfaith dialogue and peace, taking the side of the marginalised, such as migrants.
Unique in modern times, there were two men wearing white in the Vatican for much of Francis' rule, with his predecessor Benedict opting to continue to live in the Holy See after his shock resignation in 2013 had opened the way for a new pontiff.
Benedict, a hero of the conservative cause, died in December 2022, finally leaving Francis alone on the papal stage.
Francis appointed nearly 80% of the cardinal electors who will choose the next pope correct as of February 2025, increasing the possibility that his successor will continue his progressive policies, despite the strong pushback from traditionalists.
How is calling Mohammad a pedophile islamophobic? His marriage to Aisha is indisputable and far more direct than being (an unstated) part if an institutional cover-up. But we can understand that this is culturally insensitive, counter-productive in many contexts, and is used to feed imperialist/fascist violence.
Re: Netanyahu, I'm not sure if that statistic would even be true, but he is not a religious figure at the top of the chain. There is no route to equating an attack on Netanyahu with an attack on Judaism and an insult to all Jews outside of either or both the accuser and reacting parties being actually antisemitic. Which does actually happen, of course - many Zionists, including Jewish ones, make (usually implicitly) antisemitic remarks.
It is true that just because many people are offended, it doesn't mean the claim is false or non-strategic. But what I'm trying to draw attention to is basic cultural sensitivity and treating each other like comrades, which is not how parent is - or now I am - being treated.
What level of insensitivity to catholics is the appropriate line for Hexbear? Perhaps we should add it to the sidebar.
I am hopeful that at least one person will try to be less edgy and escalatory as a result of this thread.
You talk of mentioning Mohammad's child marriage being counter-productive in many contexts, but that is exactly what you are doing. No one brought this comparison up except you, a comparison that makes no sense as it occurred two millennium ago in a vastly different society with vastly different social norms to what is accepted by the vast majority of modern society today. Is Mohammad alive today actively running cover for pedophilia while being the head of a massive theocratic institution with the power to sway hundreds of millions? No. But the Pope is (or was, until yesterday).
He is, however, a world leader with massive sway in Western politics, and you'd have to be living under a rock to not see how he constantly equivalates his actions and the actions of the Zionist entity with Judaism.
Just as I'm sure you agree that Netanyahu's actions should not be associated with Judaism, the Pope's actions on institutional cover-up of pedophilia should not be associated with Christianity. So why do you think it is anti-Christian to call this out?
So, your idea of treating each other like comrades is ignoring the reactionary ideas and institutional corruption of a present-day theocratic leader and acting like he's a man of the people? How incredibly un-Marxist of you.
How about showing some sensitivity for the Catholic children who were abused by the Church that the Pope was running cover for?
How about showing some sensitivity for all the LGBT+ people (some of which are on this forum) who were discriminated against by the Church?
It is absolutely childish to say that the material harm that the Church does to people is the same as your feelings being hurt because people are criticizing your geriatric pedo religious leader after he just passed away. It's the same bullshit conservative Britbong Protestants pulled when Queen Elizabeth II died because it was too "culturally insensitive" to call her out for being a racist imperialist that impoverishes her people.
When is the best time to say this then? I already know the answer of course, but I hope you get the point I'm trying to make.