# Pope Palpatine is a Festering Grab-Ass **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 11, 2007, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-palpatine-is-a-festering-grab-ass/411355 "2007-07-11T13:27:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2007, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-palpatine-is-a-festering-grab-ass/411355/21 "2007-07-11T14:49:04Z")
c’mon, if you have a monotheistic religion and you don’t believe it is The One, you might as well just ask people for money for no reason. Ratzinger always was a hardliner, long before he was elected Pope. He believed in a smaller, tighter Church. That is what the Church chose when they chose him. No surprises here. JP2 was a crowd pleaser, Ratz is not. He will continue to alienate group after group, until he has a monolithic church marching on step. It is up to each catholic to decide how to handle this transition. That is his vision of what the Church must be and he is working on it. I say good for him, even if I don’t personally agree with him. I have seen the decay of too many institutions, from corporations, to internet forums, because in an effort to please everyone, they relax their standards and become a shapeless mob. Give’em hell, Ratzy! (literally, in this case) ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2007, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-palpatine-is-a-festering-grab-ass/411355/22 "2007-07-11T14:53:24Z")
What makes him a “grab-ass”? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2007, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-palpatine-is-a-festering-grab-ass/411355/23 "2007-07-11T14:57:30Z")
I think, too, some people are remembering John Paul II as being something other than he was. Certainly there were lots of threads about him over the years complaining about his inflexibility and conservatism. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2007, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-palpatine-is-a-festering-grab-ass/411355/24 "2007-07-11T15:01:30Z")
Is the Pope Catholic? ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2007, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-palpatine-is-a-festering-grab-ass/411355/25 "2007-07-11T15:03:17Z")
Tuckerfan, _I hope you know this means there will be no heaven for you._ ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2007, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-palpatine-is-a-festering-grab-ass/411355/26 "2007-07-11T15:04:29Z")
Oh, I forgot the 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2007, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-palpatine-is-a-festering-grab-ass/411355/27 "2007-07-11T15:04:53Z")
Interesting. Here, the consensus is that the Pope is eeeeevil, while in the [current Great Debates thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=428325) on the issue, lots of people are saying “what’s all the fuss?” ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2007, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-palpatine-is-a-festering-grab-ass/411355/28 "2007-07-11T15:08:41Z")
[QUOTE=Anaamika] Not all the others. Several of the Eastern religions, including Hinduism, say “All ways are the right way”. I rather wish Judaism, Islam, and Christianity/Catholicism had this in their doctrines. I mean, it hasn’t _stopped_ religious wars in India but it has kept a lot of minds open. [/QUOTE] Judaism does have this concept, though. In Judaism, you don’t have to be Jewish to be a morally correct person; all you have to do is follow the Noahide commandments. In Judaism, a “righteous gentile” is considered fully as “good” as a righteous Jew. > **[Seven Laws of Noah](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noahide_Laws)** > > In Judaism, the Seven Laws of Noah (Hebrew: שבע מצוות בני נח, Sheva Mitzvot B'nei Noach), otherwise referred to as the Noahide Laws or the Noachian Laws (from the Hebrew pronunciation of "Noah"), are a set of universal moral laws which, according to the Talmud, were given by God as a covenant with Noah and with the "sons of Noah"—that is, all of humanity. The Seven Laws of Noah consist of prohibitions against worshipping idols, cursing God, murder, adultery and sexual immorality, theft, eating f... ---
**Author:** ![Mellivora\_capensis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mellivora\_capensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mellivora_capensis)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2007, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-palpatine-is-a-festering-grab-ass/411355/29 "2007-07-11T15:18:29Z")
[QUOTE=vibrotronica] … Kudos to the **Sith** Pope for out-fundamentalizing the fundamentalest fundamentalists!) [/QUOTE] \ The Sith are Catholic? ---
**Author:** ![Hung\_Mung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Hung\_Mung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hung_Mung)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2007, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-palpatine-is-a-festering-grab-ass/411355/30 "2007-07-11T15:23:40Z")
[QUOTE=vibrotronica] Ha! He’s made the “Church of Christ Statement”! (for those not in the know, Church of Christ is a small fundamentalist sect that is notorious for claiming loudly that they are the one true church and that everybody else is going to hell. Kudos to the Sith Pope for out-fundamentalizing the fundamentalest fundamentalists!) [/QUOTE] I went to a Church of Christ affiliated high school and heard the same thing for four years. I pissed off a lot of kids who tried hard as hell to convert me from the Methodist church. Their work was cut out for them since I don’t believe in God anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Orual](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/779978/32.png) [@Orual](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orual)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2007, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-palpatine-is-a-festering-grab-ass/411355/31 "2007-07-11T15:30:43Z")
[QUOTE=Thudlow Boink] Interesting. Here, the consensus is that the Pope is eeeeevil … [/QUOTE] [looks over thread] It is? ---
**Author:** ![DiggitCamara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@DiggitCamara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiggitCamara)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2007, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-palpatine-is-a-festering-grab-ass/411355/32 "2007-07-11T15:32:31Z")
[QUOTE=Mellivora capensis] \ The Sith are Catholic? [/QUOTE] Didn’t you see the photograph where they compared Pope Benedict with Emperor Palpatine? ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2007, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-palpatine-is-a-festering-grab-ass/411355/33 "2007-07-11T15:32:48Z")
As a Protestant, I toyed with the idea of being all offended a the Pope’s pronouncement, but then I realized I don’t actually give a shit what he thinks. That’s the beauty of not recognizing his authority. To me, he may as well be declaring that the Earth is the center of the universe. It’s an unnecessary declaration, it’s factually incorrect, and it has zero relevance to my life. ---
**Author:** ![Mellivora\_capensis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mellivora\_capensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mellivora_capensis)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2007, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-palpatine-is-a-festering-grab-ass/411355/34 "2007-07-11T15:40:14Z")
[QUOTE=DiggitCamara] Didn’t you see the photograph where they compared Pope Benedict with Emperor Palpatine? [/QUOTE] :o \ That’ll teach me for skimming threads. ---
**Author:** ![Carl\_Corey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Carl\_Corey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carl_Corey)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2007, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-palpatine-is-a-festering-grab-ass/411355/35 "2007-07-11T15:45:04Z")
[QUOTE=John Mace] Is the Pope Catholic? [/QUOTE] One of my friends likes to use “Is the Pope German?” ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2007, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-palpatine-is-a-festering-grab-ass/411355/36 "2007-07-11T16:02:17Z")
[QUOTE=Duck Duck Goose] Yeah, that news item made me go, “Hanh?” in a big way. Whatever happened to the spirit of ecumenicism? [/QUOTE] The attitude I have always noticed from the RC Church when it comes to ecumenicism is that it requires everyone to become a Catholic. One of the reasons I got so exasperated with the CoE was hearing constantly that we couldn’t ordain women, we couldn’t bless homosexual marriages, we couldn’t do anything for fear of the effect it would have on closer relations with the RC Church. Not once did the RC Church ever consider how their pronouncements/policies would play with other churches. And to be honest, I kind of respect them for that. But it doesn’t mean I want to enter into “closer union” with an organization that represents beliefs I feel to be fundamentally wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2007, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-palpatine-is-a-festering-grab-ass/411355/37 "2007-07-11T16:08:59Z")
His Holiness obviously hasn’t watched enough South Park or he would know that the one true faith is Morman. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2007, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-palpatine-is-a-festering-grab-ass/411355/38 "2007-07-11T16:17:34Z")
[QUOTE=Antinor01] His Holiness obviously hasn’t watched enough South Park or he would know that the one true faith is Morman. [/QUOTE] Hmm. You may have something, there. Both do feature sex with 13 year olds. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2007, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-palpatine-is-a-festering-grab-ass/411355/39 "2007-07-11T16:18:03Z")
If the Pope keeps this up Jack Chick is gonna write another tract. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2007, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-palpatine-is-a-festering-grab-ass/411355/40 "2007-07-11T16:22:51Z")
[QUOTE=Kalhoun] Besides…who’s to say he’s wrong? [/QUOTE] [Our Risen Saviour.](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/f/f7/Bobdobbs.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.answers.com/topic/j-r-bob-dobbs&h=324&w=216&sz=20&tbnid=rw-S8ImRr8YYqM:&tbnh=118&tbnw=79&prev=/images%3Fq%3D%2522bob%2522%2Bdobbs%26um%3D1&start=3&sa=X&oi=images&ct=image&cd=3) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-palpatine-is-a-festering-grab-ass/411355.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-palpatine-is-a-festering-grab-ass/411355.md?page=3)