# Sick of the Pope glurge already **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 2, 2005, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-pope-glurge-already/297411 "2005-04-02T16:36:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-pope-glurge-already/297411/21 "2005-04-02T20:36:36Z")
> [@](#): > > Some people held their hands to their heads in disbelief… according to [MSNBC](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3305285/?GT1=6428). What’s not to believe? That a sick and elderly human being died? ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-pope-glurge-already/297411/22 "2005-04-02T20:47:03Z")
I can see how it’s sad when people die young, but not when the person had a full life and dies old. Sometimes I think people just don’t really accept that death is part of life and everyone dies. ---
**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:** [April 2, 2005, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-pope-glurge-already/297411/23 "2005-04-02T20:53:33Z")
You can bet Jack Chick is seething about all the Pope glurge. In fact, I think he’s already started a message board thread on the subject [here.](http://forums.go.com/abcnews/International/thread?threadID=141616) ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-pope-glurge-already/297411/24 "2005-04-02T20:53:51Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > What are you kidding me? There’s gonna be even MORE coverage-vigils, the funeral, the Masses, not to mention the speculation about the next pontiff. > > Of course, I, for one, am not complaining-this is history, we’re viewing, living history happening right in front of us. Yeah, but think of what would have happened if he’d have held on for another week or so. No doubt there’d be 24/7 coverage of every announcement that they’d just changed the Pope’s colostemy bag, etc., etc., etc. Now we get to skip all that, go through the period of mourning (filled with endless retrospectives of the Pope’s life), the selection of the new Pope (he’s not like New Coke, we _swear_), with all it’s scenes of blathering commentators speculating wildly on who’ll they’ll pick, followed by endless retrospectives and speculations on what the new Pope will do, once he’s finally selected. As it is now, it should all be wrapped up in a month. Had the Pope lasted any longer, it would have gone on and on. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-pope-glurge-already/297411/25 "2005-04-02T20:54:46Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > What are you kidding me? There’s gonna be even MORE coverage-vigils, the funeral, the Masses, not to mention the speculation about the next pontiff. Yeah, wait until the 24-hour “what’s happening NOW” meets up with the completely isolated from the world conclave. “Well, Chet, the conclave has been in session for five minutes now, and there is still no smoke from the chimney. Now to David for some insight on what this development could mean.” ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-pope-glurge-already/297411/26 "2005-04-02T21:00:31Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > You can bet Jack Chick is seething about all the Pope glurge. > In fact, I think he’s already started a message board thread on the subject [here.](http://forums.go.com/abcnews/International/thread?threadID=141616) Wow, that’s just surreal. I don’t think that it was Chick, though, he hasn’t said anything about Satan or the “Death Cookie” that I can tell. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-pope-glurge-already/297411/27 "2005-04-02T21:04:53Z")
> [@MLS](#): > > according to [MSNBC](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3305285/?GT1=6428). What’s not to believe? That a sick and elderly human being died? Maybe it’s just a lot of young people like me, people who don’t remember any other pope? ---
**Author:** ![Wolfian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Wolfian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfian)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-pope-glurge-already/297411/28 "2005-04-02T21:20:56Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > And what are those people in St. Peter’s Square praying for? Are they praying for him to live? Why? Do they want him to live forever? Some church guy on Fox said we shouldn’t be praying _for_ the Pope we should be praying _to_ him! :eek: Isn’t that idolotry? When a person dies he takes one of two routes. One is a rather hot. The other one leads to Purgatory where he spends a certain amount of time being cleansed of his sins until he is ready to go to the glowly place with the harps. Yes, all people have sins. Prayers speed up the cleaning process. Or so says Dante. As for praying to him, maybe that guy misspoke or maybe he’s an idiot. **Guin** , wow, I always thought of you as an older person. Like 35-40. Take that as you will. ---
**Author:** ![InvidiousCourgette](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@InvidiousCourgette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InvidiousCourgette)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-pope-glurge-already/297411/29 "2005-04-02T21:40:26Z")
They just wheeled out a catholic journalist on BBC Radio 5. He explained that we had just lost the only world moral authority. He had an electricity about him. Also he was magnetic. I switched off at that point, so I may never know if he had any other strange electro-magnetic characteristics. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-pope-glurge-already/297411/30 "2005-04-02T21:57:28Z")
I not only remember the last pope, I remember the glurge when he died. Actually, back then, honoring a passed pope meant local TV stations leaving an image of his holiness up for hours with soft hymn music playing in the background. I got nuttin’ against ol’ popey. I think he had a good run and it was time to go. The new pope will have a tall order – to save the RCC from obsolescence. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Big\_Cheese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@The\_Big\_Cheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Big_Cheese)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-pope-glurge-already/297411/31 "2005-04-02T22:08:16Z")
you know, if you don’t want to see it, you \*can \*turn your tv off. Maybe in a couple weeks you can get back to your regularly scheduled saturday afternoon ‘can’t miss tv’ programs. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-pope-glurge-already/297411/32 "2005-04-02T22:10:57Z")
> [@cricetus](#): > > I not only remember the last pope, I remember the glurge when he died. Actually, back then, honoring a passed pope meant local TV stations leaving an image of his holiness up for hours with soft hymn music playing in the background. > > I got nuttin’ against ol’ popey. I think he had a good run and it was time to go. The new pope will have a tall order – to save the RCC from obsolescence. The last pope was only pope for a month and he was only in his sixties, so that was probably because it was totally out of left field. I don’t remember that, unfortunately, since I was only a month old, or whatever. Like I said, I don’t MIND the glurge, because at least it’s someone like the pope, who’s a huge figure. It cuts out the Terri Schiavo fanatics. I’m really looking forward to seeing a papal election, this’ll be the first in my memory! (Just please, dear GOD, don’t let it be Ratzinger! PLEASE!) ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-pope-glurge-already/297411/33 "2005-04-02T22:16:39Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > Wouldn’t you love to see a documentary of behind the scenes after this pope dies and the political finesee and whatnot that will be going on with the Cardinal/Bishops all vying to get Their Guy in The Big Chair. > > I think it would also make a most excellent mockumentary by Christopher Guest. Wouldnt that be a monkumentary? \ ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-pope-glurge-already/297411/34 "2005-04-02T22:18:09Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > The last pope was only pope for a month and he was only in his sixties, so that was probably because it was totally out of left field. I don’t remember that, unfortunately, since I was only a month old, or whatever. Yes, I remember that too. I was lead to believe that popes didn’t last long, what with two going so close together. ---
**Author:** ![Citygirl852](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@Citygirl852](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Citygirl852)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-pope-glurge-already/297411/35 "2005-04-02T22:18:41Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > … the selection of the new Pope (he’s not like New Coke, we _swear_), OK… **this** was hilarious. As for me, I haven’t even switched on my tv today, after last nights Popefest, I figured he would kick sometime today, and didn’t want any parts of it. I’ve got a shiny new stack of DVD’s, and I plan to keep myself occupied (and totally isolated from network tv and cable news) until this is over. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-pope-glurge-already/297411/36 "2005-04-02T22:31:00Z")
> [@John Mace](#): > > Well, it’s either 24 hour pope-watch, or Michael Jackson. Choose your poison. Hooo-boy, that is both the best and most concise summary of current TV Hell I’ve seen. You know what? For the past couple months, I’ve been watching the Sci-Fi channel. I used to _hate_ that damn network, or watever it is. I still do, for the most part. But when I’m working out in my basement, or I’m too fried after the lab for anything else, and just want to vegetate, whatever it is that glowing blue tube is feeding my passive brain, I want it to resemble the world of TV news _as little as possible_. Plus, danged but ain’t Battlestar Galactica a pretty good show. Who knew. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-pope-glurge-already/297411/37 "2005-04-02T22:59:03Z")
It is interesting that the TV news channels have all decided that virtually nothing else that has happened in the last 48 hours or so is worth covering. I suspect they are wrong. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-pope-glurge-already/297411/38 "2005-04-03T00:59:26Z")
> [@](#): > > It is interesting that the TV news channels have all decided that virtually nothing else that has happened in the last 48 hours or so is worth covering. I suspect they are wrong. Yeah. For one thing, what’s the current status of Generalissimo Francisco Franco? ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-pope-glurge-already/297411/39 "2005-04-03T01:47:47Z")
> [@Evil Captor](#): > > It is interesting that the TV news channels have all decided that virtually nothing else that has happened in the last 48 hours or so is worth covering. I suspect they are wrong. It would be a great opportunity for us to invade Dominica\* without repercussions. What with the Pope has just died/Pope is still dead/Pope will be buried/The pope has just been buried/Who will be the new pope?/Who is the new pope/Background stories on the new pope/Etc. nobody will notice. \*Dominica’s name is confusingly similar to my country’s name. If we gain control of them we will force them to change their name. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-pope-glurge-already/297411/40 "2005-04-03T01:50:46Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > Yeah. For one thing, what’s the current status of Generalissimo Francisco Franco? I heard he was dead, but they retracted that. Then they said, “No, he’s still dead.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-pope-glurge-already/297411.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-pope-glurge-already/297411.md?page=3)