# "Will no one rid us of of this troublesome priest." I am adding Pope Francis to the Death Pool **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 9, 2013, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-no-one-rid-us-of-of-this-troublesome-priest-i-am-adding-pope-francis-to-the-death-pool/673480 "2013-11-09T03:08:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-no-one-rid-us-of-of-this-troublesome-priest-i-am-adding-pope-francis-to-the-death-pool/673480/21 "2013-11-10T03:54:44Z")
> [@computergeek](#): > > Sometimes it’s more about presentation and style than substance. His predecessor Benedict was a lead-footed numbskull who was about adhering strictly to very conservative policy and Francis comes across as much nicer and much more open, even if the policies don’t change. In (limited) defense of Benedict, he did acknowledge, when he was elected, that he would only be a “caretaker” pope. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-no-one-rid-us-of-of-this-troublesome-priest-i-am-adding-pope-francis-to-the-death-pool/673480/22 "2013-11-10T04:52:38Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > One could argue that this is not a new thing at all and, indeed, might be the oldest thing. True, but highlight the word “emphasis.” Maybe not new (there was some Saint who hung out with animals. Saint Frank maybe), but certainly a new thing to prioritize in recent times. Not to say JPII et al. weren’t concerned. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-no-one-rid-us-of-of-this-troublesome-priest-i-am-adding-pope-francis-to-the-death-pool/673480/23 "2013-11-10T08:12:39Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > Pope Francis doesn’t use the armored Popemobile, he actually touches people. > > And not just cute little kids. The pictures of the ending of this papal audience have gone viral by now.[http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/on-faith/wp/2013/11/06/photos-pope-francis-embraces-disfigured-man-covered-in-boils/](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/on-faith/wp/2013/11/06/photos-pope-francis-embraces-disfigured-man-covered-in-boils/) Oh! [Jose Mestre](http://homoeconomicusnet.wordpress.com/2012/11/16/jose-mestre-facing-a-brighter-future/) finally made it to Rome? Good for him. (Jose Mestre is a Portuguese man and one of the most extreme sufferers of neurofibromatic growths to the face. He had surgery to remove the most debilitating growth a while back, so he could see again, but it slowly grows back. It is not contagious, though. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-no-one-rid-us-of-of-this-troublesome-priest-i-am-adding-pope-francis-to-the-death-pool/673480/24 "2013-11-10T09:48:44Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > Oh! [Jose Mestre](http://homoeconomicusnet.wordpress.com/2012/11/16/jose-mestre-facing-a-brighter-future/) finally made it to Rome? Good for him. > (Jose Mestre is a Portuguese man and one of the most extreme sufferers of neurofibromatic growths to the face. He had surgery to remove the most debilitating growth a while back, so he could see again, but it slowly grows back. It is not contagious, though. Aka Joseph “John” “Elephant Man” Merrick disease, maybe, according to some accounts. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-no-one-rid-us-of-of-this-troublesome-priest-i-am-adding-pope-francis-to-the-death-pool/673480/25 "2013-11-10T09:52:17Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > TOh, and there ARE “ideological fundamentalists” within Catholicism – who for everything and anything that goes wrong will try to say it’s the fault of gays and abortion and the answer is to crack down even further on both. It’s just that in a certain cultural context they get drowned out by the more louder and often theologically wilder (e.g. Catholic hardliners are unlikely to claim that a Marriage Equality bill will directly cause a smiting via natural disaster, or that Jesus wants us to have guns) evangelical fundamentalists. And divorce, you left out divorce. But yeah, even the most radical of them will not claim that divorce causes cancer or SSM leads to earthquakes. They’re all also usually quite convinced that the Earth is kind of round (the actual official term literally means “Earth-shaped”), teach evolution… ---
**Author:** ![Steken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Steken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steken)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-no-one-rid-us-of-of-this-troublesome-priest-i-am-adding-pope-francis-to-the-death-pool/673480/26 "2013-11-10T10:54:12Z")
> [@computergeek](#): > > I read an article about some conservative Catholics reaction to Francis and they’re a bit upset with him. Link, please? I keep hearing people going on about how “conservative Catholics” hate the new pope’s guts, but I am yet to come across any articles, essays or what have you that deal with this supposed hatred and resistance in any real depth. Not saying there is no such hatred or any such resistance, just that I haven’t seen any in-depth writing on the subject. (I am well aware of the wonderful world of sedevacantism, but of course that whole thing pre-dates Francis’ reign, and isn’t specific to him anyway.) ---
**Author:** ![Steken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Steken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steken)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-no-one-rid-us-of-of-this-troublesome-priest-i-am-adding-pope-francis-to-the-death-pool/673480/27 "2013-11-10T10:55:15Z")
> [@Mighty\_Girl](#): > > [El papa demotes bishop of bling](http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/10/24/pope-sends-message-clergy-pursue-wealth-bans-bishop-bling-diocese-video/). > [Pope Francis called Christian fundamentalism a sickness.](http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/10/21/pope-francis-right-wing-christians/) > > And so on… > > I am a recovering Catholic, fiercely atheist, and I kinda like the guy a little, but somehow I think he will end up pissing off one too many people. Am I the only one that fears for his life? That quote in your thread title. Where is it from? ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-no-one-rid-us-of-of-this-troublesome-priest-i-am-adding-pope-francis-to-the-death-pool/673480/28 "2013-11-10T11:12:45Z")
Henry II, regarding Archbishop of Canterbury [Thomas à Beckett](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Becket#Assassination). ---
**Author:** ![Steken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Steken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steken)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-no-one-rid-us-of-of-this-troublesome-priest-i-am-adding-pope-francis-to-the-death-pool/673480/29 "2013-11-10T11:57:41Z")
> [@Enginerd](#): > > Henry II, regarding Archbishop of Canterbury [Thomas à Beckett](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Becket#Assassination). Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![Steken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Steken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steken)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-no-one-rid-us-of-of-this-troublesome-priest-i-am-adding-pope-francis-to-the-death-pool/673480/30 "2013-11-10T13:34:42Z")
There’s a new article up on [Nytimes.com](http://Nytimes.com) about how “Conservative U.S. Catholics Feel Left Out of the Pope’s Embrace.” It’s not very, uh, meaty. It mentions no major resistance whatsoever, organized or not. No demonstrations, no big-name theologians speaking out (let alone breaking with the Church entirely). Just a few scattered voices here and there. A blogger, a “hospice community educator,” a couple of lawmakers, some dudes on the internet. I remain unimpressed. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-no-one-rid-us-of-of-this-troublesome-priest-i-am-adding-pope-francis-to-the-death-pool/673480/31 "2013-11-10T17:32:36Z")
> [@computergeek](#): > > Sometimes it’s more about presentation and style than substance. His predecessor Benedict was a lead-footed numbskull who was about adhering strictly to very conservative policy and Francis comes across as much nicer and much more open, even if the policies don’t change. I kind of find this appalling. He’s doing a better job of selling a religion with some awful beliefs. Yuck. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-no-one-rid-us-of-of-this-troublesome-priest-i-am-adding-pope-francis-to-the-death-pool/673480/32 "2013-11-10T19:26:26Z")
> [@Steken](#): > > Link, please? Yeah, any blogs or papers or something? I occasionally read _America_. It’s a Jesuit publication, and they’re creaming themselves over him, so a counterpoint would be good. ---
**Author:** ![computergeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e56c9b/32.png) [@computergeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/computergeek)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-no-one-rid-us-of-of-this-troublesome-priest-i-am-adding-pope-francis-to-the-death-pool/673480/33 "2013-11-10T19:41:25Z")
> [@Steken](#): > > Link, please? > > I keep hearing people going on about how “conservative Catholics” hate the new pope’s guts, but I am yet to come across any articles, essays or what have you that deal with this supposed hatred and resistance in any real depth. > > Not saying there is no such hatred or any such resistance, just that I haven’t seen any in-depth writing on the subject. > > (I am well aware of the wonderful world of sedevacantism, but of course that whole thing pre-dates Francis’ reign, and isn’t specific to him anyway.) > [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Yeah, any blogs or papers or something? I occasionally read _America_. It’s a Jesuit publication, and they’re creaming themselves over him, so a counterpoint would be good. I’m sorry, I don’t have a link. I read it a few weeks back, either in the Washington Post or one of the news sites online. It didn’t seem like something huge, just some uneasiness from more conservative types. ---
**Author:** ![computergeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e56c9b/32.png) [@computergeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/computergeek)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-no-one-rid-us-of-of-this-troublesome-priest-i-am-adding-pope-francis-to-the-death-pool/673480/34 "2013-11-10T19:47:50Z")
I just googled and here is the Washington Post article I think I read: [Washington Post: Conservative Catholics question Pope Francis’ approach](http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/conservative-catholics-question-pope-franciss-approach/2013/10/12/21d7f484-2cf4-11e3-8ade-a1f23cda135e_story.html) ---
**Author:** ![computergeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e56c9b/32.png) [@computergeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/computergeek)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-no-one-rid-us-of-of-this-troublesome-priest-i-am-adding-pope-francis-to-the-death-pool/673480/35 "2013-11-10T19:50:24Z")
Another one from [NBCNews.com](http://NBCNews.com): [Not everyone loves Pope Francis: Conservative Catholics voice concern over ‘revolutionary’ message](http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/10/15/20886834-not-everyone-loves-pope-francis-conservative-catholics-voice-concern-over-revolutionary-message) ---
**Author:** ![Steken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Steken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steken)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-no-one-rid-us-of-of-this-troublesome-priest-i-am-adding-pope-francis-to-the-death-pool/673480/36 "2013-11-10T20:50:52Z")
Thank you. The WaPo piece cites exactly two critical voices: A certain “Robert Royal, president of the D.C. think tank Faith & Reason,” and one “Mary Ellen Barringer, a Silver Spring resident.” It also links to two Catholic Stand articles - neither of which, as it turns out, is even a leeeeeeetle bit critical of the new pope, despite what their click-baity titles (“Pope Francis is killing me,” and “Why Pope Francis makes me uncomfortable”) might lead you to believe. Verdict: Weaksauce. The NBC article is definitely the best of the bunch so far, quoting a bunch of different people, though most of these are already so far outside the Catholic mainstream that their anti-papal stance almost certainly pre-dates Francis’ ascension (think Second Vatican Council). Amongst them, we have Christopher Ferrara from _The Remnant_, a bi-monthly newspaper which (though you wouldn’t know it from the article) has been branded a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center; Stephen Heiner, “founder of [TrueRestoration.org](http://TrueRestoration.org)[,] a member of the sedevacantist movement, which argues there hasn’t been a true pope in Rome since Vatican II” and one John Vennari, a random conspiracy kook with a YouTube channel (but I repeat myself). A fascinating set of characters, to be sure, but nothing major. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-no-one-rid-us-of-of-this-troublesome-priest-i-am-adding-pope-francis-to-the-death-pool/673480/37 "2013-11-10T22:00:46Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Yeah, any blogs or papers or something? I occasionally read _America_. It’s a Jesuit publication, and they’re creaming themselves over him, so a counterpoint would be good. Ah, one of the articles mentions one page, **the Remnant**. Of the “miffed about Vatican II but only complaining about it” school. Apparently traditionalists don’t believe in modern webpage design. ---
**Author:** ![Steken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Steken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steken)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-no-one-rid-us-of-of-this-troublesome-priest-i-am-adding-pope-francis-to-the-death-pool/673480/38 "2013-11-10T22:28:21Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Ah, one of the articles mentions one page, **the Remnant**. Of the “miffed about Vatican II but only complaining about it” school. Apparently traditionalists don’t believe in modern webpage design. They consider the post-Altavista Internet a grossly blasphemous modernist heresy, and therefore cling piously to the one true Geocities-look, “the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-no-one-rid-us-of-of-this-troublesome-priest-i-am-adding-pope-francis-to-the-death-pool/673480/39 "2013-11-11T14:32:18Z")
If Obama is still alive I doubt that the Pope is in any real danger. ---
**Author:** ![Frazzled](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frazzled/32/3368_2.png) [@Frazzled](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frazzled)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2013, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-no-one-rid-us-of-of-this-troublesome-priest-i-am-adding-pope-francis-to-the-death-pool/673480/40 "2013-11-12T22:41:45Z")
In another win for Pope Francis, Sarah Palin is not a fan of his: [http://thelead.blogs.cnn.com/2013/11/12/sarah-palin-taken-aback-by-pope-franciss-liberal-statements/?hpt=hp\_t2](http://thelead.blogs.cnn.com/2013/11/12/sarah-palin-taken-aback-by-pope-franciss-liberal-statements/?hpt=hp_t2) Personally, I think most of what Pope Francis says is in line with the message Christ - humility, servitude, and compassion. If Sarah Palin thinks that’s too liberal then so be it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-no-one-rid-us-of-of-this-troublesome-priest-i-am-adding-pope-francis-to-the-death-pool/673480.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-no-one-rid-us-of-of-this-troublesome-priest-i-am-adding-pope-francis-to-the-death-pool/673480.md?page=3)