• WhoIzDisIz@lemmy.todayBanned from communityEnglish
    40·
    16 days ago

    I was raised Catholic, but am an atheist now. Yet I gotta say I have a LOT of respect for this guy - for someone who’s the leader of the most famous branch of Christianity (so far as I know), he seems very surprisingly down-to-earth. I hope he’s able to move the rest of the flock in that direction as well.

    • A_be_seedy@beehaw.orgEnglish
      15·
      16 days ago

      I grew up in NJ as a non-Catholic. Even I respect Pope Leo and Francis.

      Granted, I moved to the Midwest and realized for all the quirks Catholics have, they’re not as a monolith god awful people like Evangicals are.

      • nilloc@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
        5·
        16 days ago

        Careful there are plenty of fucked up Catholic sects too, like the ones JD Vance and Amy Coney Barrett are in.

        • A_be_seedy@beehaw.orgEnglish
          2·
          16 days ago

          I hear what you’re saying and I don’t fully agree nor do I fully disagree…

          Catholicism at it’s core is pretty evil. See their rampant sex crimes through their leadership and their leadership’s complacency.

          But since Pope Francis, I believe they’ve made an attempt at growing their religion in an ethical(ish) way. That’s to say, they’ve chosen leadership that is more liberal in an attempt to guide them into the modern world.

          The structure of catholicism being pope down lead with regional leadership keeps parishes relatively in-line with one another.

          I’ve witnessed first hand a lot of Catholics in rural, conservative towns being somewhat exiled due to their extreme MAGA beliefs. Particularly on LGBT issues. Catholicism in my opinion has held a line that separates them from Evangelists. In part because of the top down leadership - you’re not finding priests living the high life like you are mom and pop Evangelist pastors. That’s an organizational difference.

          That doesn’t mean you don’t get evil shitbags like Just Dance Vance - but let’s not pretend that Just Dance Vance is a Catholic beyond that he went through all the Catholic sacrements. He has a piece of paper he can point to to say that he’s Christian. But he’s more aligned with Evangelists.

    • Zensate@lemmy.worldBanned from communityEnglish
      3·
      16 days ago

      The reason you have a lot of respect for him, is because he’s basically acting as atheist as you can while still being the pope for the church.

      That’s great for atheists like us, but it makes him a terrible pope.

      • motoxjake@lemmy.zipEnglish
        33·
        16 days ago

        I’m curious why you say it makes him a terrible Pope. A lot of Catholics thinks he is great too. Some don’t. It’s all subjective really isn’t it?

        • deadbeef79000@lemmy.nzEnglish
          20·
          16 days ago

          The Cardinals elect the Pope they want to set the direction of the Church. So, by definition he’s the best Pope.

          • flowerysong@awful.systemsEnglish
            17·
            16 days ago

            You think the fucking pope is “adhering to atheist values”? What an interesting place the inside of your head must be.

          • ebu@awful.systemsEnglish
            9·
            16 days ago

            atheists and christians are like electrons and positrons. whenever they collide (such as in a football game) they instantly destroy one another

          • Charlie Stross@wandering.shop
            7·
            16 days ago

            @Zensate You seem to believe in “atheist values”, but they are not: speaking as an atheist raised in a non-Christian religion, what you’re talking about are specifically *Christian* atheist values—they embed a bunch of Christian eschatalogical assumptions even as they reject the core thesis. So you have *far* more in common, belief-wise, with the Pope, than you do with an ex-Hindu or ex-Jewish or ex-Buddhist atheist.

          • Wish the sun to stand still 🌞@infosec.exchange
            3·
            16 days ago

            @Zensate Uh, no. Being compatible with secular values and ideas of human rights does not make someone or something “atheist” or a bad Catholic unless one interprets their faith in hegemonic terms (i.e. that its the Pope’s or the Church’s job to be intolerant).

            The Catholic Church has a history, a lot of it being nasty, yet core Catholic doctrine (divine inspiration can come from many sources and be interpreted by people, uh, the person) suggests a lot of that history was totally unnecessary.

            But keying on your own theme, its more likely that a religious person who can’t find common ground with atheists or other religions is really just a “terrible” person.

      • nilloc@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
        1·
        16 days ago

        I know s he’s made statements about correcting the molestation problems in the church, but until they are all purged, convicted, and the victims are fully compensated, and the celibacy and male only priesthood is rules are abolished, he’s still a catholic.