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Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

Curious to know what the man-in-the-street feeling is where you are regarding the failing health of the Pope.

Justin Trullinger · Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2005 10:23 pm Post subject:

A student told me in class that he thinks the pope died years ago, and all the recent vatican announcements have been made by a mechanical pope puppet. He estimates year of death to have been early nineties.

Here, the man on the street is CRAZY.

Justin

Tamara · Joined: 24 Jul 2004 Posts: 108

I'm hearing a lot of emotion from people who really care about his life and passing. People are praying for him, lighting candles, and wondering about the future. It's a sad and emotional day for many people.

Alitas · Joined: 19 May 2003 Posts: 187 Location: Maine

It is an interesting moment in history, both for Catholics and non-Catholics. As of this moment the pope has died. I am learning many things I never knew about the Catholic church and its traditions. I was cheered immensely by the fact that those gathered in the square burst into applause after the announcement of his death. The faithful believe he has gone to a better place.

moonraven · Joined: 24 Mar 2004 Posts: 3094

A better place than what? If anybody had a "cushy" existence, it was JPII. In Latin America--still dominantly catholic--a lot of people are mourning his death. There are others who feel--and I include myself in that group--that he was a reactionary who tried to undo everything that John XXIII and Vatican II tried to do to bring the catholic church out of the Middle Ages, and who feel he lived much too long.

MixtecaMike · Joined: 19 Nov 2003 Posts: 643 Location: Guatebad

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

Aren't you in Korea, Mike? I am not fluent on the church's strength there...

Right now, several TV channels have 24 hr coverage of the history of Jonh Paul II and the goings-on around the world regarding the grief of the faithful.

MixtecaMike · Joined: 19 Nov 2003 Posts: 643 Location: Guatebad

Yes Guy, I'm in Korea. There is a moderately strong church presence here, one of my former student's goals was to be a Catholic priest and there is a Catholic channel on TV which I don't watch, because I'm not Catholic and don't understand Korean. I would be getting 24-hour pope news if I turned on CNN, but instead I am spending my Sunday jumping from forum to forum between cleaning my apartment and eating.

I imagine it's big news in Mexico, but hardly unexpected or even sad, the old guy was long past being able to live a dignified life and I think his death was a mercy for all involved.

Especially compared to this week's other "news-worthy" death.

thelmadatter · Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2005 2:53 pm Post subject: JPII

Reaction here in Toluca seems surprisingly muted. I mentioned the TV in the cafeteria earlier but there hasnt been much 'buzz' otherwise. We had an International Club meeting yesterday but JP's name never came up... although we had an interesting discussion about religion in general.

Maybe its just Toluca...

Mike, I was under the impression that most Korean Christians were protestant and somewhat fundimentalist to boot.

Paulie2003 · Joined: 29 Mar 2003 Posts: 541

All I know is that we had two prominent 'cardinals' (presumably because their clothes are red??) in Massacusetts - Cardinal Law and Cardinal Sin

- strange but true!!!

moonraven · Joined: 24 Mar 2004 Posts: 3094

I am in Quito at the moment, where they have a huge mugshot of his former holiness plastered across a building in the main plaza. Folks are sitting around, looking at it, moving on. As they should.

Justin Trullinger · Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2005 4:33 pm Post subject:

It made the front page of all the Sunday papers here. And yet, although most Ecuadorians I know are at least nominally Catholic, I haven't heard that many people talking about it. Sometimes I think that Catholicism in much of Latin America lives on as a tradition, but has little practical impact on most people involved.

In my more cynical moments, I might call this progress.

Regards,
Justin

PS What brings you down here, Moonraven? Hope you have a good time...fancy loaning me the book by Umberto Eco? Just kidding.

moonraven · Joined: 24 Mar 2004 Posts: 3094

Yikes, if I had known you wanted ther book, I would have GIVEN it to you, as I travel light. I left it on the plane when I got to Quito.

Maybe you could call COPA and say that it was yours....

Justin Trullinger · Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2005 7:14 pm Post subject:

Oh well... Crying or Very sad

Back on the pope related note, does anyone have addresses for any good current events type articles about his life/death? I'm looking for class materials again...

Regards,
Justin

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

CNN.com has a Special Report running with a lot of information, including backgrounds on papal candidates.