I too was hoping for a little younger Pope. Did you know that Pope Francis only has one lung? I don't know the details except he's had one lung for many years. He appears to be in good health but geez, that's not a good sign.

TIS

Some medical experts weighed in on the issue of the pope having one lung, and the overall opinion was that if the condition hadn't adversely affected him from his early teenage years to age 76, it's likely that it won't manifest into a problem for him.

I agree. Their roster is aging, especially in the outfield and starting rotation, but I'm still not counting them out in the National League.

Are you telling me, you killed him?

No

Is that necessary?

Yeah, I kinda jumped the gun there, Klyd. But in my defense, that's just what CNN flashed in their original headline. But I should have thought it through after almost twenty years of Catholic schooling .

And I'm very aware of the Jesuit thing, having gone to Fordham and all. And I, too, am surprised that this was the first Pope Francis. Francis of Assisi is one of the biggest icons in the Church. But that aside, the Franciscan Order is so influential that it's just hard to believe.

Yo, Frank-eeee!

I was wondering whether he'd be "called" the "1st". I am surprised he is the first one to choose the name "Francis".

Btw does anyone know what name has been chosen the most? Pope John XXIII comes to mind.

TIS

Correct - John it is.

Here is an interesting article from The Newark Star-Ledger about papal names:

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What's in a name? New pope Jorge Mario Bergoglio selects Francis as papal name


By Caleb Bell
Religion News Service

Once Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected as the new leader of the Catholic Church, he had a big initial decision to make: what his new papal name would be.

Bergoglio chose Francis as his new name, the first pope to select that moniker.

Choosing a new name is a decision that's tied up in history, tradition and more than a little symbolic value.

In papal tradition, newly elected pontiffs choose a name to identify themselves during their reigns. The tradition has been around for centuries, even though no law or rule requires that a pope pick a new name.

Chester Gillis, a professor of theology at Georgetown University, said that the pope's choice of name offers an early indicator of what his papacy might be like.

"The pope's choice will reflect his own personal spirituality, but he knows it will send a political message," Gillis said.

Gillis said the pope's new name could also indicate the theological direction he wants to take during his reign. Popes usually choose names to honor a predecessor or to symbolically link their reigns with that of a past pontiff.

"Whatever name is chosen, there will be spiritual logic to it," said Michele Dillon, a Catholic scholar at the University of New Hampshire. "There's a pattern whereby the pope takes the name of someone who was spiritually significant to that person."

Benedict XVII was an unlikely choice because it could have caused confusion between the current pope and the pope emeritus, Benedict XVI.

There was a chance the new pope could have adopted the name John XXIV due to the Catholic Church's emphasis on "new evangelization." Pope John XXIII is already on the path to sainthood, is known as "Good Pope John" and was a revolutionary figure who convened the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) that modernized the church.

Benedict XVI took the name of Benedict XV, who guided the Catholic Church through World War I. "Treading in his footsteps, I would like to place my ministry at the service of reconciliation and harmony between persons and peoples," Benedict XVI said in his first general audience.

Benedict XVI also sought to honor St. Benedict, a major influence in early European Christianity.

Cardinal Karol Wojtyla became John Paul II in 1978 to honor his short-lived predecessor John Paul I, who had picked his name from his two immediate predecessors, John XXIII and Paul VI.

Adopting a papal name became common in the 10th century, though there are examples of popes changing their names centuries before.

John II was the first pope to change his name, in 533. His birth name was Mercury, but in order to avoid naming a pagan god the head of the Holy See, he changed it.

The last pope to use his own birth name was Marcellus II in 1555.

One name, however, is off-limits: Peter is considered sacrosanct in honor of the first pope, who tradition holds was also the longest-serving.

Here's a list of the most popular papal names:

1. John (23)
2. Benedict (16)
3. Gregory (16)
4. Clement (14)
5. Leo (13)
6. Innocent (13)
7. Pius (12)
8. Stephen (9, although some debate 10)
9. Boniface (9)
10. Alexander and Urban (tied at 8 each)

The 10 Most Unique Papal Names

1. Telesphorus (c. 125-136 A.D.)
2. Eleutherius (c. 174-189 A.D.)
3. Zephyrinus (198-217 A.D.)
4. Eutychian (275-283 A.D.)
5. Miltiades (311-314 A.D.)
6. Hormisdas (514-523 A.D.)
7. Zosimus (417-418 A.D.)
8. Symmachus (498-514 A.D.)
9. Simplicius (468-483 A.D.)
10. Vigilius (537-555 A.D.)

****************************************

That last Top Ten list sounds like it should be read by David Letterman!


Signor V.

Well, as someone said we should hardly expected a "Blue State Pope." I am sure they will evolve on women's and gay issues, celibacy, birth control and abortion someday but not in the near future.

My first impression of him was favorable. I liked him dismissing the prissy aides telling him what to say, and I liked his request that the crown in St. eter's have a moment of silence before he blessed them. His track record of living simply, riding the bus to work, and doing away with all the frills Benedict liked so much is a good symbolic start.

One hopes he sweeps the curia clean, opens up on the child molestation issue, and maybe sells off some of the Vatican treasure to reubild parishes and schools that have had to close over the years. He should also use the Church's wealth to compensate all te abuse victims because the average catholic should not be putting money in the collection plate to further the cover up. He also needs transparence with the Vatican Bank.

Benedict XVI will go down as the George W. Bush of popes.

And BTW I think the most popes are named John, and I think Leo is a close second.

So now we have had two "firsts" in our lifetimes as Popes. John Paul I and now Francis I.

Interesting SV. I never heard of even one of the most "unique" Pope names, confirming just how unique I guess.

Btw, I did NOT know (or if I learned it in Catholic School, I don't remember it) that Peter was off limits as a Pope name. As a matter of fact, I remember years ago, some saying that the last Pope would be named Peter, indicating the end of days. Blows that theory. LOL


TIS

Isnt there some kind of superstition that if a pope takes the Name Peter it will be the end of the world?

DT,

I think our posts crossed. See my last post. I heard the same.



TIS

Kind of interesting he chose Francis of Assisi rather than Francis Xavier, co-founder of the Jesuits. Francis of Assisi is more about simplicity and going back to basics.

It is unclear which Francis he was choosing could be both since Xavier was a Jesuit. Francis of Assisi makes better copy which is why the journalists have gone with it. I mean why let the facts get in the way of a good story?

PB there's always one, and unfortunately this one does it more than one would care to imagine.

Yeah, you're right, DT. He's anti-Christian, anti-capitalism, anti-western world in general. So I don't know why I'm surprised. It's just that I don't want to close another thread about the Pope or the Church. I'd hope that non Catholics/Believers would just shy away from posting at all, rather than post sarcasm. But I digress because he IS from the scumbag country who gave us Hitler and the Nazis .

Well DT, don't know about you, but I'm relieved. I was worried this Pope would choose the name Peter. I'm just not quite ready to see the end yet.


TIS

Lol Tis... I have a good story about this guy who delivers sandwiches to my office. He swore up and down that the world was going to end with the Mayan Calendar thing at the end of 2012. Every time he delivers a sandwich he goes off on some kind of rant (I think he did too much something in the 60's). During one of them he told me how he was going to make tens of millions of dollars on some scheme or another, and the kicker was he told me that he was going to pay me to set up all these trusts with the money. I stopped him and asked "Well, why not spend it since the world is coming to an end?" He was stumped.

WTF- LETS NOT START NAME CALLING- Many good people come from Germany including our last POPE

don't get down. I was calling him Francis I until I read that the number didn't apply. I think he'll be called that for a while. I too was surprised that nobody had taken the name Francis before. He's one of the really beloved saints.

And thanks for reminding me that you too are a Jesuit product. The Jesuits are scholarly, worldly, devout and have just a big enough streak of "Bad-ass" in them.

As I understand it, the name Francis refers directly to Francis of Assisi. Some church historians alluded to the belief that if the pope had sought to honor St. Francis Xavier (whom he no doubt holds in especially high regard, then he would have taken the name "Francis Xavier" as that saint has never been referred to as just Francis.

Start an athiest thread if you want. Don't write that on this thread

Thanks, Nicky.

That was my whole point. If you want to start a thread bashing the Church or mocking those who believe, go right ahead. You wouldn't catch me posting in it, that's for sure. But I'd hope that others would view this thread in the same fashion.

You don't like the Pope or the Church, hey, whatever floats your boat. But just do me a favor and leave it out of this thread or I'll just request that it be closed, and I don't want to do that AGAIN.

That's us, Klyd. Devout and bad ass .

On Good Day NY this morning, they were interviewing a monsignor who was a friend of Pope Francis. One of the anchors, Greg Kelly, is a graduate of Fordham. When someone asked the monsignor what it will mean to the Church that he's a Jesuit, Greg Kelly jumped in and said, "It means he'll be a tough grader!"

Greg Kelly is also the son of Ray Kelly the NYPD boss.

Yes, he is, and he's pretty funny when his father's on the show. He tries to be professional, but once he asked his father for an exclusive, and the commissioner turned him down, and he said, "Fine! I'll just ask Mom. She tells me everything anyway."

Everything I've read and heard about Pope Francis makes me admire him more. While he may be a bit conservative for my taste, he is so genuine and warm. He truly seems to embrace the word of Christ and wants to be among the people. You have to love that.