Re: The Awesomesauce with Religion
Reply #831 –
The Church of Rome has tried things with the Russian Orthodox but get nowhere. For all their ritualistic side the Orthodox has a less bloody and painful history than Rome. In Russia the Old believers were shunned when the Orthodox changes some of their practices and apart from small persecution were eventually allowed to plod on and still do. When you compare what happened to early reformers with Rome what a vastly different deathly history!
I would agree with our Portuguese friend that the present pope is into some reforming and boy has he got a mountain (!). There was another modern Pope who did try that. He was the one before that wee imp, Pope John Paul. The Pope just prior to him died after a couple of months . He was into the changing mind and his secretary a Cardinal was a member of the rogue Italian Masonic Lodge that was as corrupt as hell. When the nun came in at morning time she found the Pope sitting dead in his bed and that cardinal was called. He removed the glasses, cup and papers. The nun later asked if there would be an autopsy and told "no." When John Paul later as Pope visited the USA he met the Cardinal of Chicago (who had been suspended by the recently passed away Pope). John Paul had immediately suspended that senior man and was give a presentation box with money as a donation.
The pope who died so soon after election was a man in the mood for change and he was shocked at what he discovered about moral and political/economic corruption. RC's should not have been in the Freemasons yet that pal secretary was. The same rogue lodge had a member discovered hanging under Blackfriar bridge in London and masonic symbols laid beside him. As for the Vatican bank that was another dodgy corner shocking that poor lost man in the Vatican. The Pope who died as said was no doubt in the same mood as the present incumbent. Even the Masonic lot did not want that lodge.
Now I know that there are plenty of decent people in the RC Church and I do not deny them rights whilst there is so much still going on inside it that is head-shaking. As much as I disagree with it's principles I go along with them having the same rights as I have. Decent people and so on while I praise the great Scots Reformer John Knox! There you are!