Make mine a double.

[Tommy Martyn]

Like a lot of folk, I had a little flutter on when Terry Shiavo was going to pop her clogs. (Buy the farm, kick the bucket etc) What sets me apart from the pack though, was strectching the odds to get the pope in the same week. Looks like I'll be hitting the jackpot.

Brace yourselves for the relentless praise of this mediocre man. It won't be as bad as the death of Princess Diana, but it will be just as silly. You will be thought of as a curmudgeon of the highest fucking order for mentioning the relentless suffering that his stance on contraception has foisted upon this planet. Thank god that we aren't taking sensible precautions in the age of aids/overpopulation and environmental degredation.

No one will point out that, it is just a bit fucking stupid to declare that some bloke is god's representative on earth 'cos his mates voted on it. I have a hard time with the baseball hall of fame (let's not talk about rock and roll - how can you measure these things?) but at least we don't let the winners make binding decisions on the fate of millions.

[Tommy Martyn]

All these people packing the square looking up at a window. What are they praying for exactly? Let this old man die in peace. Popes are easily replaced.

The missus can't get over the CNN death cam. What is it that they are hoping to capture "live" ?

[mccutcheon]

death?

[borgy]

they should realize that death is like a plane ticket. it is non-refundable and definitely non-transferrable.

[borgy]

he can't let the poor altar boy die for him instead.

[Maverick]

My Tracy keeps being surprised that the church says "There is no hope." Aren't they supposed to believe thatthere is always hope, that God could save the pope if we all just prayed hard enough?

[Guest]

unless there isn't a god or that there is one and he hates catholics.

[Tommy Martyn]

there is a big screen TV in the reception of the gym I go to. The deathcam was up there, showing the scene at the square, I told the guy on the desk that the blurb at the bottom of the screen should read, "thousands await news about the spiritual leader of the world's largest paedaphile organisation." One of the guys laughed but his coworker looked stunned. I was dying for him to say something.

One other thing I have noticed is that the UK press have been comfortable mentioning that the pope is senile, while the US media (no surprises) have not.

[TragicPixie]

You know he was only 84 but I swear... growing up Cathlic and all my roommate and I thought he was like 100.

[martino]

the pope had parkinson but was not senile. let's not take pot shots at old people around here.

one could say the pope's stands on social justice and on war were good and progressive. he died an exemplary death, chosing to be no longer treated in hospital when he was still fit enough to take that decision.

personally, i don't give a shit about the church's stance on contraception and neither do most other people. science has shown that family planning does not depend on the pill, and that reproductive strategies are a result of social structure (i.e. whether kids are a financial benefit in the short and long run) and not of religion.

so i say neglect the marginalia and make an effort to get a balanced view of the geezer.

(disclosure: i was born papist but left the church a decade ago).