Originally posted by nickybutt
I'm not condemning him forever. I'm just saying, that there are some jobs (a very few number of jobs, that is) that many people are unsuitable for, and the papacy is one of them. I had no problem with him being the chief architect of the roman catholic church ideology, but to be God's representative here on Earth for a billion people, requires something extraordinaire, that he doesn't have.
I don't think a person requires anything extraordinary to be Pope. Look at St. Peter - fisherman, simple, unlearned, denied Jesus (thrice) at His trial. In fact, the less extraordinary the person, the better (given fidelity, of course).
Think of it, half the Catholic population can't ever be elected Pope, simply because they have the wrong gender for the job. But electing a former nazi, however unwillingly (as I'm sure he was), is not a problem?
That's a cheap shot. The Church does not have the power to ordain women (and hence elect one Pope) - but this has nothing to do with "former Nazis" ("however unwillingly"? Tell me - have you ever done anything in fear for your life??) becoming Pope (after all, there are female ex-Nazis as well!)