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December 17th, 2013
10:32 AM ET
Pope celebrates birthday with homeless men (and one cute dog)By Daniel Burke, CNN Belief Blog Co-Editor (CNN) - Pope Francis marked his 77th birthday on Tuesday by welcoming three homeless men to a Mass and a meal at the Vatican, according to Catholic officials. The Pope wanted a "family" environment, with just a few top aides, the staff of Casa Santa Marta - the Vatican guesthouse - and the homeless men, one of whom brought his dog, the Vatican said. (The Vatican originally said four homeless men joined the Pope's birthday celebration before revising the number late Tuesday.) Afterward, the group sang "Happy Birthday" to Francis, and he invited everyone to eat breakfast with him at the hotel's dining room, according to the Vatican. The homeless men were brought by the Pope's aide in charge of charity, Archbishop Konrad Krajewski, who has been taking Francis' concern for the poor directly to the streets of Rome. The Vatican's sharing of the Pope's birthday plans is sure to burnish Francis' image as "the People's Pope," a man who eschews pomp and ceremony, favoring small and intimate gatherings instead. Francis has famously refused to live in the sumptuous papal apartment, picked out a used Fiat to scoot around Rome and dropped the fancy papal vestments and high theological language of his predecessors. Emphasizing his common-man roots, Francis said recently he was a janitor and a bar bouncer in Argentina before becoming a priest. Pope: I was once a bar bouncer Perhaps as a birthday present to himself, the Pope, without going through the usual church channels, announced the canonization of a 16th-century Jesuit priest on Tuesday. The Rev. Pierre Favre (known in the United States as Peter Faber) was a co-founder of the Society of Jesus, the Catholic order of priests to which Pope Francis himself belongs. Francis has praised Favre's "careful interior discernment" and "simple piety." In September, the Pope used a similar process to announce the canonization of the late Pope John XXIII, who will officially be made a saint, along with Pope John Paul II, in April. In the Pope's birthplace of Buenos Aires, where Francis was an archbishop, Catholics are celebrating his birthday by pitching a "missionary tent" in one of the city's most troubled areas, where they will minister to migrants, prostitutes, the homeless and jobless, the Vatican said. "God has always walked alongside his people," beginning with the Hebrew patriarchs, the Pope preached at Tuesday morning's Mass. God became man at Christmas to redeem and share in the lives of saints and sinners alike - even "high-level sinners," Francis said.
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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John Compere, PhD
I was a fifth-generation Baptist minister, ordained at age 18, while in college. I served until age 32 when I left the ministry and the church to get a PhD in Clinical Psychology. I had already completed a three-year seminary degree following college, which only increased my doubts about the authenticity of the theology I had learned from childhood. Leaving the ministry was not an easy decision to make since all my friends and family were in the church. But it was a decision I ultimately HAD to make if I didn't want to risk being publicly phony and privately cynical. I became an agnostic, then an atheist, NOT because I hadn't read the Bible, but because I had! An atheist, by the way, is simply someone who does not believe in a supernatural being. I am convinced that the evidence supports that view. All religion suffers from being bound by unchanging myth.
As a psychologist, I continued to try to help people find meaning in their lives. I taught at the university and medical school, had a private clinical practice, and then became a professional speaker on "Psychology You Can USE!" I seriously doubt that life has any ultimate meaning, but I'm convinced that we can make our own meaning, and I have spent the last 45 years since I left the ministry trying to help people do just that. Success is not the goal - all therapists have dealt with many a successful person who was miserable - life satisfaction is the goal.
When I made my career change, I was essentially on my own. I wish something like The Clergy Project had been around then. I could surely have used it. The goal of this project is not to try to convince believing clergy to give up their faith. Rather, it is to help those in the clergy who, for their own individual reasons, are no longer able to believe, to try to figure out how to make a huge sea-change in their lives. It may well be the absolutely most challenging career change anyone can make. We simply want to help make it easier.
Are you planning to post this two or three times on every page?
What's really pathetic are all of you who are fooled by these photo ops by this elected leader of the pedophile infested cult called the RCC. You are delusional and disgusting. Only following a religion can cause an otherwise decent person to defend child rapists.
God bless our Holy Father, Pope Francis. I will pray for you JJ.
Pope Francis has jumped the shark...
http://mankabros.com/blogs/god/2013/12/11/has-pope-francis-jumped-the-shark/
As an atheist, I'll say "hardly."
"As an atheist, I'll say "hardly."
What does being an atheist have to do with this? It's just a bit of fun. Are you saying that all atheists are sourpusses?
Acknowledging positives for this pope as someone who opposes belief.
I see. Did you bother to click on the link? It was just a funny little bit of nonsense, like the Charlie Sheen thing. No reason to get your panties in a bunch over it.
Maybe a glass of wine or a hot bath would restore your sense of humor. Maybe not.
Oh, please, if you're to step up to the plate, take a real swing!
Sure thing, copy/paste attention whore. Try coming up with an original thought.
It would have been really cool if they had let Charlie Sheen be a stand-in for one of the homeless men.
LMAO! Now THAT I'd pay to see!
It would be disrespectful to a man who is trying to show Catholics who are stymied in their recitational belief that they need to be much more. You don't have to agree with the religion, but you should be glad to see a change for the better. Religion is going to disappear slowly, not quickly, and that requires patience, understanding, but continuous effort.
Oh, good grief, get the stick out of your ass and enjoy life. It was funny.
But if you want to talk about disrespect, let's talk about how he has ignored the thousands of children who were abused at the hands of his priests.
I understand. You are a right wing atheist. Take a good look at how a left wing atheist thinks.
Boy, aren't you a treat? Get off your high horse, you know nothing about me.
Your responses tell me everything about you.
Like I said, get off your high horse and quit being an asshat. You don't know anything about me.
Go back to copy/pasting other people's words because you suck at coming up with anything valid on your own.
Truly, you show just how much you have to learn in life, still.
Truly, you sound like a very boring and humorless person.
You can take mincraft off pause now and return to your game. But when you acquire some wisdom, say in about twenty years, please return (hint, you'll have to actually spend some time thinking about things).
Really? The "You must be a pasty faced, basement dwelling, teenager" stereotype is the best you can do?
Perhaps you should go back to falsifying resumes, copying and pasting excerpts from someone else's book, and pimping the pope, because you are terrible at analysis. You really are.
Here, I'll let you have the last word (so you can go back to your video game).
No, please, keep it up. Now about that Duke summer course....
Well, I could tell you I'm sorry, but, I'm not...
After reading through about 40 of 463 (at last count) of these posts, I believe about 80% of us posters are idiots...NOT because I don't agree with you, but because most of you can't (or don't) present your thoughts in a respectful, intelligent manner...regardless of the subject!
Trolls!
Greg, This is the Internet and comments that are logical and well thought out are few and far between. The Internet is a great place for any idiot to make a comment on an article as many of the comments so perfectly illustrate.
"....I believe about 80% of us posters are idiots....because most of you can't (or don't) present your thoughts in a respectful, intelligent manner...."
------------–
lol, way to present your thoughts in a respectful, intelligent manner...lol
Is that the best you got Oh? "lol"
This man is not trying to be a saint. He is just trying to walk the walk. After all these other popes he seems like a breath of fresh air.
nothing like a pope who destroys children who have already been abused. No walk any decent person would take. This pope? Just as evil.
This Pope (or any of the prior Popes) could do everything you wanted with respect to making amends and safeguarding children ... and it wouldn't be enough. You'll simply move the goal posts. I can here it now: "he should have done this on top of everything else" or "he should have done it sooner".
Rather presumptuous of you to assume you know what will or won't satisfy someone wrt the child abuse that the RCC has covered up for decades.
He should have done something the day he took office. But here we are, almost a year later and still....nothing.
You know I think you may be right. As an agnostic I of course disagree with several key tenets of Catholicism, but it does seem like he genuinely wants to project his down-to-earth approach into the higher ranks. Time will tell.
OK priest.
The Pope is merely a man who represents a high position in the church. This Pope did not even want to be Pope and had his bags packed and ready to leave after the conclave. All religions have their different names, ideas beliefs, traditions- but they all have the same thing in common. FAITH. People forget that this is what it's all about. I know personally from almost dying 5 separate times- all in separate states and during different times and ages of my life, that God- Allah – whoever you call him/her...exists. Faith is believing in something or someone bigger than yourself. Religion (back in the day) was a form of LAW. They have laws today based on secular laws from our different religions and they all have the same common theme. Don't kill people- Don't sleep with your neighbor's wife. Don't steal ect ect ect..... Something has to keep people form going crazy and doing bad things. Religion not only gives people a structured foundation for faith, but it also governs who we act as a society today. This Pope is a very nice man who wants to change all the bad things that have happened in the church. You have to give him a little credit for at least trying – I mean he's in the world's oldest and largest, nor to mention "most powerful" "GOOD OL BOY'S club in the world. He's got a huge amount of courage to do this knowing that they are probably not too happy with him right now.
So good for him. At least he's trying.
sorry for the typos – it's been a long day.
denies children abused,, not a club any decent man would be in
As a matter of FACT, he doesn't deny it. He has formed a commision whose job it is to make sure it is stopped and never happens again.
A truly humble servant of God. Too bad the whole world isn't filled with men like Pope Francis.
You mean men who let other men rape children with no accountability?
thankfully not,, or the world would have too many con men denying abused children
Unbelievable how far this pope is willing to go to play out his role in keeping his own personal saintly delusion alive.
Sounds like a great sitcom... The Pope, Four Men and a Dog: Comical beginning to the end of worldwide poverty.
Sorry, I'm not impressed!
Justice, you're so cynical!
Pope Francis at least appears to be practicing what he preaches, which is more than can be said for many religious "leaders".
yeah, denying abused children. How low can any human be? Not as low as he, the bishops and cardinals
Do you take candy from small children ? We'll start calling you "the Grinch"
It's better than taking the virginity of children in the back room of the church.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQfGn71AuCI
It has nothing to do with the Pope.... but it is funny !
what – no homeless women? Men only?
It's the RCC. Women don't count.
women are treated as 2nd class in the RCC
God teaches human how to love and to help each others. He teaches the value of family, hard work NOT DIVORCING or STEALING or DISTRIBUTING OF WEALTH. So is the Pope.
Republicans could learn a lot from Pope Francis. Like how to be a REAL Christian who spends time with the poor rather than attacking them and someone who doesn’t use his “faith” to stir up fear & loathing of gays at election time.
and how to destroy children victims of abuse. This pope does it all
Do most Christians have an aide who can go out, find a few homeless men, screen them, clean them up, then bring them back to your own private country to have breakfast for the cameras?
Ironic that a Democrat whose party seems to support the devils agenda is saying that Republicans need to learn from the Pope. Do you remember that at the last Democratic convention that the Democrats booed and jeered at the thought that the word "God" would be even mentioned in their statement.
A testimonial from John Compere, PhD
"I was a fifth-generation Baptist minister, ordained at age 18, while in college. I served until age 32 when I left the ministry and the church to get a PhD in Clinical Psychology. I had already completed a three-year seminary degree following college, which only increased my doubts about the authenticity of the theology I had learned from childhood. Leaving the ministry was not an easy decision to make since all my friends and family were in the church. But it was a decision I ultimately HAD to make if I didn't want to risk being publicly phony and privately cynical. I became an agnostic, then an atheist, NOT because I hadn't read the Bible, but because I had! An atheist, by the way, is simply someone who does not believe in a supernatural being. I am convinced that the evidence supports that view. All religion suffers from being bound by unchanging myth.
As a psychologist, I continued to try to help people find meaning in their lives. I taught at the university and medical school, had a private clinical practice, and then became a professional speaker on "Psychology You Can USE!" I seriously doubt that life has any ultimate meaning, but I'm convinced that we can make our own meaning, and I have spent the last 45 years since I left the ministry trying to help people do just that. Success is not the goal - all therapists have dealt with many a successful person who was miserable - life satisfaction is the goal.
When I made my career change, I was essentially on my own. I wish something like The Clergy Project had been around then. I could surely have used it. The goal of this project is not to try to convince believing clergy to give up their faith. Rather, it is to help those in the clergy who, for their own individual reasons, are no longer able to believe, to try to figure out how to make a huge sea-change in their lives. It may well be the absolutely most challenging career change anyone can make. We simply want to help make it easier."
I believe one day we will have de-programming therapy available to help catholics break their OCD and leave the church to healthier lives.
With all due respect, after re-reading your post 3X, I have yet to see the relevance to this article...
Well, I am glad you have examined it three times. I'm and atheist. It is not relevant to the article, but rather to the bigger question lingering in every Christian's mind.
So, to be at least partly on point for this article, I'll say I feel a connection with this pope's spirit of humanity. He's putting it out there and telling everyone to do the same. He's shaking the Church, and showing all Christians what it means to walk the path of Jesus, rather than remaking Jesus into our image so that we can continue walking the path we choose.
It takes a lot of faith to be an Atheist. You have hope that one day science will prove that no ONE exists in the after life. In the mean time: Keep the faith
actually, no faith needed. Faith would be anti-science.
No, becoming atheist just involves being able to recognize nonsense. You can do it. Start small. Tell yourself there is no boogeyman until you believe it. Then work on the other things that make you afraid of the dark. Learn to enjoy scary stories and not be afraid.
"It is with great sadness that I write to you today. I have committed a grave error in judgment that I deeply regret. While I did not do anything with malice or with intention to harm others, my actions were still wrong. I take full responsibility for my false reporting of my education in the recent NYT article and offer my apologies to all of you.
While it is true that I attended Duke Divinity under a special program for pastors transferring from another denomination, I did not earn a degree. As I’ve worked among you, I claimed the latter degree status instead of explaining the true nature of my theological education. The truth is… I lied on my resume. I did not earn a degree.
Many assumed the degree was a standard M.Div. and I went along with it. I should have stopped the error immediately, but did not. I cannot change these things so I must face them head on and own them.
With the loss of my job, my family and I will be moving soon to an undetermined location. Because of my choices I’ve placed my family in dire straits. This too is a consequence of my actions." – Teresa MacBain
Nice ad!
Yeah, too bad she got caught lying on her resume and got fired from Harvard.
...it's nice to see all the catholic clergy posting as mom, non catholic,.. out doing what they do best, scam and deceive. Without them, there would likely be no praise for the con man, the pope.
Not to mention all the "I used to be a Catholic and now I'm thinking of coming back to the RCC because this pope is sooooo awesome!"
I've seen that one too. Have they no shame
Or the "I'm atheist but I really like this guy...".
Thank you Pope Francis!! This world needs more leaders like you!!
yes, to show criminals who destroy children to go free.
Pope Francis has nothing to do with the pedophile issue. While you may have an issue with organized religion you should try and find out what makes this Pope different.
Why don't you explain it to us? Because so far I see lots of pretty pictures, and a pope that blew off the UN when it came to the abuse perpetrated by his priests.
Who is responsible if not the leader?
francis was a cardinal,, without the cardinals and bishops support, the cover ups couldn't have been successful.
You actually believe for one moment he didn't show up to those meetings?? he now avoids the issue enabling the bishops to lobby to stop laws that would help children victims. Yep, now all children abused are denied, no matter who abused.
Nice con man.
I am a better man- a kinder man-because of Pope Francis.
you need to be able to destroy abused children if you want to be like him
Okay, the guy is a Jesuit a man for the people but has a large problem with the council of cardinals protecting their turf, I admire what he is trying to do. He has also got the best PR department of anyone, just great photo ops. Obama should try and get hold of these guys just to try and stop the bleeding.
PR to duck child abuse cover ups.. he's a quack
I'm a non catholic but I just can't help loving this man for genuinely demonstrating the love of God to those who need it the most. Now let's all follow his example and transform the world we live in.
and I love this pope
guess you don't care about child abuse cover ups, the worst crimes. The popes refusal to answer to the UN for crimes against children worldwide.
Bet you're a clergy. Clergy love to deceive. Just like they roam around in nursing homes looking for $$$
Name me one private organization that does more for the poor and sick.
Name me one that rakes in more tax free, unaccounted for money than the RCC. It's the people's donations, it's not like they are selling off their stuff to provide for anyone.
The Bill Gates Foundation with the help of Warren Buffet and Michael Bloomberg, aid without strings attached. The Catholic charities provide aid for land in Africa and will provide medical aid with the inclusion of birth control prohibitions, so if you subtract the harm they do from the good they scr ape the bottom of the barrel.
Calhusker
You may also want to clue into where the true priorities lie. The bling Bishop in Germany spent $41 million to spruce up his digs then lied about it, while that diocese could only contribute a few dollars in comparison to the Philippines disaster
Hater.