There is a new Pope

[teddyv]

My daughter happened to be at the Vatican on Sunday to hear the Pope's first service.

I'm interested, if she shared, and you're okay to share, what the atmosphere was like?

Just getting back to this since she has returned home.

She did not have any good word for the atmosphere. I think maybe it could be described as "curious". There were quite a variety of people from various countries around her. The biggest emotional response from around her was a women who was holding up a big umbrella that was blocking the view for many others and when she finally got the hint and put it away. A general applause when the Pope came out and after his words.

[Sojourner]

I never could understand how Peter was supposed to be the first Pope when papal attributes are so out of character for him. I mean he was married, would not even allow Cornelius to bow before him (as is the practice in popery today). And can anyone imagine Peter sitting on a throne wearing finery, calling Mary the queen of heaven, claiming infallibility, proclaiming himself God's representative on earth, or allowing people to call him "the holy father?"

[Athanasius]

My daughter happened to be at the Vatican on Sunday to hear the Pope's first service.

I'm interested, if she shared, and you're okay to share, what the atmosphere was like?

Just getting back to this since she has returned home.

She did not have any good word for the atmosphere. I think maybe it could be described as "curious". There were quite a variety of people from various countries around her. The biggest emotional response from around her was a women who was holding up a big umbrella that was blocking the view for many others and when she finally got the hint and put it away. A general applause when the Pope came out and after his words.

That's interesting. I was half expecting her to report that the atmosphere was almost rapturous. It seems kinda... standing in the rain, boring, alongside obnoxious people.

[teddyv]

My daughter happened to be at the Vatican on Sunday to hear the Pope's first service.

I'm interested, if she shared, and you're okay to share, what the atmosphere was like?

Just getting back to this since she has returned home.

She did not have any good word for the atmosphere. I think maybe it could be described as "curious". There were quite a variety of people from various countries around her. The biggest emotional response from around her was a women who was holding up a big umbrella that was blocking the view for many others and when she finally got the hint and put it away. A general applause when the Pope came out and after his words.

That's interesting. I was half expecting her to report that the atmosphere was almost rapturous. It seems kinda... standing in the rain, boring, alongside obnoxious people.

There was nothing in her comments that would suggest anything close to rapturous. These are Catholics we are talking though.

[jeremiah1five]

What I found interesting was the fact that he comes out of the Augustinian Order. He's still Catholic but before the vote I thought to myself if they would have the boldness to choose one from the Augustinian Order. Augustine is held up by both Protestants and Catholics as one of their main theologians, but to Protestants Augustine was studied by Calvin and is one whose theology was closest to the Bible.

I wonder if he was chosen to facilitate the merging together of the E.C.T. movement of the past couple of decades, a merging fully supported by (surprise!) J.I. Packer before his death, support that was greatly challenged by most big-name Evangelicals. ECT stands for "Evangelicals and Catholics Together."