www.byzcath.org Forums News & Events Church News What would you tell the Pope

Dear Friends,

It looks like I'll have a chance to personally have lunch with His Holiness, barring any roadblocks. (I'm already going through security clearance - they're frisking me all over as I write this ).

If YOU had an opportunity to personally meet the Pope, what would YOU have to say to him?

And, for obvious reasons, I would only ask those who like His Holiness to respond . . .

Any negative nonsense here, and I'll get NDHoosier to hose you down!

Let me know.

The best response will get his or her question asked of the Pope by me!

Alex

[ 07-11-2002: Message edited by: Orthodox Catholic ]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Orthodox Catholic:
If YOU had an opportunity to personally meet the Pope, what would YOU have to say to him?

And, for obvious reasons, I would only those who like His Holiness to respond . . .


I would only want to say a resounding "Thank You" for everything he has done for the Church in the 20+ years of his pontificate.

Many Years to His Holiness the Pope of Rome!

Michael

[ 07-11-2002: Message edited by: Sarum ]

Dear Friends,

I'll make this thread a tad more interesting.

Write down what YOU would tell His Holiness and I'll download all your responses and hand them to him in an envelope.

Alex

Sarum,
I have to concur, nothing comes to mind other than "Thank You" (and a request for a blessing

Glory to Jesus Christ!

Dear Alex,

Will you also be at the opening & closing divine liturgies at St. Nicholas the Monday before and after World Youyth Day?

I would ask for a blessing, ask him to pray for my daughter & ask him to return the power of the Patriarchate to where it was pre-schism. I'd give him my http://YourCatholic.com business card and then I would say thank you.

God Bless.

[ 07-11-2002: Message edited by: Nik ]

Dera Nik,

You mean at St Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church, the most pre-eminent Eastern Christian Church anywhere in North America?

I most definitely won't be there on the Monday since I'll be out of the city on secret, government business.

A lunch is involved, I understand, where they serve drinks "shaken, not stirred."

Along with Bonds, Government Bonds . . .

I'll try and make it for the later services.

Are you easy to spot in a crowd? You sport a beard, correct?

Alex

Alex, you just opened a can of worms!

Since you asked, I would respectfully ask His Holiness to:

-clearly demarcate the difference between Papal and Patriarchal Authority
-allow ALL Eastern Churches to appoint their own bishops
-allow all Eastern Churches to exercise jurisdiction outside of their traditional territories
-forbid the curia (except the Cong. for Eastern Churches) from meddling with Eastern Church affairs
-staff the Cong. for Eastern Churches ONLY with Easterns (NO LATIN CARDINALS!)
-grant the Ukrainian Catholics a Patriarchate
-grant the Ruthenians at least Major Archiepiscopate (I can always dream, right )
-fully honor the Unions of Uzhorod and Brest-Litovsk

I could go on and on, but you get the idea!

Dear NDHoosier,

I do.

Perhaps I can begin my presentation with something like:

"Bless me a sinner, Your Holiness and welcome to Ontario. As we both have in common that we are in union with Rome . . ."

Perhaps if I limited myself to the Union of Uzhorod, that conversation will cover off the other points?

Alex

Aside from thank you,

Please fully restore our right to our married priesthood, and to name our own bishops.

God grant him many years!

Sharon

Sharon Mech, SFO
Cantor & sinner
sharon@cmhc.com

I agree with many others. I would thank him for his many years of service to the Church, both East and West. He truly has been the "Servants of the servants of God" and has been a rock of faith for the Church.

I would then tell him how much I appreciated these words from his Apostolic Letter Orientale Lumen:


I would then ask him: If we really believe that the Catholic Church is ready for union with the Orthodox Churches then shouldn't we allow the Eastern Catholic Churches to fully live "the heritage of their fathers"? At a very minimum, shouldn't the right to ordain married men to the priesthood be restored? Secondly, an apology for the Ban on our right by his predecessors would help in the "conversion" he has called for.

Dave Ignatius DTBrown@aol.com

Since I love Karol Wojtyla (aka, "the Pope") I meet Alex's criteria for answering this thread...

I can tell you most assuredly, I do not give much thought to the matter.

What I have wondered about very seriously lately is that I passed a homeless person with a sign begging for help while I was driving. It would have been very difficult to turn around and give him what I had because of the circumstances so I kept on driving. This has weighed on my heart.

+JMJ+

As a Latin, I would not ask him for the venerable things mentioned here.

I would say Thank you. Thank you for the many years of service. Thank you for not allowing liberals to completly overtake the church. Thank you for helping me to come home to Apostolic Christianity. (Southern Babtist just doesn't cut it.)

I would ask him to elevate the Anglican Use to a Rite suitable to be used throughout the world with it's own Bishops, Religious Orders, etc.

I would ask him to get rid of female Altar Servers in the Latin Church.

I would ask him to limit the use of Extroidinary Ministers of the Eucharist to only extroidinary circumstances.

I would ask him to extend a universal indult to all Priests of the Latin Rite so they could use the Liturgical Books of 1962.

I would ask him to send the modernists and liberals packing.

I would ask him to reconcile with the SSPX soon.

I would ask him to clean out the Seminaries of the Latin Rite from the homosexual and heretical administrations that fill them. Because of the deplorable situation regarding the US Seminaries, I have decided to live the single life as I cannot in good conscience attend one of these Seminaries.

Finally I would ask for his Apostolic Blessing on me and my family and would ask him to pray for the conversion of my mother and brother and for my godmother's return to the Church.

I know I am asking for a lot, but with God all things are possible.

Joe Zollars

Congratulations on getting the opportunity to meet the Bishop of Rome. I would love to get a Orthodox message to him, so here it goes (I hope you approve, your criteria for asking is totally correct):

Holy Father, while union is great and admirable goal, by seeking union are we encouraging disunion. The Orthodox people perceive the activities of Rome, including sending Catholic missionaries in Russia, as a threat to our very existence. Instead of reacting positively to this, the Orthodox people have come to the defense of their faith, as they always have and always will. Perhaps if the Roman Church could accept us as equals and if Rome could embrance the Patriarchs of the East as co-heads of the same church, then we could achieve unity.

Glory to Jesus Christ!

Alex,

Yes I do sport a beard, but I had no AC during the heatwave that hit New England and I buzzed it, so its no longer an impressive beard. I also wear glasses. You can see apic of me as my avatar at my board at http://YourCatholic.com

And how, pray tell, will I recognize you, sir? God Bless!

A. "THANK YOU!!!!!"

B. "May God bless you as much as He has blessed us by your life."

C. "Say "HI" to Andrew Sheptytsky and Joyf Slipyj when you get home."