So long Pope Benedict.

[Heid the Ba]

Standing down shortly, worn out by his exhausting career of covering up for kiddie-fiddlers.

[Arneb]

You have to hand it to him, he does have guts. To stand down from that office is unheard of since , 1294

[Мастер]

You have to hand it to him, he does have guts. To stand down from that office is unheard of since , 1294

So I guess you don't recognise the bloke who did it in 1415 :)

I guess he got a better job.

[Heid the Ba]

I think the argument is that Gregory VII was forced out rather than resigned, but then there is the argument that Celestine was got at by his successor.

[Мастер]

I think the argument is that Gregory VII was forced out rather than resigned, but then there is the argument that Celestine was got at by his successor.

sed s/VII/XII/

[Heid the Ba]

Ah, yes. I meant to check that.

[Мастер]

Ah, yes. I meant to check that.

I got a good ways through the Wikipedia article on Gregory VII before I figured out it wasn't him :)

[MM_Dandy]

As I recall, when he was elected, there was some thought and hope here that, having somewhat of a hard-nosed reputation and not yet knowing of his own looking-the-other-way practices, he would meaningfully address the kiddie-fiddling issue. I don't want to be mean to the old guy, but his failure in this regard will be my lasting impression of him.

[tubeswell]

Well maybe the next old guy in line will do better. Or maybe they'll pick a young black rasta lesbian?

[Lance]

Isn't this guy supposed to be the last one? There's some prophecy somewhere I think that says the world ends with this guy.

[Мастер]

Isn't this guy supposed to be the last one? There's some prophecy somewhere I think that says the world ends with this guy.

Was this a prophecy you had made yourself, or you heard it somewhere?

[Lance]

Isn't this guy supposed to be the last one? There's some prophecy somewhere I think that says the world ends with this guy.

Was this a prophecy you had made yourself, or you heard it somewhere?

No, a real one. I guess the Prophecy of the Popes says the next one is the last one, not this one.

[Мастер]

Isn't this guy supposed to be the last one? There's some prophecy somewhere I think that says the world ends with this guy.

Was this a prophecy you had made yourself, or you heard it somewhere?

No, a real one. I guess the Prophecy of the Popes says the next one is the last one, not this one.

Ah. Hadn't heard that one.

But the Wikipedia page says it's just Rome which will be destroyed, not the world, and parts of it look that way already.

[Heid the Ba]

He has a PhD so he could be after the German education ministry job.

[Мастер]

He has a PhD so he could be after the German education ministry job.

Maybe they'd rather get someone who went through a degree programme with no thesis requirement - less risky that way. (Or do all German degrees require a thesis?)

[Heid the Ba]

He has a PhD so he could be after the German education ministry job.

Maybe they'd rather get someone who went through a degree programme with no thesis requirement - less risky that way. (Or do all German degrees require a thesis?)

As far as I know it isn't possible in the UK, perhaps best not to publish it. If queried I would go with: "That would be an ecumenical matter." and leave it at that.

[Мастер]

He has a PhD so he could be after the German education ministry job.

Maybe they'd rather get someone who went through a degree programme with no thesis requirement - less risky that way. (Or do all German degrees require a thesis?)

As far as I know it isn't possible in the UK, perhaps best not to publish it. If queried I would go with: "That would be an ecumenical matter." and leave it at that.

In the US, lots of undergrad degrees will be without a thesis, although some will be with.

[Heid the Ba]

Apologies, I misread your post; I was talking about PhDs. Many undergraduate degress here have some form of dissertation/thesis but many do not. My first did, my second didn't. "The influence of Clausewitz" since you ask, and it is every bit as bad as you would expect.

[Мастер]

Apologies, I misread your post; I was talking about PhDs. Many undergraduate degress here have some form of dissertation/thesis but many do not. My first did, my second didn't. "The influence of Clausewitz" since you ask, and it is every bit as bad as you would expect.

It is not clear to me whether the German education minister needs to have a PhD, or just some university degree.

Probably there is no formal requirement at all, but it doesn't look so good . . .

[Heid the Ba]

After a quick Google the UK Education Secretary has an honours degree from Oxford, but I don't know what in.

The Scottish Education Secretary has an ordinary degree in History from Edinburgh.

[Arneb]

The Scottish Education Secretary has an ordinary degree in History from Edinburgh.

Yeah, and what did they teach at Embra University: To topple the great and glorious united Kindgdom, the separatist bastards.

[Heid the Ba]

Actually they don't. The History Department teaches British History, the Scottish History Department which is in a tiny buiding nearby teaches how to topple the great and glorious United Kingdom.

Seriously, the History Department had (and I think still has) a course entitled "England and her neighbours". Probably about 60-70% of History students at Edinburgh are english, who either didn't want to go to OxBridge or didn't get in: people like Pippa Middleton.

[Arneb]

England and her neighbours... You know, I think I LIKE that . :grin:

My wife studied at Strathclyde for a year (History and English), and she never told me about a course of that name.

OK, back to Benedict. Since there were absolutely no rumors beforehand, I think we can exclude a newly-found grave illness that leaves him only so much time (that wouldn't have got past the Vatican rumor mill). I do think it is possible that the guy is just dead honest: He hasn't found it within himself to cope with the problems his beloved church is facing. He is an exceptionally sharp and intelligent mind, and it might be possible that has seen his capacities declining before anyone else in his court or in the public has.

Sadly for the Bavarian board of tourism and the devotional industry there, he won't move back to Bayern. It seems he plans to have built for himself a small appartment in one of the monasteries of the Vatican spnding his days praying, writing, and reading. I am actually optimistic that he will be above playing the role of elder-statesman guru damaging his successor's work by giving "friendly advice" and sagely statements. It might really be possible that almost the next thing we hear of him after Feb 28, 8 pm CET, is the official notice of his death.

[tubeswell]

Okay so the successor might not be a young black rasta lesbian, but maybe just black (or latino):

http://www.latimes.com/news/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-pope-successor-candidates-20130211,0,406999.story

Bring it on I say. (Not that I'm a catholic anymore)

[Enzo]

Pope-Dogg?

Pope-Diddy?

Lil Pope.

Oh dear lord...

Pope Kardashian