Something I don't understand.

[RevolutionaryActs]

Now I do understand that the Pope is a spiritual leader and it's sad to his followers that he died.
But I don't understand why they're mourning? He was pain, now he's not, he was in his 80s, so he lived a full live but most of all, according to their beliefs, he is with God in heaven. So shouldn't they be happy about that? Maybe they are and I'm just missing that? :shrug:

[Padraig18]

1. Simple explanation.

We rejoice for him, but we are sad for our own loss, as humans at the death of someone we much love and admire.

[RevolutionaryActs]

5. Hey, you're not suppose to post here silly.

;) :P

Thanks for replying. :)

I would also like to wish my condolences.

[Padraig18]

6. Thank you.

Don't tell the principal, OK?

:pals:

[RevolutionaryActs]

7. :)

:pals:

[JohnKleeb]

16. You guys are welcome to post in our forum to post condolences

Only fair if we serve as your FAQ answerer.

[Az]

2. He literally is a father figure to them

They will miss his guidance and presense. Yes a new Pope will be appointed and in time will fill that roll. But he will be a person they do not yet know.

The mind forms attachements to identities. And even the notion that they are going to a better place does not alleviate the self interest in having them still here.

They say funerals are for the living. This is exactly why. The dead have no need for funerals or anything. But the living need each other to deal with the hole that now exists in their psyche. Time will heal it but compassion and community help as well.

[RevCheesehead]

20. Hi, Az. (I hope you don't mind my coming here)

That is a really good explanation of the purpose of mourning.

In my church, the funeral service begins: "Dear friends, we come here, acknowledging our grief, to celebrate the life of...."

It is, for us, a period of transition. Moving "from death to life" has certain theological connotations, certainly. But it also has meaning for the living: Don't stay here in your grief. Get on with living your life.

I am so grateful for your sensitivity to Christians, and your willingness to find a way to build bridges. I, too, want that very same thing.

Peace,
Cheese

[flamingyouth]

3. It doesn't matter how old someone is, or how sick they are

When you lose someone who means a lot to you, it's hard at any time.

Even after years of suffering from cancer, we were devastated when my grandmother died from it when I was 12. Intellectually, we knew that she was free from pain, but she was still gone and we would never see her or hear her voice again.

I feel very bad for the people who are mourning today.

[RevolutionaryActs]

8. I guess it's just weird to me

because to me he was just an old man who was in pain and now he's not. I'm glad he's not in pain anymore, because I don't think anyone should be in pain at the end.


I am sorry that they are in mourning.

[Bluebear]

4. They're hurting

Even if your Great granny Edna goes to the great beyond at 95 you still will miss her presence. I don't think any Catholic who loves him would want to prolong his life with his poor health a la Schiavo but they still are grieving.

[RevolutionaryActs]

9. Yeah.

I just saw some people who were beyond devastated, and I don't quite understand.

I don't begrudge them for it, I just don't understand this total devastation, I would think that with their faith there would be some happiness in the fact that he's in "heaven". Does that make some sense? :shrug:

[Az]

10. For many the Pope is a daily part of their life

We may look at it and see it as delusional or brainwashing. But to them its a very real relationship.

[RevolutionaryActs]

11. Yeah.

I guess that's something I forget because it's something I don't understand.

:hi:

[Rhiannon12866]

12. It's sad when anyone dies. And if anyone is suffering.

The Pope is in a better position, than most, because he truly believes that he's going home. This will give him comfort. I wish that we could all have this, but we don't.:shrug:

And they're also mourning the loss of a remarkable man, like you would mourn your father or grandfather, who I am sure you are proud of, as I am. This man fought the Nazis and the Communists and skied and wrote plays and spoke eight languages. He traveled widely and brought people together. I do not share his narrow views, but I do believe he lived a remarkable life, better than most, whether you shared his faith. It's a loss. Any death is a loss, IMHO.:-(

[RevolutionaryActs]

13. Yes. It is.

To me there is a difference between grieving, and mourning. This is just me, but, I feel if they grieving his death(and I think most are) they are sad because he's gone, but know he's better off not in this world anymore. Mourning, to me, is different. Does that makes sense?

I've lost two grandparents, and my father. As a person who has no faith in a higher power, when my grandparents died the only comfort I had was that they were not suffering or pain anymore. When my father died, I had no comfort. He was there, and then he wasn't. I almost wonder if I'm not jealous that they have faith in God or in heaven. For the comfort it must provide.

Also, I can't imagine being so devastated over a death of someone I had never met. I'm trying to understand it. I don't begrudge (is that the right word?) for them it, I just don't understand it.

[Rhiannon12866]

21. What you say makes perfect sense to me. I totally understand.

In the past several years I have lost both my Dad, and then my grandmother, his mother, the people I loved most. They had very strong faith, but this caused me to lose what little I had left.

I mourn them, because I miss them both terribly. And I will mourn this Pope, though not as a spiritual leader, but because he did so much good in this world. My Dad and Nana also did much good, but this Pope had a wider audience.

I am so sorry for your losses, and you have to know that I understand and identify. And I also understand your feelings. I wish that I could have had the strong faith that my Dad had, but he was totally let down, IMHO.

My sadness at the death of this Pope, is that he did so much good in the world. We need more people like this, and more like my family, and yours.:pals:

[jonnyblitz]

14. nothing ever makes sense to me when it comes to religion.

I wouldnt even know where to start...

[RevolutionaryActs]

17. lol

I guess you won't be praying for the popes soul then? ;)

[onager]

18. You aren't the only one, jonny...

I agree with Richard Dawkins. Fundamentalism is a symptom. The disease is religion.

[jonnyblitz]

19. my own subjective view (which will offend many) is

don't even try to make sense of the non-sensical. when a belief system doesn't require logic or proof for its structure , only dogma passed down by an authority figure, then all attempts to understand it will be futile for those of us who don't have "faith".

dictionary.com definition of faith:


1. Confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing.
2. Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence.

[JohnKleeb]

15. Well

We do mourn the dead, it is tradition. For many of us he has been the pope our whole life, the face of our faith to us if you will. We are happy that he has found peace and is in heaven with the creator but we will still mourn the dead. When I lost my nana a couple months ago, it was the same thing. I was glad that she had finally found peace and would be reunited with those she lost like my grandfather, her brother, er sisters, and her parents especially her mom who died when she was just a little girl. I believe in mourning the dead. And to be silly as I manage even to in tragedy, if you're gonna ask how I got in, I have a master key. He was a good guy, and I hate to sound selfish here but in one way he gave us non Italian Catholics hope that we could have one of us in the Vatican at least someday.

[Rhiannon12866]

22. Lovely post, John. And it made perfect sense, as always.

As I said, everyone's entitled to their own beliefs. I lost much of mine when I lost my Dad. But I spoke for my Nana, twice, without being asked, at services, as I did when my aunt died. I did this first for my Dad, when I volunteered. *sigh* This seems to have become my job in my family, so I am now expected to. Your Nana would have been very proud of you. You did an excellent job remembering her. Your words were eloquent and touching.:-)

As for the Pope, it's a bit more complicated, since we're not real family. But so many of us grew up, knowing him, that he seems like a father figure, so it's real loss, no matter what our beliefs are.:shrug:

Master key? You are the king of DU.:shrug: