Tópico: Who's gonna be the next pope?

[Poindexter]

I don't have "an opinion", but, in order to start... Cardinal Arinze.

[n/a]

I still think that will be Angelo Sodano, but we never can know what is going to happen...

[Südenbauer]

Ratzinger is old and has health problems.
Sodano has possibilities.

However, I agree to the Mioto.

[Galileo]

I read today that the Irish bookmakers, Paddy Power, are giving 7-2 odds on Nigerian Cardinal Francis Arinze as the front-runner, so Poindexter may be right.

They are also giving 3-1 odds that the next pope will take the name of Benedict.

Interesting trivia:

Twenty-nine conclaves have lasted a month or more, but in recent years, they've got shorter. The last conclave to go more than five days was 54 days in 1831. The longest conclave of the 20th century was five days in 1922, when Pius XI was elected after 15 ballots.

The shortest conclave was the one that elected Pius XII in 1939 in less than 24 hours, although Julius II's conclave in 1503 must be a close contender. He bought the papacy with massive bribes, and banned simony -- the word for buying or selling ecclesiastical positions -- two years later.

[Poindexter]

Pointdexter will be the next pope.

[Osias]

I would like Patrick Stweart instead.

[Alenônimo]

Why not Michael Jackson? He's already a pedophilian!  

[Osias]

"pedophilian"...?

[Galileo]

The word is pedophile, but I'm not yet convinced Jackson is guilty.

[Poindexter]

The word is pedophile...

Thanks for the help! Feel free to help us when you wish, and count on me if someday you have a doubt in Portuguese!  

... but I'm not yet convinced Jackson is guilty.

Neither am I, even though for me he is clearly a weirdo.

Joke: Is it true that, when asked to answer questions in court, he answered "you know I'm bad, I'm bad..."

[Alenônimo]

Jackson is a "childrens eater"...   He said: "Sleep with childrens is a sweet thing..."

[Galileo]

Yes, Jackson is a weirdo.

I feel sorry for him, though, because he has had a difficult life. His father was very abusive towards him as a child. He suffers from a strange skin disease that has made him hate his own appearance and seek to change it with damaging cosmetic surgery. Because of his fame at a young age he never really had a "normal" childhood and his emotional growth has been stunted. He is attracted to young people because of their innocence and the fact that they don't judge him as a celebrity but as a person.

I am skeptical about the allegations against him, partly because I want to believe they aren't true. I also know that impressionable children can be tricked and coerced by irresponsible parents and unscrupulous psychologists into giving false testimony. Remember the many people whose lives were ruined in the 1980's and 1990's by the False Memory Syndrome?

I just hope the jury hears all the evidence before deciding to convict Jackson (which is more than you can say for the media).

[Luis Dantas]

According to one of Mark Evanier's entries on his blog (http://www.newsfromme.com)  (IIRC, it was in either the 13rd or the 14th of this month) odds are that Michael Jackson will in fact be punished by wrongdoings diverse from the one he is supposedly being accused with.

For those who don't recognize the name, Mark Evanier is the co-creator of "Groo the Wanderer" with Sergio Aragones (of "Mad" fame).  He also used to be a close associate of Jack Kirby, and worked on the Garfield animated cartoon.

[Alenônimo]

Yes, Jackson is a weirdo.

I feel sorry for him, though, because he has had a difficult life. His father was very abusive towards him as a child. He suffers from a strange skin disease that has made him hate his own appearance and seek to change it with damaging cosmetic surgery. Because of his fame at a young age he never really had a "normal" childhood and his emotional growth has been stunted. He is attracted to young people because of their innocence and the fact that they don't judge him as a celebrity but as a person.

I am skeptical about the allegations against him, partly because I want to believe they aren't true. I also know that impressionable children can be tricked and coerced by irresponsible parents and unscrupulous psychologists into giving false testimony. Remember the many people whose lives were ruined in the 1980's and 1990's by the False Memory Syndrome?

I just hope the jury hears all the evidence before deciding to convict Jackson (which is more than you can say for the media).

I agree with most of your opinions. He's a weirdo. But... if he's a pedophile (it's right now? ), he must do an tratament or something like this... He can't be free to do this again...

PS: His father is a retard. I've see him on Fantastic. Weirdo...

[Poindexter]

I've see him on Fantastic.

"Fantastic" (original name in portuguese: "Fantástico") is a very famous varieties TV program in Brazil. It's exhibited by the main brazilian TV channel (Globo TV) weekly (sunday nights).

[Agnostic]

Since the next pope is not Brazilian it's ok.

[Poindexter]

Since the next pope is not Brazilian it's ok.

He's already elected. He's Joseph Ratzinger, renamed Benedict XVI.

[Galileo]

This is excellent news. Now the news media will have to find something else inconsequential to obsess about.
   B)

[Esperto]

This is excellent news. Now the news media will have to find something else inconsequential to obsess about.
   B)

finally