Author Topic: Pope endorses "humble" cars  (Read 6124 times)

renbutler

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Pope endorses "humble" cars
« on: July 12, 2013, 12:16:31 PM »
New Pope Francis has already shown himself to be quite a Mustachian, eschewing many of the more elegant trappings of his new position. For example, he lives in a meager apartment and likes to take public transit.

Now he is encouraging the young religious to drive humble cars and to rethink their consumerism:

Quote
As part of his drive to make the Catholic Church more austere and focus on the poor, Francis told young and trainee priests and nuns from around the world that having the latest smartphone or fashion accessory was not the route to happiness.

"It hurts me when I see a priest or a nun with the latest model car, you can't do this," he said.

"A car is necessary to do a lot of work, but please, choose a more humble one. If you like the fancy one, just think about how many children are dying of hunger in the world," he said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/06/pope-cars-idUSL5N0FC0IR20130706

From all accounts of Francis's life before he became pope, this philosophy is entirely genuine and true to his personal character.


PS: I know religion is such a contentious topic for some. There are lots of places where people can and do fight about those things. I just thought this was a really good example of Mustachianism, especially considering that people in his position have been historically criticized -- sometimes perhaps rightly, other times wrongly -- for the way they live.

In other words, this article is covering a GOOD thing, so I'm going to approach it with a GOOD reaction.
« Last Edit: July 12, 2013, 12:18:38 PM by renbutler »

velocistar237

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Re: Pope endorses "humble" cars
« Reply #1 on: July 12, 2013, 12:22:44 PM »
Quote from: the pope
"A car is necessary to do a lot of work, but please, choose a more humble one. If you like the fancy one, just think about how many children are dying of hunger in the world," he said.

If only I could get away with a line like this.

olivia

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Re: Pope endorses "humble" cars
« Reply #2 on: July 12, 2013, 12:49:51 PM »
I was raised Catholic and am not practicing, but I think the choice of Pope Francis was a wise one.  The former pope had custom red leather Prada loafers, so Pope Francis is essentially the opposite of him as far as being humble and Mustachian! 

MissStache

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Re: Pope endorses "humble" cars
« Reply #3 on: July 12, 2013, 01:34:23 PM »
I'm no fan of the Catholic Church, but so far Pope Francis has done a lot to earn my grudging respect.  If we got most religious leaders to say things like this, we'd all be in a much better place.   I just hope their followers listen!

mpbaker22

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Re: Pope endorses "humble" cars
« Reply #4 on: July 12, 2013, 06:53:19 PM »
I don't think many people realize how humble and materially impoverished Pope Benedict is/was.  He didn't broadcast it as much, but that doesn't meant he didn't do similar things.

Zamboni

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Re: Pope endorses "humble" cars
« Reply #5 on: July 12, 2013, 06:57:33 PM »
He sounds like my kind of guy.  Thank you for posting!

renbutler

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Re: Pope endorses "humble" cars
« Reply #6 on: July 13, 2013, 12:44:37 PM »
I don't think many people realize how humble and materially impoverished Pope Benedict is/was.  He didn't broadcast it as much, but that doesn't meant he didn't do similar things.

It was really hard to get a read on Benedict. Although broadcasting all your best qualities for all to see is perhaps a bit "un-Christian" (for a lack of a better term), I think the papacy should be a "lead by example" kind of position.

Hopefully Francis remains an outstanding example of Christian living, without becoming annoyingly preachy about it.

I do feel quite lucky to experience the majority of my life with truly outstanding men in the papacy in John Paul II and (so far) Francis.

grantmeaname

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Re: Pope endorses "humble" cars
« Reply #7 on: July 13, 2013, 04:21:51 PM »
Pope Francis has done a lot to earn my grudging respect.
That's what I've thought about all of the popes in my lifetime.

wepner

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Re: Pope endorses "humble" cars
« Reply #8 on: July 15, 2013, 09:19:30 AM »
Pope Francis has done a lot to earn my grudging respect.
That's what I've thought about all of the popes in my lifetime.

Just out of curiosity what did Benedict do to earn your respect? (not trying to start an argument, I'm legitimately curious) Also if you are 3 for 3 as for liking Popes in your lifetime, why do you describe it as "grudging respect"?


I'm all about Pope Francis' humility/frugality kick though. I think its exactly what the Catholic Church needs.

Joet

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Re: Pope endorses "humble" cars
« Reply #9 on: July 15, 2013, 10:59:13 AM »
Pope Francis is such a breath of fresh air. I'm sure he will continue to impress *swoon*

grantmeaname

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Re: Pope endorses "humble" cars
« Reply #10 on: July 15, 2013, 02:22:51 PM »
Just out of curiosity what did Benedict do to earn your respect? (not trying to start an argument, I'm legitimately curious) Also if you are 3 for 3 as for liking Popes in your lifetime, why do you describe it as "grudging respect"?
Yeah, the grudging isn't exactly right - that's probably too strong of a word for my personal views. In all three cases I started from a position of skepticism, though - that's what I was getting at.

Paul der Krake

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Re: Pope endorses "humble" cars
« Reply #11 on: July 15, 2013, 02:37:49 PM »
I do feel quite lucky to experience the majority of my life with truly outstanding men in the papacy in John Paul II and (so far) Francis.
I haven't quite forgiven John Paul II's position on condoms when AIDS was devastating Africa in the late 80s.

But you're right, overall the Church really has been shining lately.

mpbaker22

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Re: Pope endorses "humble" cars
« Reply #12 on: July 15, 2013, 05:25:28 PM »
I do feel quite lucky to experience the majority of my life with truly outstanding men in the papacy in John Paul II and (so far) Francis.
I haven't quite forgiven John Paul II's position on condoms when AIDS was devastating Africa in the late 80s.

But you're right, overall the Church really has been shining lately.

Ah yes, abstinence spreads aids much quicker than condoms.  And of course there's the fact that all popes have opposed condom use.

Paul der Krake

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Re: Pope endorses "humble" cars
« Reply #13 on: July 15, 2013, 05:55:46 PM »
Well, he could have chosen a modern and more realistic approach to birth control- a missed opportunity, in my opinion, to boost the Church's image as a caring and pragmatic institution.

I was serious when I said that the Church was shining lately: aside from the aforemetionned issue, the values displayed by the last few popes (especially Francis) have been truly inspiring even for a non-religious person like myself.


renbutler

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Re: Pope endorses "humble" cars
« Reply #14 on: July 15, 2013, 06:21:28 PM »
Ah yes, abstinence spreads aids much quicker than condoms.  And of course there's the fact that all popes have opposed condom use.

I hope we can keep the important (and on-topic) point of the thread from getting buried under a divisive discussion of a social issue.

Joet

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Re: Pope endorses "humble" cars
« Reply #15 on: July 16, 2013, 08:33:53 AM »
Any even disinterested study of the papacy knows the birth control topic is a third rail. If you're expecting the Vatican to start sounding like a planned parenthood well... You could say there's an inertia problem..

mpbaker22

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Re: Pope endorses "humble" cars
« Reply #16 on: July 16, 2013, 10:22:04 AM »
Ah yes, abstinence spreads aids much quicker than condoms.  And of course there's the fact that all popes have opposed condom use.

I hope we can keep the important (and on-topic) point of the thread from getting buried under a divisive discussion of a social issue.

Just correcting a silly comment that someone else posted first

grantmeaname

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Re: Pope endorses "humble" cars
« Reply #17 on: July 16, 2013, 03:03:40 PM »
Just correcting a silly comment that someone else posted first
You were correcting him for having a different opinion than yours?