Week in Religion
Jorge Bergoglio, former archbishop of Buenos Aires, was elected pope on Wednesday. Bergoglio chose the name Francis for his papacy. He is the first pope from Latin America, the forst non-European pope of the modern era and the first Pope Francis. The papal Twitter account is active again, and the message "Habemus Papam Franciscum," translating to "We have Pope Francis," was tweeted shortly after Francis addressed the crowd. In his first address, he asked the crowds gathered in St. Peter's Square and watching the broadcast to pray for the emeritus pope.
Geography of the papal conclave
Percentage of the world's Catholics and percentage of cardinal electors in a region, according to Pew Research:
North America: Catholics - 8 percent, electors - 12 percent
Latin America/Caribbean: Catholics - 39 percent, electors - 17 percent
Europe: Catholics - 24 percent, electors - 52 percent
Middle East/North Africa: Catholics - 1 percent, electors - 2 percent
Sub-Saharan Africa: Catholics - 16 percent, electors - 9 percent
Asia/Pacific: Catholics - 12 percent, electors - 9 percent
Good Book?
"Why Priests? A Failed Tradition" by Garry Wills
Bestselling author of "Papal Sin" and "Why I Am a Catholic," Garry Wills spent five years as a young man at a Jesuit seminary and nearly became a priest himself. But after a lifetime of study and reflection, he now poses some challenging questions: Why do we need priests at all? Why did the priesthood arise in a religion that began without it and opposed it? Would Christianity be stronger without the priesthood, as it was at its outset?
Meticulously researched, persuasively argued, and certain to spark debate, "Why Priests?" asserts that the anonymous Letter to Hebrews, a late addition to the New Testament canon, helped inject the priesthood into a Christianity where it did not exist, along with such concomitants as belief in an apostolic succession, the real presence in the Eucharist, the sacrificial interpretation of the Mass, and the ransom theory of redemption. But Wills does not expect the priesthood to fade entirely away. He just reminds us that Christianity did without it in the time of Peter and Paul with notable success.
Wills concludes with a powerful statement of his own beliefs in a book that will appeal to believers and nonbelievers alike and stand for years to come as a towering achievement.
-- Amazon.com
Quote of the Week
"We are always on the anvil; by trials God is shaping us for higher things." - Henry Ward Beecher
The Word
Tawhid: Pronounced “tau-HEED.” The concept that denotes the oneness and unity of God; it is the basis of Islam.
-- Religionstylebook.com
Religion Around the World
The religious makeup of Ethiopia, according to CIA World Factbook:
Ethiopian Orthodox: 43.5 percent
Muslim: 33.9 percent
Protestant: 18.6 percent
Traditional: 2.6 percent
Catholic: 0.7 percent
Other: 0.7 percent
GateHouse News Service
Week in Religion
Jorge Bergoglio, former archbishop of Buenos Aires, was elected pope on Wednesday. Bergoglio chose the name Francis for his papacy. He is the first pope from Latin America, the forst non-European pope of the modern era and the first Pope Francis. The papal Twitter account is active again, and the message "Habemus Papam Franciscum," translating to "We have Pope Francis," was tweeted shortly after Francis addressed the crowd. In his first address, he asked the crowds gathered in St. Peter's Square and watching the broadcast to pray for the emeritus pope.
Geography of the papal conclave
Percentage of the world's Catholics and percentage of cardinal electors in a region, according to Pew Research:
North America: Catholics - 8 percent, electors - 12 percent
Latin America/Caribbean: Catholics - 39 percent, electors - 17 percent
Europe: Catholics - 24 percent, electors - 52 percent
Middle East/North Africa: Catholics - 1 percent, electors - 2 percent
Sub-Saharan Africa: Catholics - 16 percent, electors - 9 percent
Asia/Pacific: Catholics - 12 percent, electors - 9 percent
Good Book?
"Why Priests? A Failed Tradition" by Garry Wills
Bestselling author of "Papal Sin" and "Why I Am a Catholic," Garry Wills spent five years as a young man at a Jesuit seminary and nearly became a priest himself. But after a lifetime of study and reflection, he now poses some challenging questions: Why do we need priests at all? Why did the priesthood arise in a religion that began without it and opposed it? Would Christianity be stronger without the priesthood, as it was at its outset?
Meticulously researched, persuasively argued, and certain to spark debate, "Why Priests?" asserts that the anonymous Letter to Hebrews, a late addition to the New Testament canon, helped inject the priesthood into a Christianity where it did not exist, along with such concomitants as belief in an apostolic succession, the real presence in the Eucharist, the sacrificial interpretation of the Mass, and the ransom theory of redemption. But Wills does not expect the priesthood to fade entirely away. He just reminds us that Christianity did without it in the time of Peter and Paul with notable success.
Wills concludes with a powerful statement of his own beliefs in a book that will appeal to believers and nonbelievers alike and stand for years to come as a towering achievement.
-- Amazon.com
Quote of the Week
"We are always on the anvil; by trials God is shaping us for higher things." - Henry Ward Beecher
The Word
Tawhid: Pronounced “tau-HEED.” The concept that denotes the oneness and unity of God; it is the basis of Islam.
-- Religionstylebook.com
Religion Around the World
The religious makeup of Ethiopia, according to CIA World Factbook:
Ethiopian Orthodox: 43.5 percent
Muslim: 33.9 percent
Protestant: 18.6 percent
Traditional: 2.6 percent
Catholic: 0.7 percent
Other: 0.7 percent
GateHouse News Service
