Help Me Understand
 

I want to ask about something specific, but feel free to use this thread for questions about any current events that you don't want to make a whole thread for.

Help me understand the big deal about the pope. I don't really have a Catholic background, and most of what I understand is he's basically the top guy in the hierarchy of... whatever it is that's apparently extremely important to a lot of people.
To me, it's just a guy in a position that doesn't affect me. But I keep hearing people freaking out about the fact that a new pope was chosen. Isn't that inevitable?
And why does it get so much news coverage? Basically the media is in a frenzy for however long it takes for the right color smoke to come out, then after it happens and a couple days pass, the frenzy dies down and everyone goes on with their lives without ever mentioning anything at all about popes until one dies and another takes his place.

If he's that important, why isn't he in the news all the time? Or do people really just get excited over the whole "who's gonna be the next pope? Not that I care or even know who the guy is! But still!!!!"

I mean, that's the impression I get.
Any takers?

He's the most powerful person in the largest and most powerful denomination of the largest and most powerful religion on planet so when they select a new one it's not surprising that it's pretty big news. When the popes are in office they're pretty big news as well. I'd definitely say I see more news stories about the pope throughout a given year than I do about 90% of the heads of state in the world.

I'm surprised it's covered so much too. I don't to notice many stories about the Pope in New Zealand papers but of course they are covering the new Pope being elected.

The entire, and I mean entire, news was dedicated to him yesterday. They even ran an extended version to make sure they got the announcement and the blessing!

Yeah, I find it ridiculous too: people were crying, punching the air, as if some great event had just taken place. I suppose from the point of view of practicing Catholics, the pope is God's representative on Earth, the highest position in the Catholic Church, and with the stepping down of Pope Nazi there woudl have been worry about who was going to take over. Sometimes these things take a long time and while there's no pope I guess people feel they're without a leader, not that he leads much.

It's pretty pathetic. It's like people can't think for themselves without a pope. A better idea would have been to have elected no one and told people to look after their own lives and follow their own hearts, but sure, people can't do that can they?

How long now to another scandal, I wonder?

I get why some people care so much, but I just don't know why news coverage has to interrupt General Hospital two days in a row. I hope Diane Sawyer gets pushed down a flight of stairs.

Maybe he was senile and a few cups of prune juice away from calling a religious war against jellyfish and rye bread.

Religious people who can't think for themselves? Shocking!

Makes sense. That much I understood. But it seems like if the pope was really so awesome 365 days a year, people would be all, "OMFG! POPE IS BEING POPE! LA LA LA... SITTING THERE IN HIS HAT LIKE A BADASS! THIS IS SO AMAZING. (4 months later...) I LIVE FOR THE KNOWLEDGE THAT THE POPE IS BREATHING STILL! LOOK AT HIM! LOOOK AT HIM!!!! WOOOOO POPES!!!!!"

But in reality they're all, "POPES!!! WOOOOOO!!!.... (24 hours later) BREAKING BAD WOOOOOO! WALKING DEAD WOOOOOOO!!!! EVERYTHING ELSE EXCEPT POPES WOOOOOOO!!!!!"
It's almost like, to the general public, new popes are a summer fashion trend, and they only freak out about it when the style burns out and comes back around full circle in like 10-15 years.

Is you trolling, or is you suggesting Atheists or Agnostics are somehow markedly different in this regard?

*fart*