Why should we pray for the Pope?

Published on April 4, 2005 By Phoenixboi In Blogging

I've been thinking lately about the latest death of the Pope.

Alot of people have been praying for him and calling him a saint etc..

If he was the Pope.. shouldnt he be the closest thing to Jesus on Earth? Then when he dies shouldnt he go straight to heaven and be with Jesus?

Then why do we need to pray for him?

I realise this might stir the pot, but really, he was the Pope.. that I dont think automatically would make him a saint.

Comments

Dr Guy

on Apr 04, 2005

He is not the closest thing to Jesus, but to Peter. And while I am sure that pope John Paul II will go to heaven, that is definitely not the case with all past popes.

As to your main question, I guess it is comforting to the person doing the praying. I, like you, dont think he needs it, but like as often stated, it cant hurt!

I guess it is a way for people to show their respect for the man, not necessarily to earn him brownie points with god.

island_gurl12

on Apr 11, 2005

I dont think one should pray for someone who's dead. We should pray for the people out there who need shelter, food, etc... I guess you can have thoughts about the deceased and relieve situations or whatever. But i dont think prayer does anything for someone who is dead. That's just me though and my beliefs though.

foreverserenity

on Apr 11, 2005

I wondered at this myself with all the media coverage that was going on. I guess because for this generation, he's the Pope most people grew up knowing and will remember. As for a saint? I don't know. I wondered at that too. But I guess with all the good he did in his lifetime, the catholic church will probably make him one.

Nadeon

on Apr 19, 2005

I don't think it's necessarily "praying for" him, as much as it is an expression of faith and of Catholic doctrine. We call that "Communion of the Saints". We believe we are all one in the Father through Christ. Living or departed, we join together to express a myriad of things to God. It's funny how many people can't get behind that concept, but still believe in ideas like those put forth in movies like "White Noise", or acceptance of things like Psychics and Seances. Not quite the same thing, granted, but a similarity of belief in a hereafter or continuance to existence. The very notion of a Ressurection and a Final Judgement of the living "and the dead" speaks to the article of faith of "Communion of the Saints". Remember, in the great Creeds of Christendom, (Nicean, Apostles etc.), we profess to believe that Christ descended into hell; the profession being that He preached the Good News to souls there that had gone before the Messiah's arrival. Given the oppurtunity to choose to believe and be saved or not and remain as they were.
When I pray for someone who has departed, I pray that now that they know the unknown (to us) that their understanding is increased and that they welcome the truths they ignored or did not know before. For a Man of God like John Paul, I would pray that God welcome him home and help us to continue his good works, improve on his imperfect ones, and undo any wrong ones. Kind of like commending someone. Me commending a Pope to God? Sure why not? God sees us all as equal through faith in Christ.

Welcome Guest! Please take the time to register with us.
There are many great features available to you once you register, including:

Richer content, access to many features that are disabled for guests like commenting on the forums.
Access to a great community, with a massive database of many, many areas of interest.
Access to contests & subscription offers like exclusive emails.
It's simple, and FREE!