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Pope Francis named TIME person of the year.
- dutchbrit 13y agoI think that the majority here, like me, was rooting for Snowden.
- anonymfus 13y agohttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6887410 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6887410 "Time Person of the Year 2013", 1 hour ago, 38 points, 57 comments.
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- kintamanimatt 13y agoAlso, I've got a feeling that was flagged to death.
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- mcmillion 13y agoHave you read about any of the things he's done? As an atheist, I actually kind of admire him.
- andrewcooke 13y agopresumably only catholics would claim that he does (the linked article certainly doesn't). there is no known "right answer" for questions of morality - you get to pick your own framework. if you feel that morality is based on personal decisions then clearly the pope doesn't choose for you. but from what i see of catholics here in chile it seems that they have a different vision of things, where he does have authority (presumably informed in some way by their god). if you really want to know more, a catholic priest is probably a good person to ask... [sorry if this seems like a weird answer; i find your question odd. it's like you are trying to make a point, but it's hard to see what it is, so i end up just answering with the obvious. presumably you're aware that religions exist, that he's head of the catholic church, etc.]
- iterationx 13y agoA pope is the successor of St Peter and guided by the Holy Spirit when he makes a declaration on faith or morals to the universal church. This is called infallibility. So that is the answer to your question, and it would be normally the case except this particular pope has lost his office through heresy and he is an antipope according to Catholic teaching. The reason that he is so significant to the world, and the reason that the atheists and the left love him so much is he is declaring that the Catholic faith is not necessary for salvation and he is changing Catholicism to emphasize "social justice" and not sin and morality. Almost everyone can acknowledge that this is a revolutionary teaching and they are heaping praise on him. Even Planned Parenthood posted a big "Thank you Pope Francis" on their Facebook page to him.
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- ondiekijunior 13y agodoesn't deserve it a bit. Snowden brought up a debate that is lasting, that concerns us. there is nothing the pope brought up that defined the year. Mandela would have been a better choice.
- kintamanimatt 13y agoA comment from reddit might explain the farce: "For those curious, I have a friend who worked at Time magazine for many decades and I asked him once how they choose the Person of the Year. He said that while on paper they claim to ask everyone who works there and such, in actuality a board of editors/managers/etc go into a conference room and try to figure out the sweet spot of "person it seems plausible we chose, but is still slightly controversial so we can sell a lot of issues." (Presidential election years are almost boring, as whoever wins is virtually guaranteed to get it.) I'm guessing, based on that, it came down to Snowden vs Pope Francis and the board decided there are a lot of Catholics who were going to buy the magazine if he was on the cover... and older people who are more likely to buy magazines." http://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/1smplz/pope_francis_is_times_person_of_the_year_for_2013/cdz3vm2 http://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/1smplz/pope_franc...
- untog 13y agoWhile I agree that Snowden would have been a great choice, I don't think the Pope is a bad one. He's ushered in a new era in one of the biggest religions in the world. It just doesn't impact on the Hacker News crowd so much.
- infruset 13y agoI don't think the (absolute) merits of Francis are questioned by comments so much as their weight relative to that of Snowden's revelation. Furthermore, a new Catholic leader who shows something different from the hate and bigotry we've seen in the past may be positive, but it shouldn't be something we celebrate as the single best accomplishment in a year IMHO.
- drcube 13y agoThis guy has said a lot of nice things since becoming pope, and I want to give him the benefit of the doubt. It really seems like he's clawing back some of the PR and good will Catholics lost over the last few decades. But the cynic in me only sees a propaganda machine that's finally firing on all cylinders again. I mean, forgetting what he said, what has he actually done?
- namlem 13y agoFor one, he's gone out into the slums himself and talked to the poor directly.
- cafard 13y agoI am reminded of 2008 - 2009. My question: will he get his Nobel Peace Prize before the world wakes up and notices that he is in fact head of the Roman Catholic Church?
- drallison 13y agoPerson of the Year (formerly Man of the Year) is an annual issue of the United States newsmagazine Time that features and profiles a person, group, idea or object that "for better or for worse, ...has done the most to influence the events of the year." [Wikipedia] The Pope has had little influence on the events of the year. Of the nominees, Snowden would seem a best fit.