Thai Cardinal

[ncr]

I am by no means Catholic, but the Papal election is nevertheless very interesting (as well as momentous for the whole world).....!

List of Papal electors in the 2005 conclave (Wikipedia)

Here and here is some info on the Thai cardinal taking part, Archbishop of Bangkok Michael Michai Kitbunchu.

He was the first Thai ever to be created a cardinal, by the way.

[GWR]

And to be honest I've seen his name spelt the latter way the majority of times. I guess Michael is a sort of anglisization (perhaps not the most apt word) of Michai.

Meechai is a slang term for a condom, after that famous birth-control advocate Meechai Viravaidya. I suspect a strategic spelling change has occurred at some point in history.

[ncr]

Originally Posted by GWR

Meechai is a slang term for a condom, after that famous birth-control advocate Meechai Viravaidya.

Yeah, funny coincidence, that.... his name might sound like "Cardinal Condom" to Thai ears....

[GWR]

I guess in the Phillipines they would call that a 'Cardinal Sin'.

[ncr]

Originally Posted by GWR

I guess in the Phillipines they would call that a 'Cardinal Sin'.

But enough of those unholy puns!

[GWR]

Cardinal Ratsinger has already been chosen. I'm sure there's a pun there somewhere

[AMRivlin]

Thanks, this is interesting information. I am curious however, the catholic population in Bangkok is great enough to require the services of a cardinal or is he stationed elsewhere and I didnt catch that.

[ncr]

Originally Posted by GWR

Cardinal Ratsinger has already been chosen. I'm sure there's a pun there somewhere

His name is written with a 'z' (not rat singer....)

[ncr]

Originally Posted by AMRivlin

Thanks, this is interesting information. I am curious however, the catholic population in Bangkok is great enough to require the services of a cardinal or is he stationed elsewhere and I didnt catch that.

The Archdiocese of Bangkok comprises around 80,000 catholic christians, out of a total population of 12.2 million in its area (Ayutthaya, Bangkok, Nakhon Pathom, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon and Suphanburi, parts of Chachoengsao and Nakhon Nayok). Also see this table. Altogether there seem to be about 290,000 catholics in Thailand.

There's also yet more info on Cardinal Michai here.

[GWR]

Originally Posted by ncr

His name is written with a 'z' (not rat singer....)

Yes, I didn't bother to look it up. And is he Pope Benedict or Pope Benedictus?

[Ahoerstemeier]

Originally Posted by GWR

Yes, I didn't bother to look it up. And is he Pope Benedict or Pope Benedictus?

Benedict is the English spelling, Benedictus the Latin. As Latin is still the official language in Vatican Benedictus is more correct

BTW: Nice to see you liked the Wikipedia articles about the Catholic church in Thailand - it was me who wrote almost all of those (sadly rather short) articles.

[ncr]

Originally Posted by GWR

Cardinal Ratsinger has already been chosen. I'm sure there's a pun there somewhere

Well, the British quality newspaper The Sun was (predictably) first: "From Hitler Youth to Papa Ratzi" they titled (cited on Yahoo News today). Uahahaha. Boy, they must have a whole department for thinking up stupid headlines.

[Ahoerstemeier]

Originally Posted by ncr

Well, the British quality newspaper The Sun was (predictably) first: "From Hitler Youth to Papa Ratzi" they titled (cited on Yahoo News today).

The British "quality newspapers" are always keen to do some Krauts bashing, only sad that there are more than enough readers who think in such ways as well. But our German tabloid press wasn't much better, the BILD titled with "Wir sind Papst" (We are pope).

[ncr]

Now the new pope's old car is being auctioned on Ebay (and set to fetch more than 1 million Euro):

Yahoo News, 28 April 2005

[ncr]

From MCOT/TNA, 3 May 2005:

Thai cardinal proud to have helped choose Pope

BANGKOK, May 3 (TNA) - The head of Thailand's 300,000-strong Roman Catholic community has expressed his pride of being among the cardinals who helped choose the latest pope.

In an interview to Thailand's Catholic media, Cardinal Michael Meechai Kitbunchu said that helping participate in the Catholic history by being among the 115 cardinals who elected Pope Benedict XVI was a personal experience of great value.

The first Thai national to ever assist in choosing a pope, Cardinal Michael described Pope Benedict XVI as a man of gentleness and humility.

He also revealed that around 40 young Thai Catholics would attend a Catholic youth meeting in the German city of Cologne next August when the new pope paid his first foreign visit. (TNA)--