Whom did Jesus call friend?

Shut up. And what about the wives of those men. Back in those days the entire family was referred to by the name of the patriarch of the household. Celibacy was not a usual or common thing amongst Jews of that time or even today.

The Catholic church should stop promoting an exclusively homosexual priesthood (in the psychological sense, meaning relations, not only genital, exclusively amongst persons of the same sex).

Lets face it, priesthood should not be homosexual. Women were also friends of Jesus as it is very obvious by reading the Gospels.

Oh dear...how profoundly disappointing. Can this really be true that he edited out Mary Magdalene, the first "friend" to see the risen Lord? I guess this shows what B16 really thinks about women and their place in the Church.

While you are at it don't forget Martha and Mary. Particularly Mary.

The pope and curia probably have few if any women friends, thus it would be easy for them to "overlook" the fact that Jesus did have them. Many in the hierarchy probably went to minor seminaries too, and simply do not know what to make of women except that they are to be avoided as "occasions of sin".

Somewhere in Nebraska there is a woman who does not know how lucky she is that Father So-and-So became a priest.

And what about the good family in Bethany? Lazarus, and Martha and Mary? We never read a word of what Lazarus said. But his sisters are certainly featured. All were considered friends. And what about Mary Magdalene? Not a friend? I think Jesus had a lot of friends---the Pope is missing this point.

In these days when the sexism and racism of "Tarzan", "Tin Tin" and the like are being critiqued, here comes the common sense challenged vatican....

As a woman (still) in the Church, I'm begining to feel like a punching bag. How many more blows will I take before I just walk away?

But these 12 men were his special-wecial friends that he took to secret meetings up on mountaintops while the women were cooking (except for Mary of Bethany who snuck up the mountain and hid in some bushes so she could still to Jesus). So the women don't count and real FOJs, QED.

There is no sense, common or otherwise in the Vatican. There is nonsense.

This new book by the Pope really shows his true colors. He and his fellow Vatican leaders are more interested in re-writing the history of the "Followers of Christ," who were mainly Jews and most of the
apostles were married. Jesus had many disciples who traveled with him on his preaching to the Jews about God's love for them and their must have been many women within this group. I would like to quote from John Dominic Crossan book,
JESUS a REVOLUTIONARY BIOGRAPHY. In his discussion of the apostolic mandate, he indicates that it was given to all who observed Jesus' Ascension into heaven. he states. . ."horror of horrors, then as now, there might have been--must have been--woman among them. It is sad to hear bishops stating that it is a fact that woman were not part of Jesus followers when he was on earth and this is the reason why they cannot be ordained priest. There has been much research done by historians about the early church and it appears that over the 2,000 years there have been many changes from what Jesus intended.

Thank goodness that many of the commentors so far realize that their were many women among Jesus followers while he was preaching to the Jews. Jesus was a Jew not a christian the majority of his followere were Jews too. The apostles were Jews and most of them were married which was normal for them. In the earlier followers of Christ their must have been many women who played an important part in the daily life and religious practice. Remember a woman kissed Jesus feet and anointed them with her tears. Jesus also washed the apostles feet, but none of them were loving enough to do that for him. Women appear throughout the gospels and are always helping Jesus.In John Dominic Crossan's book Jesus, A revolutionary Biography, he makes it clear that women played an important role in the first century. Remember they did not worship in Churches but met to celebrate the Lords Supper in private homes for many years. Often times women owned the homes and also were financial leaders in this new form of the Jewish religon which believed that Jesus Christ was the Messiah and had ascended into Heaven. It seems to me that the efforts of the all male hierarchy are reaching new lows in trying to rewrite history

Well looks like the Pope must really not like women. I wonder what Jesus would say about the new book about the early followers of Christ. This appears to be a new low in the Vatican's efforts to support their claims against the ordination of women. A great deal of historical research has been done about Jesus and his followers over the past few years. From my reading the works of John Dominic Crossan, it appears that many women were followers of Jesus and were also important financial supporters. In the first 100 years or more woman are mentioned in "The Acts of the Apostles" and in Saint Paul's Letters. How some of the bishops and the Vatican can claim that it is a fact that women were not selected by Jesus to be disciples is amazing. We have to remember that the Roman Empire was a man's world and that is part of the problem of understanding why not many women are mentioned in history of the Roman Empire. I hope and pray that the Holy Spirit can enlighten some of our leaders in the Vatican that they may not be correct in their opinions of the early followers of Christ.

I am no longer surprised by the misogynists in the Vatican.
We are now onto B16 and are no longer surprised.
Says one thing does another. Just like the sex abuse scandal.
Oh how Jesus hated the hypocrites.

in the illustration of the book-cover, the friends have notably north-western european faces, and Jesus himself appears positively nordic. is this a foretaste of the author's "new evangelization", in the 21st century?

It is sad that the Pope has tunnel vision and the church has this aversion to women. There will be no growth in the church without a woman's hand in it. The church has only male visions and this is a distortion to say the least.
In all of Scripture women have played a deep role if only its men would look not with their tunnel vision. Could it be that they fail to listen to the voice of the Spirit, in their humanness? Look, Look you men of God, what God has given this special gender, called women, so tender and full of God's grace, and possessing a sacrificial love to those encountered. The life giving body of women are a breath of fresh air, thoughts and visions taken to a level that far surpasses that of men. Their should be no competition among the genders but there should be a realization of the gifts each has to offer working in unison to create a beautiful and bountiful Body of Christ. Men of God, wake up and listen to the voice of the Spirit, what are you afraid of?

Wait; be patient. He is writing a "girlie" book. Should be out by the "Feast of the Annunciation". It is about a girl, well a whole lot of girls, all women in fact woven into a fable about a girl who "waited".

Don't want to give too much away here, but, this girl, she adored and obeyed her father who taught her how to obey. She waited for him every day and he taught her how to be polite to men, to "tut tut" them, but nicely, when they said bad things or did bad things. He taught her how important it was to be a woman, because men needed women to be the "baskets" where the men's babies grew. When she began to experience "changes" her mother explained that they were to help men get rid of their badness, and that she would have to learn to make them think it was not badness, but not too much.

Even though this girl was never bad all the men said that she was, until she met a man called Jesus. Jesus had no badness so she felt really, really good and so she followed him. She was so happy, washing his feet, waiting with him while his men friends ran off scared, serving him food, listening carefully to everything he said, explaining it to his men friends when they didn't understand, doing what she was told and staying out of his way. She really, really understood that Jesus and his men friends didn't really need her and she was very grateful that they let her stay. Jesus really liked her, but not in a badness way. What he liked most about her was that she knew what she was for and never asked why.

Spanish Fr. Julian Carron, president of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation

Let's see, Communion.
Wasn't that the right wing journal RAtzinger joined after seeing that working for Concilium with the Reverend Father Edward Schillebeeckx OP was not going to get him promoted

And here we have Communion and Liberation?

After Ratzinger personally finished off Liberation in the Eighties?

now it is called a Catholic lay ecclesial movement over on
http://communio.stblogs.org/communion-liberation/2010/06/
with an article by Carron about the importance of loving and caring for one's self first and above all else.

see also http://www.comunioneliberazione.org/storiatext/eng/formevita/frater.htm

and of course as always http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communion_and_Liberation which cites NCR's own John Allen and indicates the organization began as an anti-Marxist Catholic integralist group fifty years ago by a monsignor in Italy.

And now we have these excerpts from Ratzinger's General Audiences to the five thousand repackaged as bio's of Jesus's BFF's?

Is this anything like the Joseph and Chico children's book, with Ratzinger's best friend the cat?

closest I can find on amazon is Gli Amici di Bologna

"If God had wanted women to be priests and bishops, he would have made a woman the means of his incarnation, the agent of the first manifestation of his real presence in body and blood.

Oh, wait..."

I doubt it but the book had better be free or else them that take this money will be burned.

...they never abandoned Him...

If the book is really like this (and I have no reason to doubt it), then, as someone had written, where's Peter's denial and where is Judas? Did he betray Jesus or not? Or rather... yes, he never abandoned Jesus, being the direct reason of His death...
I hope there's a misunderstanding with the translation or so. Otherwise... is the Pope writing the New Testament anew? What's his right to do it? The Bible is a holy book and even in a book like this one mentioned in the article it is not possible to put everything in, the contains cannot change the real story of Jesus.

This book is an adaptation of the Pope's Wednesday Audience teachings which focussed on the first Apostles - it was adapted for children. There is a big difference between an adaptation of adult teaching on a particular topic and the actual writing of a book aimed at children. As such, Pope Benedict gave permission for this adaptation. Why such critical attacks? The publisher is the one who chose to make an adaptation and chose the title. Give the Pope a break!

It looks like all of you think that priesthood is the best way to be catholic... 'Apostles' were men like it or not ((Mark 3, 16- 19; Matthews 10, 2-4; Luke 6, 14-16 y Acts l, 13-14), but women were bravest disciples... as it is today. We all are friends of Jesus (John 15, 14-15), 'Apostles' were at a special way... Magdalene too... God bless women, without them Church wouldn't be the same. Again, ask Virgin Mary...

I can’t believe that people are wasting time posting comments on a press release. Wouldn’t it be more intelligent to read the book and then post comments? Well, I guess “National Catholic Distorter” readers are more interested in spouting off the usual tired ideological comments that are generally posted on this site. Use commonsense for God’s sake!

I hope that Pope Benedict's account of Jesus' friends doesn't fail to mention how each one of those twelve men-friends betrayed him, denied him, fell asleep on him when he needed their prayer support, and ran for cover in fear of the authorities. What is a real friend? The one who sticks with you through thick and thin ... who stuck with Jesus and watched him bleed on the cross? And who were the first ones to meet his risen glory? Say no more.

COME ON, People! You are missing the point! He wanted to write a children's book introducing the Apostles to children! He (appropriately) called them Jesus' friends. Does the title say that these were Jesus' ONLY friends?!!? Does it say that inside the book?

Geez! Some people would be terminally disappointed if they couldn't find anything to be offended at!!!

Here's the planned book, "The other friends of Jesus":
http://www.liturgy.co.nz/blog/other-friends-of-jesus/3741

Is this a good book to come out with considering the whole child rape thing?