Image via WikipediaTallyman as an excellent post pointing out that the mainstream media and many blogs (including me!) got the Pope's message wrong. Now I was working from what was reported in the media considering the Pope's speech was in Latin. Tallyman points out that there was "nothing new" in the speech but that the Pope was "following some very simplistic, narrow logic". As he points out the "Pope regularly says things like this. This is something that we all understand to be Roman Catholic doctrine. How many gays still attend Church knowing this?". I, like him, know lots!
The most important part in Tallyman's post is when he points out that the Pope "does not single out the gay community in his New Years message." (Emphasis his). In fact he points out the over arching theme of the message which was“Fighting Poverty to build Peace” which is a good idea.
He goes to point out that the Pope mainly called for teaching of abstinence to be considered a way of halting the spread of diseases, such as AIDS, and connects these diseases to poverty. Now while some people disagree with this way of halting the spread of AIDS, it must be admitted that it is one of halting the spread of the disease.
Tallyman concludes with the following
So, in one line the Pope has incensed the Gays, the Greens and certain sections of the media to declare him as inciting hatred. The Pope stuck to Catholic (albeit misguided dogma) in relation to what it deems to be a natural order. It didn’t tell all good Catholics to shun their homosexual neighbours, disown their homosexual children, or rise up in revolt against governments legislating for civil partnership. He asked us to me good Christians, to be mindful of the poor in this festive season and combat corruption and immorality in the name of the poor.
I don’t really see the harm in that.
So this to me seams to be logical, so why then did the Mainstream media take up the Pope's message wrong? Why were we led to believe that he was equating Homosexuality with Climate Change?
While I am no fan of the Pope, I don't think it is right that when he says something, it is misrepresented. As Tallyman puts it "i find any distortion of the Pope’s message by LGBT groups, the media, and those looking for a sound-byte, a bit rich, worrying, and it has to be said, gay." Sentiments I agree with completely.
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Did he say anything about priests screwing children?
ReplyDeletenope he didnt :(
ReplyDeleteThere are two speeches being mixed up here. The is the Christmas Greeting with members of the Roman Curia et al. (originally in Italian, not Latin) http://url.ie/10x1 and the message for the 1st Jan 2009, World Day of Peace http://url.ie/10x2
ReplyDeleteIn the first, to the Cardinals, he clearly denounces gender theory as being a rejection of their theory of creation and therefore a danger to mankind. Even though there is no call to arms, the identification of a threat is like Bush declaring certain countries to be part of an Axis of Evil - it has consequences!
Yes, the Pope and the Church say this repeatedly. I found a nice quote here from the Vatican:
"parents must also reject the promotion of so-called "safe sex" or "safer sex", a dangerous and immoral policy based on the deluded theory that the condom can provide adequate protection against AIDS. Parents must insist on continence outside marriage and fidelity in marriage as the only true and secure education for the prevention of this contagious disease."
But people tend to gloss over these opinions or assume that the Church has changed and become more reasonable. This is a reminder that such attitudes have not changed and where its priorities lie.
Here is another little quote for you from the same speech. I take it to mean that if you ain't in the Catholic church, you're f*cked
"Paul definitively teaches us that the Church is the Body of Christ, that the Head and the Body are inseparable, and that that it is not possible to love Christ without love for His Church and its living community"
The message of peace came out a day or two later and of course it was vetted by the PR dept. to contain lots of nice well-meaning sentiment to make up for the blunder a few days previously. The cynic in me thinks the 'new year' message might have been released early to divert attention from this gaffe.
oh yeah, ecology normally applies to the environment so he must have been talking about the salvation of the earth and suggested we needed and ecology of the human being as well as for the rest of nature
Joe, While I know they are two seperate speeches, I dont think I made it clear in the post. But I was commenting on other post.
ReplyDeleteThe quote you pulled on safe sex, is known catholic teaching so nothing new there.
And for the other quote every religion says that! The original commandment "Love Thy Neighbour", meant love your neighbour who is a Jew not everyone else. Every religion claims it is the one true way, so again nothing new.
Do we no live on the earth? Are we not as much a part of the environment as animals? Maybe that is what the Pope was getting at. The breakdown of society, which also seams to be coinciding with the need to tackle climate change.
While I do not agree with the Pope's sentiments, you have to look at it objectively.
objectively, the Church not only teaches abstinence but actively discourages the use of condoms for safe sex.
ReplyDeleteThe pope has singled out gender theory as a destructive influence on mankind.
Is there not an implication that to be a good Christian, one must reject gender theory and the use of condoms and other contraceptive methods?
And on a sidenote, monotheistic religions believe in one God, but what about polytheism? And what about those that are agnostic or atheist?
The so-called breakdown of society is more of a subjective topic...
Again the condom/safe sex thing is well known Catholic teaching. I dont agree with it, but its not surprising.
ReplyDeleteOn the issue of Gender theory though, again we all know the Churchs position on Gender roles etc, the Pope (or the Church) hasnt spoken out against it in this way before but is it a surprise they did?