Altar Ego

Ah we're back to the Vatican today ...

One of the most glorious aspects of the United States is -- was? -- the First Amendment to its constitution, the one that led to the ''separation of church and state.''

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

But, as we have seen in recent years, especially with former President George W. Bush claiming to have a hotline to God and all, is a lot of religion-based rhetoric horning into affairs of the state.

Which leads to the latest from the Pope, as detailed here by Dr. Prole over at A Creative Revolution.

I know you probably long for the good old days of the Inquisition, or more recently the Third Reich.  It must have been nice to have complete control of every thing and every one, most especially women, whom you believe are responsible for sin.

<SNIP>

So when you come around to our politicians and try to impose your medieval mindset, we tend to bristle a little.  

VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday told U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, a Catholic who supports abortion rights, that Catholic politicians have a duty to protect life "at all stages of its development."

Pelosi is the first top Democrat to meet with Benedict since the election of Barack Obama, who won a majority of the American Catholic vote despite differences with the Vatican on abortion.

The Vatican released the pope's remarks to Pelosi, saying Benedict spoke of the church's teaching "on the dignity of human life from conception to natural death." That is an expression often used by the pope when expressing opposition to abortion.

Benedict said all Catholics — especially legislators, jurists and political leaders — should work to create "a just system of laws capable of protecting human life at all stages of its development."

Kindly mind your own business.  Why not have a eunuch get you a nice glass of wine, kick off your Prada loafers and put your feet up for a while?  Forget about the things you don't have control over anymore - like American women.  Focus on the things you do have power over, say, pedophile priests?

Now I must say, Dr. P is a tad harsh on His Holiness elsewhere in the post. And even though the Pope  was a member of the Hitler Youth, it's a stretch to call him a Nazi. (He was just following orders?  in a position where he had no choice.)

That said, I am still confounded by his recent re-admission of a Holocaust denying bishop to the Church ... but I digress.

Except I don't.

As JTA blogger Ron Kampeas asks:

I mean, I understand the church's sensitivities on the abortion issue. I do. But where does he get off lecturing anyone about the death of innocents after the Williamson fiasco?

But here's the thing:

The Church has never thought women are ''innocent,'' has it? It has also always valued the life of the unborn child over that of its mother. In fact, the Church is so leery of women, it keeps them as far away as possible, except when it comes to holding bake sales.

But now I do digress.

Separation of Church and State, Your Popiness.

That includes the state of women's rights.

Comments

[Kat]

I have got to say: that is by far the creepiest photo of any pope, real or fictional, I have ever seen. Well done.

[sooey]

Are there still communion ceremonies where little girls dress up in white to become brides of Christ or are they considered inappropriate nowadays?

[Dr. Prole]

Awww c'mon Antonia, I called him an "ex-Nazi". Which is true. ;)

Thanks for the link - I'm honored!

[Sebastian Stoker]

The fact that the Catholic church does not allow its [male] clergy to marry means that it should be hands off regarding all issues related to family and - particularly - women, especially in the secular forum. And it is obscene that the church attempts to coerce Catholic politicians in countries where there is a clear separation of church and state.

Pope Benedict needs to get his own house in order, before interfering in other's. As has already been pointed out, there is the scandal of his own history, those of the church, and the current controversies.

Is the church interested in dialogue, healing, spiritual evolution? I think not. Is the church's stand on abortion disinterested. No way!

As with all religions, the survival of the Catholic church depends on the ever-expanding army of believers. One less child is one less potential Catholic settler, pilgrim, warrior. The Churches position on reproductive rights is highly disingenuous, its attitude benighted at best.

[The Stygian and his Shemitish Dogs]

"And it is obscene that the church attempts to coerce Catholic politicians in countries where there is a clear separation of church and state."

Stoker you Smoker,

The Church is finally enforcing its own rules. It's not "coercing "Catholic" politicians", it's simply reminding them that there are certain things they cannot do, such as supporting abortion, gay marriage, etc. while claiming to be good Catholics, in good standing with the Church, eligible to receive the sacraments, etc.

One solution would be for such politicians to announce they are leaving the Church. Not a thing the Church could, should, or would, do about about it, except refuse them the sacraments. But they can't do that and continue to hoodwink such of their voters as do remain "good Catholics", of whom there are still quite a few, so they have to pretend that they ARE still good Catholics. The Church is waking up to this subterfuge at last.

"Pope Benedict needs to get his own house in order, before interfering in other's."

I submit that the above shows that that is precisely what he is doing.

[Sebastian Stoker]

Stygian,

If every Catholic who did not follow doctrine left the church, we would have the biggest garage sale and real estate sell off in history. I do not know of any large Catholic families, and I do not think this is because Catholic couples are abstaining from sex.

Probably 99 percent of Catholics do, or have done, one of the following: "lived in sin", masturbated, used birth control, gotten divorced, skipped a mass, not observed Lent. I do not think that even the Pope would want to challenge the Catholic population with a "my way or the highway" stance.

Anyway, after the pedophile sex scandal, the church threw many of it rules out the window in order to ensure that it kept Catholics in the fold. For example the requirement that a baby be named after a saint in order to be baptized has frequently been drop. (As a result, twenty or so years from now, a church service may be populated with Dakota's, Rain's, Apple's and Helicopterpilot's.)

I only wish that politicians pressured by the Church would leave it immediately. I want my elected representatives to behave as employees of my government, representatives of a diverse population (which includes atheists and secularists), not as moles for the Church. If a religious person is going to have conflicts of interest being a politician in a secular world, then I do not want him or her in office. I will not vote for someone who trumpets his religious affiliation, as his religion is none of my business, and should not interfere with my life in any way.

You seem to suggest that the Church is taking a wholly rational and rigid line with Catholics in the west. This is obviously not the case. The Church flip-flops, unwilling to lay down the law because Europe and North America still holds the power and influence so needed. If there was a schism within the church, and the Vatican was left in command of nothing more than the Catholic populations in Africa, South America, and the small pockets of followers scattered throughout the rest of the second and third world, it would quickly collapse. The Church needs first world Catholics to buttress against the other two of the big three - Islam and Judaism.

As for the Church getting its own house in order -Where? Where? How? Paying off victims of the sex scandals, covering the tracks of the perpetrators, and failing to acknowledge an inherent problem is not fixing anything. Let us not mention the church's dubious historical connections to the witch trials (an act of genocide directed at women) Antisemitism and the Nazis.

This pious, dogmatic, dictatorial approach will not work, not in the west. The Church needs to realize that it is no longer talking to a body of believers largely made up of ignorant peasants and bleary-eyed factory workers, used to blindly acting on the commands from the boss's office, the PMO, or the pulpit.

Anyway, the Church needs to be reminded of one of Jesus' most significant commands: Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.