Or, at least, the Catholic Church. I say, we send the un-manned drones we're using in Afghanistan/Pakistan to Vatican City for some carpet-bombing. I mean, really, what's it going to take?
On his recent trip through the continent of Africa, the Pope, in one spoken sentence, doomed millions to the ravages of HIV/AIDS. How? He said that a) condoms do not prevent the spread of HIV but helps to spread it, and b) (assuming, even if they did work, perhaps?) to use them would be sacrilege. Seriously, who else in the world could not only get away with this, but be applauded as a harbinger of peace and love? My ass. More like death and destruction.
Some months ago, the Pope got into minor trouble for allowing an outspoken Holocaust-revisionist to re-enter the higher ranks of the Church, after being ousted for the unseemliness. At the time, I wondered, like most of the media, how is it one of the most powerful people in the world was so out of touch as to not see this as a public-relations problem. (Well, being the Pope can be sheltering, no doubt. But, c'mon, he's from Germany.) Really, the question was asking how come he didn't get any good advice about the situation.
But, now, I think I know the answer and the more accurate question. The answer to the previous question, is that he, and his minions, don't care. Specifically, the impression of rolling-back earlier attempts at conciliation with Jews, and other "outsiders," (such as some of what came out of the Vatican II Council, in the 1960's, what many today criticize as too liberal and reformed) wasn't a mistake--because that's exactly what they were trying to do.
The better question, then?
Are we really supposed to think that one of the oldest, venerated, respected (ha!), moneyed and powerful institutions in the history of the world made a PR-snafu of this magnitude? As implied by Occam's razor, this simply can't be the case. And I doubt very much it is this time, for Africa, either. Although, perhaps most exasperating is that, as far as I've heard, no one has criticized the Pope this time as much as last.
So, that brings us to an ugly equation, representing the world's sentiment concerning the Pope's actions and words:
The lives of Jews, dead over 60 years > (for those of you math illiterate, are of greater value than) the future dead of Africans alive today... all of which = bullshit.
(The below is a graphic reminder of why the last thing Africa needs right now is this utter crap from some white dude in a silly hat.)
On his recent trip through the continent of Africa, the Pope, in one spoken sentence, doomed millions to the ravages of HIV/AIDS. How? He said that a) condoms do not prevent the spread of HIV but helps to spread it, and b) (assuming, even if they did work, perhaps?) to use them would be sacrilege. Seriously, who else in the world could not only get away with this, but be applauded as a harbinger of peace and love? My ass. More like death and destruction.
Some months ago, the Pope got into minor trouble for allowing an outspoken Holocaust-revisionist to re-enter the higher ranks of the Church, after being ousted for the unseemliness. At the time, I wondered, like most of the media, how is it one of the most powerful people in the world was so out of touch as to not see this as a public-relations problem. (Well, being the Pope can be sheltering, no doubt. But, c'mon, he's from Germany.) Really, the question was asking how come he didn't get any good advice about the situation.
But, now, I think I know the answer and the more accurate question. The answer to the previous question, is that he, and his minions, don't care. Specifically, the impression of rolling-back earlier attempts at conciliation with Jews, and other "outsiders," (such as some of what came out of the Vatican II Council, in the 1960's, what many today criticize as too liberal and reformed) wasn't a mistake--because that's exactly what they were trying to do.
The better question, then?
Are we really supposed to think that one of the oldest, venerated, respected (ha!), moneyed and powerful institutions in the history of the world made a PR-snafu of this magnitude? As implied by Occam's razor, this simply can't be the case. And I doubt very much it is this time, for Africa, either. Although, perhaps most exasperating is that, as far as I've heard, no one has criticized the Pope this time as much as last.
So, that brings us to an ugly equation, representing the world's sentiment concerning the Pope's actions and words:
The lives of Jews, dead over 60 years > (for those of you math illiterate, are of greater value than) the future dead of Africans alive today... all of which = bullshit.
(The below is a graphic reminder of why the last thing Africa needs right now is this utter crap from some white dude in a silly hat.)
1 comment:
it doesn't get much more antichrist-y.
Post a Comment