Tawdry and bigoted

[Thinking Man's Idiot]

Tawdry and bigoted

(Tuesday 23 December 2008)
WHAT a tawdry and bigoted statement from Pope Benedict and what a failure to give a moral lead on the vexed issue of hate crimes that afflict so many societies.

He is free to lead a celibate lifestyle, if that has been his free choice, but this hardly fits him to lecture the rest of us on "the intended roles of man and woman."

And, given the Roman Catholic church's shameful record on child abuse and other forms of sexual exploitation, a record which was made worse by systematic campaigns to cover up the levels of abuse, the Pope might have paused before using words like "intrinsic moral evil."
The medieval church stoked the fires of anti-semitism through its designation of Jews as Christ-killers, sustaining a tradition of pogroms against Jewish communities in central and eastern Europe.
It has apologised for this record in recent years and sought to build bridges with Jewish religious leaders. But how much trust can be placed in its utterances of regret and pledges of respect if it has simply moved on to a new scapegoat?
It beggars belief that any serious religious leader could equate the effects of gay sex or any consensual sexual activity with the destruction of the world's remaining rainforest.
Such bizarre comments will simply provide a justification for anti-gay bigots to express their hatred through violence against gay men and to persuade themselves that they are doing God's work.
The Pope appears to have an unhealthy obsession with homosexuality, which causes him to concentrate his fire on gay men rather than on an absolute raft of issues that cause death, destruction and suffering.
Why did he not concentrate on the need to end imperialism's wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, which have led to the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of civilians?
Why did he not speak out about corporate greed and exploitation that sees millions of people starving, illiterate and prone to disease while a tiny minority wallows in luxury?
He could have taken a similar stance to Palestinian Patriarch Fouad Twal, who spoke out against the ongoing suffering of the Palestinian people under Israeli military occupation and brutal economic siege.
The patriarch expressed his longing for "a manifestation of the saviour's grace that will put an end to the occupation and the injustice."
Throughout Latin America, notwithstanding the hostility of senior conservative clergy, Catholic priests stand alongside poor communities, supporting action for change rather than preaching submission or acquiescence.
The Morning Star does not dispense religious sermons or attempt to pontificate on the finer points of religious belief. Our paper is committed to a secular society, which guarantees religious freedom for everyone and rejects attempts by any faith to force acceptance of its tenets on the rest of society.
The Morning Star is also committed to an equality agenda, which will not accept the right of any creed to stir up hatred against people on the basis of their religion, race, gender, disability or sexual orientation.
Pope Benedict has placed himself in opposition to that agenda of equality and failed to give a moral lead to millions of Catholics who look to the church for one.

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