This Pope simply will not shut up about economic justice
Francis’ oppressive tolerance and totalitarian love for humanity – and the way it delivers roundhouse kick after roundhouse kick to the hypocrisy of American “Christians” is endlessly entertaining to me. I daresay, if he had been the Pope when George Bush concocted a pretext to bomb the shit out of Iraq simply because he had a hard on to bomb Iraq – this Pope might have had a few words to say about it.
By Philip Pullella, ReutersVATICAN CITY – Pope Francis said in the first peace message of his pontificate that huge salaries and bonuses are symptoms of an economy based on greed and inequality and called again for nations to narrow the wealth gap.
In his message for the Roman Catholic Church’s World Day of Peace, marked around the world on January 1, he also called for sharing of wealth and for nations to shrink the gap between rich and poor, more of whom are getting only “crumbs.”
“The grave financial and economic crises of the present time … have pushed man to seek satisfaction, happiness and security in consumption and earnings out of all proportion to the principles of a sound economy,” he said.
#atheists4thepope
The last two Popes opposed the war in Iraq. No one was listening.
Maybe it is wishful thinking, but I think this guy would have gone beyond the perfunctory admonishments delivered by the Nazi Popes.
Plenty of *Americans* were against the war in Iraq and they were ignored too. And called names. This guy is running a buzz saw straight across Lee Atwater’s fundamental insight into these people — that their resentments *are* their religion. He is also running a buzz saw right across the Pete Peterson, Koch Bros, et al project to demonize poor people.
The previous Popes spoke several times on different occasions against the Iraq War. No one was listening then, and only a few more people are listening to this Pope now. Perhaps the current Pope is giving a perfunctory admonishment now and people are listening?
In Right Wing politics, the Pope doesn’t carry much weight because the base doesn’t think he is a “real” Christian leading a “real” Christian faith.
They may both (Pope & the Right) agree on abortion, but that is an alliance of convenience.
Pope John Paul II was not a Nazi.
“the base doesn’t think he is a “real” Christian leading a “real” Christian faith. ”
Very true. Partially because while the Church promotes bible literacy, it doesn’t take the bible literally, which is why the Church has no problem with earth being more than 6,000 years old.
The faith of biblical literalists is not true faith because the bedrock is the bible and as the bible goes, so goes their faith. Hence their incessant need to challenge science whenever they perceive a conflict. I like asking ‘real’ Christians whether they would still believe in God if there were no bible.
The Church has a long unbroken history, replete with ‘good’ popes and ‘bad’ popes. Mostly though, popes (being human) are complex individuals and can’t be simply categorized as good or bad. Unfortunately it is a human characteristic to pass binary judgments on everything and everyone.
The pope ,and the Catholic church still denounce abortion, still denounce homosexual marriage, and still exclude women from official positions in the church. I can’t see this changing any time soon.
Trust me. He’ll be back on your bad list soon enough.
It is a matter of priorities. The past two Nazi popes probably denounced trickle down economics, but you’d never know it because it wasn’t a priority.
Rush Limbaugh and his minions have been raging at the Pope — calling him a Marxist among other things. Someone asked Pope Francis what he thought of this and out can this bit of wisdom:
Thanks for that link. So awesome!
Pope John Paul II was not a Nazi.
And now this…
“Pope Replaces Conservative U.S. Cardinal on Influential Vatican Committee”
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/17/world/europe/pope-replaces-conservative-us-cardinal-on-influential-vatican-committee.html
Change is in the wind… Maybe we will soon hear the end of all the nonsense about abortion and same sex marriage from the official Catholic Church.
This seems to be a repudiation of their past role in the US culture war, or at least a strong desire to change the subject.
…and the guy he canned was a f***ing peacock.
“Cardinal Burke’s preference for the long train of billowing red silk known as cappa magna, and other such vestments, has, however, made him seem out step with Francis, who has made it clear through example that he prefers more humble attire.”
“Pope Francis is a conservative who is anti-gay marriage and anti-gay adoption. He has described same-sex marriage as the work of the devil and a “destructive attack on God’s plan.” He has also said that gay adoption is a form of discrimination against children.” – Huffpost Gay voices
FBH, like many American conservatives, is still in the “Denial” stage of dealing with the death of the Nazi papacy.
No, I’m not in denial. I just like pointing out that the guy you are so exited about is really an ultra conservative.
I have nothing against Catholics, but counting beads, and marching in parades carrying statues of saints and such, and pictures of the pope, just seems a bit third world to me.
Each to his own though, right?
Let me make this easy on you. If you’ll notice the headline and read the content of the post, you’ll see that I’m excited about the Pope getting the Church back to its’ economic justice mission. It isn’t his job to be Mr. Gay rights, so I don’t give a flying fuck about what the Church has to say about that.
That it drives teabags like you nuts is just gravy for me.
I doubt that the Church will be changing their minds about same sex marriage or abortion any time soon, but I do think that this Pope wants his church to be more focused on the people in the world who need help and respect. Rather than ending the culture wars, perhaps he is changing the front of the culture war — better treatment of people in need.
FBH is like many conservatives — if someone isn’t being hurt or disrespected he’s lost his moorings.
It is a zero sum world.
Even though he isn’t trying to be Mr. Gay Rights, it seems the gays at ‘The Advocate’ get him:
The Pope didn’t just gt rid of Burke, he also got rid of Cardinal Rigali (retired from Philly) from the Congregation of Bishops.
Jason,- Nazi Popes–??? please elaborate –
Poland which lost 6 million people, Poland the first nation to be invaded by the Nazis-Poland that suffered 25,000 shot dead in Katyn Forrest by the Soviets, Poland which would have been liquidated under Nazism because it was peopled by Untermenschen- sub humans – the Slavs – Poland which had to deal with the hammer of Nazism and the anvil of Soviet Communism- — That’s the national experience that formed Pope John Paul 2— Nazi HUH– ? way way off base
The last three Popes were authoritarians more interested in punishment than mercy. They also all covered up rampant sexual abuse, and they may well have been Nazi sympathizers. But when I say “Nazi Popes” I’m using something we call hyperbole. I allow myself that flourish because Ratzinger was a German who supported beatification of Hitler’s Pope, Pius XII.
I didn’t realize you needed to speak in the third person- The Polish Pope whom “we” describe as authoritarian- also was critical in freeing free millions of people behind the Iron Curtain and also in his papacy helped usher a much brighter chapter between Christians and Jews- seeing and experiencing what the Nazis brought to his native Poland. In the issue of sexual abuse- you are right – the Vatican had/has kicked the people down the road in not addressing that issue- there is no excuse- but the Vatican is not a particularly transparent/ nor is it democratic – so the authoritarian Popes continued the tradition of previous pontiffs- guess they were also authoritarian? To slur the Polish Pope’s name being a Nazi sympathizer- just plain wrong.
We’ll have to agree to disagree.