Pope Benedict Takes Anti-Gay Marriage To New Level In Christmas Speech

[Danielle Ni Dhighe]

Pope Benedict Takes Anti-Gay Marriage To New Level In Christmas Speech On Family Values (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/21/pope-anti-gay-speech_n_2344870.html)


The pope pressed his opposition to gay marriage Friday, denouncing what he described as people eschewing their God-given gender identities to suit their sexual choices – and destroying the very "essence of the human creature" in the process.

[Yet_Another_Boring_Marxist]

Can we destroy the "very essence of the human creature" of the pope?

With a Guillotine?

[ed miliband]

quelle suprise

[Sinister Cultural Marxist]

Is this really a "new level"? It seems well in line with 2,000 years of conservative Platonic/Aristotelean Christianity. His view as far as it seems is the traditional theological approach to homosexuality. His view is as unsurprising as the US president defending capitalism or drone strikes.

[Prometeo liberado]

Urbi et Orbi never fails to entertain. Old man just had too much wine to drink, I think.

[Il Medico]

I don't see how this is a 'new high'. "Gays are an abomination in the eyes of God" has been a conservative/religious talking point for a long ass time.

[Danielle Ni Dhighe]

The headline overstates the article's case. Not a new high, just the same shit, different day.

[Lord Daedra]

The Vatican actually has toned themselves down over the centuries. Not killing them as was supported by Christendom for a long time is not a new level of bigotry.

[GerrardWinstanley]

I think what the headline was getting at was the ridiculously crass, inappropriate timing; an annual peace message at Christmas. Plus there were a further three disgusting outbursts from the Catholic Church on Christmas Day. The Bishop of Shrewsbury compared gay marriage to Nazism and Stalinism, the Archbishop of Westminster called it an 'Orwellian shambles' in his Christmas message and the Archbishop of Yaounde in Cameroon called it a 'crime against humanity'. This was all in the space of two days, which has to be a record.

Plus, I know Catholicism being anti-gay is nothing out of the ordinary, but you can't deny the Vatican has gotten more and more partisan and fixated on its culture war over the years which has, by and large, been Ratzinger's influence. John Paul II for example, despite being a hardliner himself, very seldom mentioned homosexuality.

Today there is more of a symbiosis between the Catholic Church and the politically charged Christian right --its behaviour has started to resemble it more and more-- despite the Christian right's origins in evangelical protestantism in the United States.

[l'Enfermé]

Good thing the Church doesn't have the power anymore to burn people at the stake, yes?

[TheGodlessUtopian]

Good thing the Church doesn't have the power anymore to burn people at the stake, yes?

In America and Europe... anyway...

[Lynx]

Like any business, the Vatican needs to know their product and their customers.

[DoCt SPARTAN]

Like any business, the Vatican needs to know their product and their customers.

so true, Evil man for an evil corporation! (the CHURCH)

[Goblin]

I honestly wouldnt mind if someone bombed the vatican. It would make the world a better place.

[DancingEmma]

I don't agree with the gay thing but it's their life so what the f..k?

You "don't agree with the gay thing," huh? As in, you don't think people should have homosexual sex? Or you don't think people should have committed homosexual relationships? Or you don't think people who have homosexual sex or homosexual relationships should talk about all of that in public? What exactly are you saying?