"Archbishop prays while topless gay activists shout curses and douse him with water"

[l'Enfermé]

I found this hilarious for some reason:

BRUSSELS, April 23, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com (http://www.lifesitenews.com/)) - In an astonshing display of gentleness in the face of a vile attack, the head of the Catholic Church in Belgium, Archbishop Andre-Joseph Leonard, remained calmly seated with eyes closed in prayer Tuesday as four topless women attacked him with shouts and curses and doused him with water.
http://www.lifesitenews.com/images/sized/images/news/bishop_doused-240x332.jpg
It’s not the first time the bishop has been attacked for standing up for the Church’s teachings on homosexuality and expressing his concern for those who live the homosexual lifestyle.
The incident took place at the ULB University in Brussels where the archbishop was participating in a debate on blasphemy laws.
The four women, representing the pro-abortion and homosexual group FEMEN, took to the stage where they disrobed to reveal black-painted slogans on their bare chests and backs, such as ‘my body my rules,’ and 'anus dei is coming.' They also held signs reading ‘stop homophobia’. The women doused the archbishop with water from bottles formed in the image of the Virgin Mary.
(More photos here (http://www.standaard.be/artikel/detail.aspx?artikelid=DMF20130423_074&pid=2410354). Warning: uncensored)

For most of the attack, which lasted a number of minutes before the women could be forced off stage, Archbishop Leonard sat drenched with water with eyes closed in prayer. After the ordeal, the archbishop kissed the image of the Virgin Mary on one of the water bottles that was used in the attack. Le Soir reports (http://www.lesoir.be/231254/article/actualite/belgique/2013-04-24/andre-leonard-chahute-l-ulb-femen-s-expliquent) that one of the interveners said of the archbishop: “He was very calm and maintained a position of prayer. I have to believe he was praying for us.”
http://www.lifesitenews.com/images/sized/images/news/bishop_bottle-240x305.jpg
Archbishop Andre-Joseph Leonard kisses one of the bottles that was used to douse him with water by the gay activists. The bottles were in the shape of the Virgin Mary.

According to FEMEN, Tuesday’s attack was spurred by aninterview (http://www.lesoir.be/230985/article/actualite/belgique/2013-04-23/andre-leonard-chahute-par-des-femen-seins-nus-l-ulb) three weeks ago where Archbishop Leonard said that when speaking to Christians who are inclined to homosexuality he suggests celibacy, as is required for all single persons.
Already in 2007, as Bishop of Namur, Archbishop Leonard was accused (http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/archive//ldn/2007/jun/07062802) of an offence against the Belgian anti-racism act for calling homosexual acts “abnormal”. In 2008 he was cleared of homophobia charges after appearing (http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/archive//ldn/2008/jun/08060505) in court.
In 2010, as the new archbishop of Brussels, the archbishop was targeted (http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/new-belgian-archbishop-faces-legal-threats-over-aids-remarks/) by homosexualist groups, and condemned by the country’s prime minister, after he said that AIDS is a consequence of risky sexual behavior, including homosexual sexual activity.
Also in 2010 he was attacked at his Cathedral by a man who shoved a cherry pie in the archbishop’s face. Again in 2011 (http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/belgian-archbishop-hit-with-pies-for-views-on-abortion-homosexuality/), homosexual activists at the Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve near Brussels threw a custard pie in the archbishop’s face.
Archbishop Leonard has been a great supporter for the pro-life movement in Belgium, speaking (http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/archive/ldn/2010/mar/10032404) at their inaugural March for Life in 2010.

http://www.lifesitenews.com/images/sized/images/news/archbishop_attack-640x360.jpg

[Hexen]

Well first of all, the media censoring their breasts/nipples pretty much assaults one of the things FEMEN is fighting for (and what they're using as protest 'weapons') which shows the reality of how Christian Predominated our society truly is.

Of course at the same time, I"m not so what sure what FEMEN is doing though is helping since it seems that they might be fueling the already tarnished view and stereotypes that society has towards feminists.

[Anglo-Saxon Philistine]

That feminism is opposed to religious bigotry? Consistent feminism is. FEMEN are little more than bourgeois feminists, and don't have the gall to try and kick the church where it hurts - in the purse and in the special relation to the state - but this is amusing, at least.

[Fourth Internationalist]

FEMEN could have used better tactics here but it was still very funny! Go FEMEN! :D

[TheRedAnarchist23]

Take that, reactionaries!

[Hexen]

FEMEN could have used better tactics here but it was still very funny! Go FEMEN! :D

At least there is a active (and closest) feminist movement though but question is, will they accomplish anything? We'll see....

[l'Enfermé]

FEMEN could have used better tactics here but it was still very funny! Go FEMEN! :D
I think you are missing the point. What's funny is that these worthless FEMEN idiots are making arch fucking bishops look like the victims.

[Hexen]

I think you are missing the point. What's funny is that these worthless FEMEN idiots are making arch fucking bishops look like the victims.

Well not only that and also what I pointed out earlier that they're simply damaging the already tarnished view what society has towards feminists with the stereotype being "bra burning, hairy Male haters" or "Feminism is a hate group towards Men" or something like that which they would use these pictures as "proof" and even worse like you just pointed out that they'll also use this as "proof" that "Feminists/Leftists are militant atheists oppressing religious people".

[TheRedAnarchist23]

Well not only that and also what I pointed out earlier that they're simply damaging the already tarnished view what society has towards feminists with the stereotype being "bra burning, hairy Male haters" or "Feminism is a hate group towards Men" or something like that which they would use these pictures as "proof" and even worse like you just pointed out that they'll also use this as "proof" that "Feminists/Leftists are militant atheists oppressing religious people".

To be in favour of a society discriminatory towards women is not a consequence of the actions of a group of women, it is a consequence of the upbringing and personal ideology of each person.
Those who think fenimism is as you described will not change their minds if the contrary is proven. Whatever proof they have to their point of view is only going to matter to people who already have that point of view.

[Fionnagáin]

Well not only that and also what I pointed out earlier that they're simply damaging the already tarnished view what society has towards feminists with the stereotype being "bra burning, hairy Male haters" or "Feminism is a hate group towards Men" or something like that
I don't think so. From what I've seen, most people tend to look at this stuff of as a kind with the "Slut Walk" movement, rather than in terms of a tory caricature of '70s radfems. People who make that connection invariably assume it the moment they hear the word "feminism", because they're already quite certain that any women demanding so much as basic rights of citizenship is an irrational, screeching harpy, and they don't need anything in the way of "proof" to get there.


There's a lot of points on which one could criticise Femen, but "superficially validates the bigoted old fuck brigade" isn't one of them.

[Fourth Internationalist]

I think you are missing the point. What's funny is that these worthless FEMEN idiots are making arch fucking bishops look like the victims.

I got the point, but I dont think its going to change anything in regards to the growing acceptance of homosexuality.

[Flying Purple People Eater]

I think you are missing the point. What's funny is that these worthless FEMEN idiots are making arch fucking bishops look like the victims.

Archbishops are tools though.

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

I think you are missing the point. What's funny is that these worthless FEMEN idiots are making arch fucking bishops look like the victims.

No they fucking aren't. Being soaked is nothing like being punched.

[Starship Stormtrooper]

While I haven't seen anyone here who believes that the archbishops were oppressed, other websites (especially reddit) were all over this story when it surfaced and they did indeed believe that the FEMEN activists were oppressing the church :lol:.

[Bostana]

That whole event....I just....what?

[Paul Pott]

I just want to slap them.

[rednordman]

Recently I decided to look at the FEMEN facebook page just to find out what they are really about and such, rather than just perving on it like most people are doing. what I found was that most of the people who commented on their posts where mainly islamophobic young men who think that they (femen) are awesome just because they are hell bent on giving Iran a hard time. These people didn't give a shit about feminism that FEMEN allegedly fights for and probably actually thought that the women where like some new-age take on female conservative activists.

[Os Cangaceiros]

Sex/nudity in a desublimated society isn't really transgressive, as a comment on anarchistnews recently put it. Just yawn-inducing. :rolleyes:

Like someone else said, it is mildly amusing, though.

[Vanilla]

I think that FEMEN is a little bit strange. They've always been a bit islamophobic and patronizing, and then they go and do something like this. I'm not surprised. I do think it's really funny, but then again I have an immature sense of humor :rolleyes:

[Luís Henrique]

At least there is a active (and closest) feminist movement though but question is, will they accomplish anything? We'll see....

Of course they have accomplished something. They have made the archbishop look like a reasonable, firm, sensible, courageous, compassionate person.

Which is of course exactly the opposite of what should have been done.

Luís Henrique