The Pope @ Easter

So, the Pope's Easter message?  Good?  Bad?  Indifferent?

For me?  Disappointing.... let me re-emphasise, I am not a Catholic, nor do I follow another religious doctrine, however I do acknowledge the Catholic Church has a significant influence on the populous.

As such, I was keen to hear what this new Pope's first Easter message might be.... he called for peace negotiations to resume in the Middle East, yes commendable... an end to civil war in Syria... here here.... an end to discord in many African nations... yay - totally agree.... but here's where we differ.... he is openly condemning areas of non-Catholic conflict.

What about Northern Ireland?  Hostilities are erupting there once again..... is it too much to ask that the Pope call for peace where his own religion is involved?  Overly ambitious perhaps?

And how easy is it to condemn "iniquitous exploitation of natural resources"?  So the Pope and his flock will be traveling by ... ermmmm .... donkey perhaps?

And so to the message he brought with him when he was ordained... what was it again? Oh Yes, i remember - "the Catholic Church would be a church, not just for the poor, but of the poor"... I didn't hear a lot in the Easter message about "giving away the riches of the Church" on his first major opportunity to put action behind his words!!!

So yes, for me disappointing.... deflecting attention away from any conflict in Ireland and barely a gold coin throw to the poor... he doesn't seem to be what he first appeared....

Pope Seems Like a Nice Guy

Well a big week for the Papists!  Pope Francis....

..... when I heard Jesuit my first thought was zealot, passionate about his beliefs, possibly fanatical but on reflection devout seems better suited and, a first perhaps?  A man who truly believes in his God!!  On the plus side I am sure his appointment is striking fear into the hearts of those who feel their celibacy oath only applies to anybody over 16!  Can one man clean up so much that is wrong?  The child sex scandal cover ups that suggest acceptance? The unparalleled wealth?  The hypocrisy?

On the other side of the coin, his doctrine is allegedly based on archaic beliefs better suited to the Middle Ages or worse the Middle East 2,000 years ago!  Surely such primitive views compound this apparent acceptance of child sex abuse?  In Biblical times, child brides were accepted, as they still are in many under developed nations, isn't it time to move with the times?  Allow priests to have normal relationships & families, accept same-sex relationships, acknowledge the need for abortion & encourage birth control? 

Proof is in the media on a daily basis, the doctrine, as it is portrayed, doesn't change anything, rather it results in heartache, blackmail, illegal acts and God forbid!! [*sarcasm alert*] Priests holding gay sex parties or getting married in secret!

How many back street abortions still go on today? How many children are still being abused by "trusted" priests?  How many unwanted babies are born every day?  How many people have committed suicide in agony over their sexual feelings?

.... And how can our little planet continue to sustain the population growth encouraged by the Catholic church?  Already over 7 billion!

... And so, back to Pope Francis, he certainly has his work cut out, at first glance it looks unlikely he will be sucked in by the power and luxury, but it will take a strong man to stand firm as he increasingly becomes the subject of worship.  Early indications suggest he might even give away the riches of the Church to the poor! That will make him popular!  I shall watch with interest!

Controversy & Speculation

So much speculation in the media this week around the worst examples of behaviour of senior members of the Catholic Church.  So for years, the Pope has managed to protect the reputation of the Church from the worst of crimes - child abuse.  Yet now we are all meant to believe he has stepped down over a "gay network"... seriously?  Do people truly think that the Pope is more horrified by a group of priests having a sex party (consenting adults) than he is about priests having illegal sex with children?

This controversy apparently began with vatileaks - why are people surprised?  The entire history of the Catholic church is rife with intrigue.  It is simple - power corrupts and through generation of fear and amassing of a huge wealth, this Church has power beyond imagination.

The blatant hypocrisy on public display surely must be questioned?  The opulence, the grandeur, the control by fear, the discrimination, the worship of a man who is not God but purports to be his vassal and worse has the nerve to claim he represents God!

Controversy Over Pope's Resignation

So firstly, let's agree, the Pope's resignation was (in part) a diversionary tactic that has backfired beyond all expectations.  The world was meant to speculate on the incoming Pope; where the outgoing Pope might reside; how he might spend his time; and so on.  While these events unfold we were not meant to wonder "what is the real news?".  It would appear that quite the reverse has happened!

Controversy Over Pope's Resignation

So to the real story - what are the contents of the big red books?  While they remain secret (and no doubt they will) the world will continue to speculate.  Gay orgies?  Is that really as bad as it gets?  Hardly earth shattering stuff and certainly no surprise to those on the outside.  I imagine it suits the Church to allow this speculation to continue - it is likely to be far less damaging in the long run than the truth that they will endeavour to continue hiding.

What could be so bad? Hmmmm .... let me think about that one..... a gay Pope? Nope! ... Proof that Dan Brown was right all along? Highly probable but would that be enough to stand down? Surely not - the theory that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and they had a daughter has been around forever... something worse? 

It has to be something that would truly hurt the  Church at its heart.... but what?