Protest the Pope

From the Protest the Pope website.

• That the Pope, as a citizen of Europe and the leader of a religion with many adherents in the UK, is of course free to enter and tour our country.
• However, as well as a religious leader, the Pope is a head of state and the state and organisation of which he is head has been responsible for:
  1. opposing the distribution of condoms and so increasing large families in poor countries and the spread of AIDS
  2. promoting segregated education
  3. denying abortion to even the most vulnerable women
  4. opposing equal rights for lesbians, gay, bisexual and transgender people
  5. failing to address the many cases of abuse of children within its own organisation.
  6. rehabilitating the holocaust denier bishop Richard Williamson and the appeaser of Hitler, the war-time Pope, Pius XII.
• The state of which the Pope is the head has also resisted signing many major human rights treaties and has formed its own treaties (‘concordats’) with many states which negatively affect the human rights of citizens of those states.
• As a head of state, the Pope is an unsuitable guest of the UK government and should not be accorded the honour and recognition of a state visit to our country.

[300th Post] Make The Pope Pay

Do you think having a visit from the Pope is worth spending £20 million of your money? No? Well head over to the National Secular Society who have a petition to make the pope pay.

I don't care if the church pays, the pope pays or some rich person pays. It just shouldn't be the taxpayers - many of whom aren't Catholics.

Your equality laws are unjust, pope tells UK before visit

From Steve Bell at the Guardian: Your equality laws are unjust, pope tells UK before visit

Sell The Vatican, Feed The World

Is The Pope Evil?

Stepping short of calling the Pope evil, The Lancet speaks out against the Pope's views on AIDS and condoms. His holiness is on the record as saying this of HIV: "a tragedy that cannot be overcome by money alone, that cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which can even increase the problem".

The Lancet stands up to him - quotes from BBC News:

But the London-based Lancet said the Pope had "publicly distorted scientific evidence to promote Catholic doctrine on this issue".

It said the male latex condom was the single most efficient way to reduce the sexual transmission of HIV/Aids.

"Whether the Pope's error was due to ignorance or a deliberate attempt to manipulate science to support Catholic ideology is unclear," said the journal.

But it said the comment still stood and urged the Vatican to issue a retraction. "When any influential person, be it a religious or political figure, makes a false scientific statement that could be devastating to the health of millions of people, they should retract or correct the public record," it said.

The Pope and AIDS

The Pope has suggested that condoms are not the key to preventing AIDS in Africa. In fact he has said they aggravate the crisis.

This is essentially a "do as I do, or die" philosophy. Yes, if people stuck to abstinence before marriage there would be no problem. But there are a large number of people who are not under the delusion that one of the most joyous activities is sinful. Distributing condoms does help, and we must keep doing it.

No sign of a more tolerant Vatican

The Pope has decided to appoint Gerhard Wagner to the role of auxillary bishop in Linz, Austria. Just in case you thought in recent years the Catholic church was starting to become tame Wagner is the kind of person who says:

• the destruction of New Orleans by hurricane Katrina was "divine retribution" for pemrissive sexuality and tolerance of homosexuality.
• hurricane Katrina not only destroyed nightclubs and brothels but also abortion clinics (oh, and churches too, they obviously fit the same pattern)

Nice guy eh? Almost as good as the rehabilitation of Richard Williamson (by the Pope) who is essentially a holocaust denier.

Why do we think the Catholic church is an out-of-touch evil monstrosity? I wonder...

Pope wades in on Economic Crisis

The Pope has made his views clear on the current economic crisis. Apparently the banking system is like the proverbial house built on the sand. It's a good job that the Christian faith is built on such a strong rock. Oh, wait...... it isn't!