The Pope

[newcastle]

I see the Pope is in Ireland with the usual mealy- mouthed condemnations of historic abuses of women and children carried out by officers of the catholic church.

No sign of any action....like handing over culprits, or evidence, to the authorities.

I thought he was reasonably fluent in English, so why he's chosen to speak in Italian is anyone's guess. I wonder how he got on with Ireland's openly gay Taoiseach?

He's in Knock today....a craic celebrating a 19th Century miraculous appearance of the virgin Mary....along with Saints Joseph, John the Evangelist, John the Baptist, and Jesus himself, for good measure. All dolled up in authentic renaissance imagery garb - naturally.

It's a curious coincidence that these divine apparitions are always before illiterate peasants. You'd think that if the Almighty wanted to make an impact on us earthlings he'd make an appearance before the committee of the Royal Institution.

Sunday morning rant over.

[Who2]

What surprised me was my Irish ancestors turning our in droves to be blessed or to kiss the foot of the
mouthpiece of God.

Religion goes deep among Catholics no matter how many children they buggered.
God is Great, it's the interpretation that worries me....

[Horus]

Not to mention his really stupid Aussie bush ranger cape over his shoulders, always blowing over his head, not as if it even keeps him dry in the rain.

[carrie]

Raised a Roman Catholic, educated until the age of 11 by Catholic nuns and priests. Physically and mentally abused, well we would call it that now, The board duster thrown at you the ruler applied to the back of the hand, made to sit and eat the disgusting semolina and tapioca puddings served up. Turned my back on the curch at 13 but even so if I hear a Catholic mass on Radio 4 Sunday morning I find myself making the appropriate responses. Like they say yoiu can take an Egyptian out of Egypt but you can't take Egypt out of an Egyptian. Same with catholicism.

[Horus]

It's called indoctrination Carrie and all religions use it, most of us were exposed to it as children one way or another.

[newcastle]

It's called indoctrination Carrie and all religions use it, most of us were exposed to it as children one way or another.

Indeed.

If religion,and the belief in deities, wasn't drummed into children from birth,, as opposed to the rational scientific explanations we now have for just about everything, I expect it would wither on the vine.

It's the only explanation I can find for why otherwise inteligent and rational humans believe in the unbelievable - without a scintilla of evidence.

I was brought up as a Roman Catholic - even attending mass as an altar boy....confirmation....the works. Around the age of 9 I developed an interest in nature and science.

The rest, as they say, is history.

[Ruby Slippers]

"Religion is the opiate of the people" - according to Karl Marx?

[Yildez]

Think that's been surpassed by technology Ruby Slippers! It used to be that television was the "opiate of the masses" but I guess that's it's a toss up between TV and social media these days!!!

[Hafiz]

There is little I disagree with but there is another side to the story. To me, particularly with the Irish, the other side is, or was, their slavish worship of and trust of priests. To me it was a bit like a country that had slavish or uncritical support for leaders/police/army - get my meaning. Clearly bad things were done by evil people but the victim who turns a blind eye or doubts an allegation is also involved in their own slavery. There is a view that the Irish were the worst at priest worship and Irish priests the worst at demanding that.

For example - and this is not a perfect story - as a 15 year old I and another ran a large and intensive alter boy system - formed a very negative view of a new priest. He was a drunk who had to be dragged out of bed at 6.15, he was an angry and physically intimidating person, he was vulgar and common, he was stupid and a bully etc - we isolated all younger boys from him and dealt with him face to face - about 4 inches apart as I was very tall and confronting him this way seemed to work. He was a repulsive person whose bad behavior was ignored by his Monsignor and all others because he was a priest.

Decades later he appeared in the courts and is now the most convicted priest in Australia - and the tally continues to go up. I think his offenses extend over 40 years or more and more than 5-7 parishes.

He never assaulted any kids at my school but during this time preyed on the parish and young offenders - with support from the police.

At 15 we didn't smell any sexual threat just a threat of anger etc from a revolting human being. We did what we wanted, without any backing from the religious order, and thought little about it because by that stage most of us had a jaundiced view of such creatures and such creatures dominated the priesthood - but not all. Unlike, say in England, many recruits to the priesthood had been poorly screened, managed worse, were ill educated, often alcoholic and came from principally the lower classes. Particular orders like the Jesuits were an entirely different matter and 5 years of a public Royal Commission into this whole dirty matter shows stark differences in offending based on the above factors.

These creatures had an eye for the vulnerable and a deal of Commission evidence showed that they targeted troubled/orphan/lonely/isolated/emotionally traumatized etc boys. They knew to stay away from the middle of the pack.

An aside. Our most elite Anglican school - Rupert Murdoch - had a headmaster who turned a blind eye. He is now a knight and heads up Eton. How he has not been fired after his self serving evidence to the Commission I don't know. A UK peer and Field Marshall, Viscount Slim molested orphan boys in the front seat of his Vice Regal Rolls Royce whilst he was Governor General.

The Irish Commission focused on the Catholic Church whereas ours was very wide and included the Salvation Army, Scouts etc - the UK is not yet brave enough to go through the horror that awaits them.

Horus. Are you sure about the bushranger reference? An Australian oiled water proof long coat has a double piece of material - loose and not stitched - around the neck, shoulders and across the front maybe 2 1/2 feet in depth. Its called a Dry as a Bone, it stinks and I tossed mine years ago - and I assume its based on a traditional naval design. Usually dark brown and went darker because the oil 'attracted' dirt, brass press stud buttons and used to be used by farmers in wet weather now by urban fashionistas driving BMW5's.

[Horus]

Horus. Are you sure about the bushranger reference? An Australian oiled water proof long coat has a double piece of material - loose and not stitched - around the neck, shoulders and across the front maybe 2 1/2 feet in depth. Its called a Dry as a Bone,

I think you got my drift of what it looked like he was wearing Hafiz, bush ranger outfit seemed more apt.
I am familiar with the garb, my best mate owns one and looks a real prat when he wears it, I would rather get wet, also I once watched that other awful movie Ned Kelly with Mick Jagger in the lead role.

[Who2]

The Roman Catholic Church.
The Catholic Church is the oldest institution in the western world.
It can trace its history back almost 2000 years.

For 2000 years there have been pedophile priests it's only in the recent years the truth is coming out.
It's impossible to eradicate sexual perversion from this institution....
Ps: Perversion propagates perversion...