Good riddance JP2
So finally the holy father, his papal holiness John Paul II, has gone to meet his maker. Good fucking riddance.
The man was an evil old bigot, indirectly responsible for the worldwide suffering of thousands if not millions of people who believed in the irrational, superstitious nonsense propagated by the Catholic church.
I can’t believe some of the reverential tones being used in the media now that he is finally gone; the BBC yesterday were “looking back over the life of the holy father” (and since when does a news outlet need to use the pointless titles used within Catholicism? What’s wrong with just referring to him as “The Pope”?) and the reporter said something along the lines of:
JP2 was the most widely-travelled Pope in history; he visited 120 countries during his 25-year tenure, meeting Catholics worldwide and speaking out against contraception, abortion and homosexuality.
Uh, hang on – but wouldn’t that make him a bigotted old cunt, deserving of our disgust? Apparently not, according to the BBC, who have hardly touched upon the many negative aspects of his papacy, which include:
- Vigorously opposing contraception in Catholic countries in Africa – this during a massive AIDS crisis and population problems, both of which could have been alleviated by the use of condoms;
- Denying aid in African countries to anyone that had ever had an abortion;
- Being an apologist for the mass-murderer Pinochet;
- Covering up worldwide child abuse by Catholic priests, which would probably still be going on now if the media hadn’t got hold of it (and in fact probably is still going on anyway)
And generally pushing the most right-wing, hateful aspects of Catholicism (“Had an abortion? Straight to hell! Gay? Straight to hell for you as well…”).
For some strange reason there seems to be a feeling in some quarters that “Hey, he may have believed in some pretty bad things, but at least he stood by his beliefs, man…” – what the fuck? If you disagree with what he is saying, the fact that he has remained consistent(ly wrong) is not, in and of itself, a virtue!
So anyway, good riddance – not that I hold out much hope that the next Pope will be any different; ole’ JP2 managed to promote 95% of the eligible cardinals during his reign, so the chances of the next guy being cut from the same cloth (no pun intended) are pretty high.
Still, maybe I can get a sweepstake going – who fancies Thatcher to croak before the end of this year..?
Filed under: General.
Bookmark this article with del.icio.us
Previously: @media Ugly Mug Gallery
Next: Child Trust Fund
Comments
- Matthew Pennell
- 2965 days ago
- If you read the piece again, you’ll see that I was referring to the personal views of JP2 rather than making blanket statements about the beliefs of all Catholics.
It is well-documented that he was one of the most extreme of recent Popes in his views on matters sexual, regularly trotting out the “culture of death” rhetoric and promoting a more extreme view of the moral landscape surrounding these issues than even the most vociferous anti-abortion campaigners in the US.
Why anyone would want to listen to a celibate old man for advice on what they get up to in bed is beyond me… - #2
- G
- 2965 days ago
- Read your comments without the profanity :: behold, a stronger argument.
Strike the judgmental hatred that springs from some uncertainty :: leftover, a stronger argument.
Keep to the facts. They speak for themselves.
Otherwise, I quite agree with you, but that’s immaterial :) - #3
- Matthew Pennell
- 2965 days ago
- Wotcha mean – everyone knows that swearing is cool… ;)
- #4
Had an abortion? Straight to hell! Gay? Straight to hell for you as well
Completely, utterly not true. I’m not a Catholic, but I know a lot about what they believe in. I can understand that you have your opinions about JP, that’s fine, but don’t mindlessly ‘slag off’ the faith.
All Christians believe that no matter what you’ve done wrong, you can always be forgiven. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing, it’s a matter of personal opinion. I know where I stand.