Online Opinion

[Previous entry: "Vote Conservative For A Dirtier Britain"] [Next entry: "Times says lower poverty is a bad thing"]

New Pope, Same as the old Pope

So the new Pope has been chosen, and the only real surprise is the name chosen by the former enforcer of doctrinal orthodoxy. Benedict XVI can be expected to pick up exactly where his predecessor left off. That means no family planning for the third world, no abortions for rape victims, and no sexual health for anyone. The speed of the election also indicates the secure hold the traditionalists have on the Vatican, something unlikely to change under the new Pope. Anyone who cares for people rather than superstitions should be weeping.

One of the problems with dialogue between the secular and religious worlds is that secular people believe in shades of grey, empathy, sympathy, and compromise. The religious (at least those from the Christio-Islamic fold) believe in good and evil. They view their own beliefs as "good", and therefore anyone who disagrees with those beliefs must be "evil".

Fine. Lets talk to them in their own language. Evil is as evil does. The current views of the Catholic church on family planning and sexual health has caused thousands of deaths and millions to live in poverty and misery. I don't care whether this suffering is caused because of deep seated religious convictions - not that anyone has managed to explain to me why enjoying sex is so bad anyway. Anyone who can condemn so many people to so much pain does not deserve our admiration. They do not deserve empathy or sympathy. If black and white is all they understand, fine. The Catholic church's stance on family planning is one of the greatest evils being perpetrated today. If the Vatican wishes to be on the side of the angels, let them end it now.

archives :: links :: faq :: feedback

Find out how you can support Online Opinion

Online Opinion is a trademark owned by Graham Robinson. All rights reserved. The copyright on all articles, columns, and letters on this site is owned by the original author. The copyright on all other material is owned by Graham Robinson. Permission is granted to download and store these pages for personal or research purposes only, and only as is consistent with normal viewing of web pages. All other rights reserved. Permission is granted to freely link to any page within this site, as long as ownership of the material linked to is clear. No advertisements may be associated with this site, whether explicitly or implicitly, without prior written permission.