The Pope's Christmas Gift - Not

One would think that the spirit of Christmas and the concepts of love and forgiveness might even be ale to infiltrate the cold marble halls of the Vatican at this time of the year, but that would be expecting too much from the Panzercardinal/Nazi Pope and the bitter old queens who surround him. Instead, Benedict XVI is preaching a message of indifference towards the persecution of gays and his own message of intolerance. I increasingly view the Roman Catholic Church - at least the Vatican and the corrupt hierarchy of bishops and cardinals - as a force for evil in the world. They have about as much compassion for other humans (fetuses excepted, of course) as a Grand Inquisitor or executioner. It should also be noted that the Nazi Pope wants to change the "sign of peace" practice in the order of the mass. Would that he had as much concern when it comes to removing bishops and cardinals who enabled or covered up the sexual abuse of minors. In my view, Benedict XVI = phony hypocrite = modern day Pharisee. I feel so much less dirty now that I have left the Roman Catholic Church. The ELCA may not be perfect, but there is far, far less hypocrisy. Here are highlights from a Time Magazine article that looks at the Nazi Pope's Christmas message:

*

[W]ith the Christmas season upon us, there is growing proof that the 82-year-old Pope is also quite willing to play the part of Scrooge to defend his often rigid view of Church doctrine. Benedict's envoy to the United Nations, Archbishop Celestino Migliore, has announced that the Vatican will oppose a proposed U.N. declaration calling for an end to discrimination against homosexuals.

*

At first blush, no one should be surprised to find the Catholic Church hierarchy butting heads with gay rights activists. But this particular French-sponsored proposal, which has the backing of all 27 European Union countries, calls for an end to the practice of criminalizing and punishing people for their sexual orientation. Most dramatically, in some countries, including Iran and Saudi Arabia, homosexuality can be punished by death.

*

Papal spokesman Father Federico Lombardi was forced to clarify that the Vatican continues to condemn the use of the death penalty for any crime, including those associated with homosexuality. Instead, Migliore said the Vatican's opposition to the U.N. proposal was driven by concern that countries that prohibit gay marriage would somehow be targeted.
*

The Italian gay rights association Arcigay says the Vatican's opposition to the anti-discriminatory measure is "unprecedented," and the citing of gay marriage is an "excuse" to distract people from the real intent of criminalizing gays.

*

[T]op Vatican deputies are now studying a change to the mass that would affect the moment when members of the congregation are asked to greet each other with a "sign of peace." . . . . It may now be moved earlier in the service. . . . And to those who wonder why not just let everyone to say 'peace' when and where they please for Christmases to come, one can imagine Benedict flashing that gentle smile, tilting his head ever so slightly and declaring: Bah Humbug!