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The compassionate Pope

David1967

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
I was watching the news yesterday and saw that Pope Francis took some Syrian refugees back to the Vatican with him. I was touched by the compassion that he showed these people in need even though they were of a different faith. It got me thinking, "maybe there is hope for the world after all. Thoughts?
 

blue taylor

Active Member
I was watching the news yesterday and saw that Pope Francis took some Syrian refugees back to the Vatican with him. I was touched by the compassion that he showed these people in need even though they were of a different faith. It got me thinking, "maybe there is hope for the world after all. Thoughts?
With all the billions of dollars the Catholic church has, you would think he could have brought back a few thousand instead of a token.
 

Deeje

Avid Bible Student
Premium Member
With all the billions of dollars the Catholic church has, you would think he could have brought back a few thousand instead of a token.
Yes, surely the church could erect some decent accommodation for many of them in the vast grounds of the Vatican.....maybe even build them a mosque? :D

I think we all know a PR exercise when we see one. :( Sad really. These people need some good news about the future.....
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
I was watching the news yesterday and saw that Pope Francis took some Syrian refugees back to the Vatican with him. I was touched by the compassion that he showed these people in need even though they were of a different faith. It got me thinking, "maybe there is hope for the world after all. Thoughts?
I think his compassion is in dictating that others finance it.
(You know....his anti-capitalism raise-people's-taxes campaign.)
 

Sapiens

Polymathematician
With all the billions of dollars the Catholic church has, you would think he could have brought back a few thousand instead of a token.
I don't agree, it a King Solomon story like the butterfly who stamped: "Suleiman-bin-Daoud was not proud. He very seldom showed off, and when he did he was sorry for it. Once he tried to feed all the animals in all the world in one day, but when the food was ready an Animal came out of the deep sea and ate it up in three mouthfuls. Suleiman-bin-Daoud was very surprised and said, 'O Animal, who are you?' And the Animal said, 'O King, live for ever! I am the smallest of thirty thousand brothers, and our home is at the bottom of the sea. We heard that you were going to feed all the animals in all the world, and my brothers sent me to ask when dinner would be ready.' Suleiman-bin-Daoud was more surprised than ever and said, 'O Animal, you have eaten all the dinner that I made ready for all the animals in the world.' And the Animal said, 'O King, live for ever, but do you really call that a dinner? Where I come from we each eat twice as much as that between meals.' Then Suleiman-bin-Daoud fell flat on his face and said, 'O Animal! I gave that dinner to show what a great and rich king I was, and not because I really wanted to be kind to the animals. Now I am ashamed, and it serves me right."

I respect Francis, not because he took a few refugees back with him, but because he knew that it was a gesture, he knew that by itself he would fail, he knew that he would have to be ashamed, he knew that it would serve him right, but ... he knew that it had to be done for example and he did it, despite all he knew.

All very Kiplingesque ... if you can keep your head when all others about you are losing theirs ... and such.
 
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Deeje

Avid Bible Student
Premium Member
I don't see it as a PR stunt. I think this guy really cares. And BTW, I'm not Catholic.

That is exactly what they want you to think.....that is what PR is all about. Do you not know why they chose this man to be Pope? He is doing things no former Pope would have dared to do.
The church is trying to cover up one of the biggest scandals in its history....he is a good distraction. It's hard to hate the church when the Pope is "such a nice man". Isn't it obvious?
 

David1967

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
That is exactly what they want you to think.....that is what PR is all about. Do you not know why they chose this man to be Pope? He is doing things no former Pope would have dared to do.
The church is trying to cover up one of the biggest scandals in its history....he is a good distraction. It's hard to hate the church when the Pope is "such a nice man". Isn't it obvious?

I'm lost here. What particular scandal are you talking about?
 

Deeje

Avid Bible Student
Premium Member
I know there have been scandals in the Catholic church, I was asking if you had a particular one in mind?

Only the biggest systemic child abuse scandal in the history of the church, costing them billions in compensation.
The priesthood became a haven for homosexuals and pedophiles because they knew they could easily access other homosexuals and defenseless children and be able to get away with it. God knows how long this went on for. Not only sexual abuse but extreme physical abuse was common as well....all in the name of Jesus Christ. :(
 

David1967

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Only the biggest systemic child abuse scandal in the history of the church, costing them billions in compensation.
The priesthood became a haven for homosexuals and pedophiles because they knew they could easily access other homosexuals and defenseless children and be able to get away with it. God knows how long this went on for. Not only sexual abuse but extreme physical abuse was common as well....all in the name of Jesus Christ. :(

That is a shame on them, but I don't think it has anything to do with what Francis did for these people.
 

Deeje

Avid Bible Student
Premium Member
That is a shame on them, but I don't think it has anything to do with what Francis did for these people.

The shame was in perpetuating the problem so that it went on for many decades (or even centuries) all over the world in Catholic institutions. If you don't see the connection to Francis, then the PR is working. :(
 

beenherebeforeagain

Rogue Animist
Premium Member
The priesthood became a haven for homosexuals and pedophiles because they knew they could easily access other homosexuals and defenseless children and be able to get away with it. God knows how long this went on for. Not only sexual abuse but extreme physical abuse was common as well....all in the name of Jesus Christ. :(
and of course, absolutely no heterosexual priests ever abused nuns or female parishioners, or physically abused anyone else...:rolleyes:
Yep, it was only those perverted homosexuals and pedophiles...:confused:o_O:rolleyes:
 

Deeje

Avid Bible Student
Premium Member
and of course, absolutely no heterosexual priests ever abused nuns or female parishioners, or physically abused anyone else...:rolleyes:
Yep, it was only those perverted homosexuals and pedophiles...:confused:o_O:rolleyes:

I don't believe I said that, but this is what has been dragged through the courts for the last couple of decades or so.

What the nuns and priests did was certainly NOT within the vows they made, but it was fairly common knowledge that these relationships took place. My grandmother worked in a Catholic boarding school in England and there was said to be a lime pit out the back where the bodies of unwanted babies were disposed of. Others were sent to Catholic orphanages to probably suffer the indignities that were common in those places. Sexual sin in the Bible is the same regardless of the gender....all carried the death penalty. Why are you making it a "gay" issue? Do you not consider pedophilia a perversion?
 

beenherebeforeagain

Rogue Animist
Premium Member
I don't believe I said that, but this is what has been dragged through the courts for the last couple of decades or so.

What the nuns and priests did was certainly NOT within the vows they made, but it was fairly common knowledge that these relationships took place. My grandmother worked in a Catholic boarding school in England and there was said to be a lime pit out the back where the bodies of unwanted babies were disposed of. Others were sent to Catholic orphanages to probably suffer the indignities that were common in those places. Sexual sin in the Bible is the same regardless of the gender....all carried the death penalty. Why are you making it a "gay" issue? Do you not consider pedophilia a perversion?
Well, you specifically mentioned
The priesthood became a haven for homosexuals and pedophiles

It was a haven for all sorts of abusers, not just homosexuals and pedophiles. It was a haven for people hungry for political and social and even economic power. Many, perhaps even most were not abusers, were good people doing the best they could. YOU are the one who made it a "gay" issue by saying that the abuse was attributable to "homosexuals and pedophiles," and connecting the two as if the two categories are synonymous or even related: pedophilia is different than homosexuality. Personally, whereas I find relationships between adults regardless of gender okay, relationships of adults with children are not.

Not all of the abuse was sexual, in fact probably more of it was physical, emotional, and spiritual in nature...several childhood friends attended the Catholic schools where I grew up, and described what would now be considered abuse by both nuns and clergy...of course, back then, corporal punishment was allowed in public schools, as well, but what my friends described was more than just swats with a paddle and raps on the knuckles with a ruler.

Regardless, it is certainly true that the recent media coverage and court cases have focused on sexual abuse rather than the other forms.
 
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