Pope Calls on Media to Reject Contraception, Homosexuality

[kskiska]

Pope John Paul II criticized the media on Saturday, saying they often give a positive depiction of extramarital sex, contraception, abortion and homosexuality that is harmful to society.

The pontiff, in a statement issued ahead of the Church's World Communications Day in May, urged the media to promote traditional family life.

"All communication has a moral dimension," his statement said. "People grow or diminish in moral stature by the words which they speak and the messages which they choose to hear."

But the pontiff, whose theme was "The Media and the Family: A Risk and a Richness" also had some positive words on the media.

(snip)

"Infidelity, sexual activity outside of marriage, and the absence of a moral and spiritual vision of the marriage covenant are depicted uncritically, while positive support is at times given to divorce, contraception, abortion and homosexuality. Such portrayals, by promoting causes inimical to marriage and the family, are detrimental to the common good of society."

more…
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/01/24/international1352EST0545.DTL

[Newsjock]

1. If you don't like gay sex ...

... then don't have any.

[0rganism]

23. Remember, this is the CATHOLIC church, ya know?

Gay sex is absolutely indispensible within its heierarchy.

However, it's also a sin, so don't please talk about it.

[andy12]

2. my dearest pope

glad you got a good grip on what's happening out there...these are such important issues, especially the contraception thingy...and all those pesky holes in those condoms...war, starvation, disease guess they will sort themselves out all by them selves.

wow

[indie_jones]

6. Pope Poop

Oh Pope: what are you thinking? You attack the media for promoting "immorality," yet you protect priests who commit immoral acts against innocents?

He was a great Pope as popes go (no really), but he's old, crusty, and woefully out of touch now.

[wtmusic]

8. PattyB, Welcome to DU!

:bounce: :toast: :bounce:

[Yavin4]

12. Didja Notice...

Pedophilia wasn't on his list.

[DarkSim]

26. yup... I'm sick of kid molesting priest...

[Dr.Phool]

3. I a;ways liked

taking sex education from guys who've never been laid. And family planning from someone who'll never have a family, and never have to support one.

[justjones]

4. WTF?

Not that I agree with any of the Pope's message, but rejecting contraception? How is preventing having 10 babies detrimental to the common good of society?

Oh, nevermind....

[Fight_n_back]

21. Sex is for procreation only

contraception means that you are having sex because you like it.

[FlaGranny]

28. You nailed it!

Some years ago the Pope actually wrote that sex should only be for procreation and should be avoided otherwise. First thing I pictured in my mind was woman telling husband, "no, honey, we don't want any more kids so we can't have sex" - husband leaves house and finds girlfriend or prostitute.

[baby_bear]

5. News flash: FOX news subsidizes Pope's messages

Okay, not really, but, it might as well be true.

I can just see Brit Hume sitting in as the surrogate pope.


gasp.

And I'm a Roman Catholic!!! Shame on me, but fergawdsake, can the church please try to make itself more relevant to 21st century life on Planet Earth?

s_m

[Cannikin]

7. Can you imagine a country without contraception?

I'm glad he lumped the two together. The public will scoff at contraception and perhaps the homosexuality as well!

[baby_bear]

10. good point, Cannikin

This has always been there pitfall, as it were, yet it works to a great extent in South America, or at least that is what I understand.

And also Africa, but I don't think women's sexual subservience to their husbands is an artifact of Catholicism but rather cultural and Islamic.

Please correct me if I am wrong! I am no scholar on these subjects. I just believe women should be given every opportunity to control their own contraceptive fate.

s_m

[mumon]

9. And let's not talk about those nasty pedophile priests, eh?

Hypocrites.

[0007]

33. Yeah! Has the pope ever talked about the nasty pedophiles

that infest religion like maggots on the dead?

[Fight_n_back]

11. Where is Sinead OConner when we need her?

If it was socailly acceptable for guys to give each other hooties then the need for contraception would be lessened.

The Pope isn't really seeing the big picture. (beside the fact that the head of the Catholic Church is a fine one to lecture on acceptable sexual practices)

[stevedeshazer]

13. Stevie D Calls on Pope to Reject Pedophilia, Homophobia

:grr:

[TexasProgressive]

14. I'm getting so tired of this

In my late 30's I started thinking that I had gone through all the phases of denial, depression, anger and so on that were related to sexual orientation and self-acceptance.

But, at the old age of 43, I find that I'm running out of patience, tolerance and even forgiveness.

I'm so tired of gay people getting beat up; it comes from all sides - churches, schools, corporations, the entertainment industry, politicians - you name it.

Homosexuality is always included in a laundry list of "vices" like contraception and adultery. We're such an awful threat.

Well, they better get ready for the fight. Let's face it, the Catholic church is going to have to change.

[NickB79]

15. When as ANYONE seen the media give abortion a positive light?

I have yet to see the media portray a woman getting an abortion with a big, happy smile on her face. Where the hell are they getting this from? If the media portrays it as being legal, they are displaying the truth; that is NOT promoting abortion. No one tries to give the impression abortion is a good thing or a healthy thing. It is a traumatic, heart-wrenching experience that no one hopes for.

[lcordero]

16. I REJECT both the corporate media and the pope

[jsw_81]

17. I don't trust the Catholic Church

Isn't this the same organization that threatened scientists with torture and death unless they accepted the Church's teachings with regard to the Earth going around the Sun? Didn't they threaten astronomers who dared to look through those "sinful" telescopes? And didn't they used to teach that "unsaved" babies would go to Hell? And weren't they telling us that the theory of evolution was a lie as recently as sixty years ago, long after virtually every scientist in the world had accepted it as true?

Excuse me for ignoring their teachings yet again. Frankly, the Catholic Church has zero credibility as far as I'm concerned. It's nothing more than a bunch of silly old men promoting primitive superstition while dressed up in colorful outfits that even Elton John himself wouldn't wear.

[CHIMO]

18. Don't Throw Stones

If you live in a glass house!

[annagull]

19. Reason #1 I left the Chruch: Unreality to life in the world

I used to really like John Paul II. He really seemed enlightened. Now I think a bunch of sycophants make his speeches. Of course, I had to leave the church because I chose to take a pill instead of having too many kids. Yeeaah, those guys know what's up in real life :-(

[Snappy]

20. Jesus

Can anyone imagine Jesus being comfy at the Vatican and dressing up in those silly outfits, especially those hats?

[scheming daemons]

29. My tagline says it all...

Ignore the pope...

[DoYouEverWonder]

31. If the pope and the rest of them really did study

the life of Jesus and tried to follow his path, they wouldn't be living in palaces and they would be having sex and enjoying it.

But once again, even the pope proves that the god he follows has little to do with Jesus.

[saltpoint]

40. On an aside ...

... I left my glasses in the kitchen and came & scrolled down the page.

When I saw the photograph in your post, it looked like Bush walking through a gauntlet of Teletubbies.

The Pope probably opposes them, too.

[Solly Mack]

22. What exactly does a Pope know about "traditional" family life?

Does the Pope live a "traditional" family life? Not by his definition of "traditional" he doesn't....

However, he has built a family of sorts...the kind of family that emerges when strangers live/work together over a period of time and learn to care for one another...even love one another...but I wouldn't call that "traditional" by the Pope's own standards...

Goodness....do as I say...not as I do.

[kysrsoze]

36. Fuck the pope

Yeah, that's right. I said it. He's an aging, foolish, reactionary man, as are many of the so-called pious people running that church. The Catholic Church (the institution) does very little for the millions of Catholics brought into poverty by parents who practice good pro-creation.

It's also absolutely disgusting how they cover up all the pedophilia involving priests, yet reject homosexuality.

[0rganism]

24. I take some small comfort in knowing...

...that the media will treat the pope's criticisms of content with every bit as much deference as the "president" treated the pope's exhortations to avoid a war in Iraq. The pope is once again fighting a losing battle, because lewd behavior sells even better than bloodshed.

[DarkSim]

25. Did the media make gay sex a good thing when i priest did it?

[Stuckinthebush]

27. What an anachronism

The Pope is so hopelessly stuck in the past. Contraception is good. Homosexuality is real - he just needs to ask his priests about it.

Jeez.

[warrior1]

30. Man

this guy just doesn't get it.

That kind of talk will get a lot of people killed. Asshole.

[arwalden]

32. More Papal Bullshit. He's A FUCKING POLITICIAN...

Hey! Pope! Why not sell some of those gold chalices and solid gold thrones to buy some food for the starving children in Mexico? You arrogant sanctimonius bastard.

-- Allen

[llmart]

34. The pope is irrelevant...

just ask all those people in Italy, which is one of the most Catholic nations and has one of the lowest birth rates. They apparently don't give a flip what the pope says about contraception either and they're right next door to the Vatican!

I denounced Catholicism back when I was 19 and newly married and was wise enough to see that I wasn't going to take marital advice from: #1 - a male; #2 - a celebate male; #3 - someone who's never been married.

[BattyDem]

35. Hmmm. So let me get this straight ...

Infidelity is a sin ....
Sex outside of marriage is a sin ....
Divorce is a sin ....
Abortion is a sin ....
Contraception is a sin ....
Homosexuality is a sin ....

but pedophilia is A-OK! :eyes:

[SoCalDem]

37. Media should call on Pope to

STFU

[Terwilliger]

38. They don't do NEARLY ENOUGH pedophile priests

Maybe the Pope should call for the media to correct that oversight.

[Betty]

39. Is there ANYBODY out there

who actually gives a shit about ANYTHING the church/pope says?????? Does pope have one shred of credibilty left at this point? I think not.

[arcos]

41. arcos calls on everyone to reject Pope, Catholic Church -- n/t

[LostInTheMaise]

42. If I choose to make it with my own sex then Contraception is moot

I have yet to see a baby made from any sex sessions between members of the same sex. It just ain't gonna happen.