Pope urges 'moral conversion' in Easter message

[onehandle]

Source: AP

VATICAN CITY (AFP) – Pope Benedict XVI urged humankind to undergo a "spiritual and moral conversion" during his traditional Easter Sunday message as paedophile priest scandals rock the Roman Catholic Church.

"Humanity needs... a spiritual and moral conversion," the 82-year-old pope said in his traditional "Urbi et Orbi" message. "It needs... to emerge from a profound crisis, one which requires deep change, beginning with consciences."

The pope also touched on key hot spots in the world, calling for a "true exodus" from conflict in the Middle East, "the land sanctified by (Jesus') death and resurrection."

He urged "a true and definitive 'exodus' from war and violence to peace and concord", in the Middle East.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100404/ts_afp/vaticanpopeeastermessage_20100404130351

[SpiralHawk]

1. Take a good frikking look in the mirror, Pope Ratzinger (R)

Nothing is quite as Confoundingly Hypocritical as having the Pettyphile Protectorate Pope, or a Pharisee Family Values Republicon, wagging a big, fat, stinking wide-stance FINGER at you for your alleged 'moral shortcomings.'

[AlphaCentauri]

9. One of the things I like about Catholicism is they won't hurt anybody for a cartoon like this

:think:

[Hekate]

23. Not in this century, at least. Though the accusation that the Jews of New York are behind this shows

... that the RCC is not above reaching for some of the more unsavory bits of its past when stressed.

In case you missed the postings here last night, a Papal spokespriest said the news media in NY City is owned by Jews, and it's their fault this scandal is getting so much airtime and newspaper space. It's called looking for blame anywhere but in the mirror. Not to mention displaying a rather breathtaking willingness to toss the Christian-Jewish reconciliation efforts of the last three popes into the Tiber.

Hekate

[MineralMan]

2. Motes and Beams, your Popeness. Motes and Beams.

Perhaps a fresh reading of Matthew 7 would refresh his memory, eh?

[teknomanzer]

12. I would recommend that verse for ALL christians...

Put an end to the ridiculous and hypocritical crusade to save everyone else from eternal damnation and work on a little self impovement you judgemental bastards. It's not even a matter of "I'm okay, you're okay..." its more like, "To change the world, start with yourself."

Ratzi you have no fucking moral authority. I would suggest you zip it and get your house in order.

[marylanddem]

3. His own?

[SpiralHawk]

4. "The pope also touched on key hot spots..."

You can't make this shit up.

[Angry Dragon]

5. The path

he would lead the people I believe will lead to hell

[City Lights]

6. You first, Popey.

:puke:

[Poll_Blind]

7. "Deeply change" your position on homosexuality as a show of...good faith.

Lay some money down on the table and you're in the game, otherwise you're just yappin.

PB

[AlphaCentauri]

8. Republicans and many Democrats need a moral conversion

after I have seen the health care debate I have no doubts about it.

[kestrel91316]

10. Conversion to what, exactly? Pedophilia?

[donquijoterocket]

15. perhaps Buddhism

I'd think just about any other belief system not so firmly rooted in authoritarianism would be an improvement. IMO this applies as well to the rest of so-called christianity as it does to the mother church.
It may just be my cynicism showing,but the manner and vehemence of the Vatican's response in this whole sordid affair leads me to believe Pope Benny is more deeply involved than we're presently aware of or may ever know.

[flyarm]

11. Hey pope..you should have thought of this before tying yourself the the Bush's!!

The pope also touched on key hot spots in the world, calling for a "true exodus" from conflict in the Middle East, "the land sanctified by (Jesus') death and resurrection."

He urged "a true and definitive 'exodus' from war and violence to peace and concord", in the Middle East.


Hey pope..hypocrite much????????? now who were the people who stole elections on our side of the Atlantic ocean..and started these illegal wars?????????? You know pope, the Bush's you did business with ....You know..the Bush family that had a grandfather that financed and helped finance Hitler..you know the Hitler you were a brown shirt for ..that pushed to see you become pope..

You know the very Bush's you broke all catholic protocol for and allowed in the catacombs of the vatican!!

You Pope are no different than the Bush Pedophiles...you are one and the same..you are an accomplice in every way with the criminals pope..Step down..you do not deserve to be a Pope..and the people and children deserve better..the children deserve a leader of the church with real morals..one who lives the morals not just using words.

Perhaps that is why our government inverts itself to protect you and the criminals you protect ..and why you keep having to write all those big payoff checks..but that does not exonerate you!

There is a special hell for you!

from my files...


www.nynewsday.com/news/nationworld/world/ny-wochar214226829apr21,0,2092802,print.story
NEWSDAY, Thursday, April 21, 2005
THE NEW POPE BENEDICT XVI
Neil Bush, Ratzinger co-founders
President's younger brother served with then-cardinal on board of relatively unknown ecumenical foundation

BY KNUT ROYCE AND TOM BRUNE
WASHINGTON BUREAU
April 21, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Neil Bush, the president's controversial younger brother, six years ago joined the cardinal who this week became Pope Benedict XVI as a founding board member of a little known Swiss ecumenical foundation.
The charter members of the board were all well-known international religious figures, except for Bush and his close friend and business partner, Jamal Daniel, whose family has extensive holdings in the United States and Switzerland, public records show.
The Foundation for Interreligious and Intercultural Research and Dialogue was founded in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1999 to promote ecumenical understanding and publish original religious texts, said a foundation official.
Besides then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, founding board members included Rene-Samuel Sirat, the former chief rabbi of France; Jordan's Prince Hassan, a Muslim dedicated to religious dialogue; the late Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, another prominent Muslim; Olivier Fatio, director of the Institute of the History of the Reformation; and foundation president Metropolitan Damaskinos, a Greek Orthodox leader.
Gary Vachicouras, a theologian and foundation official in Geneva, would not explain in a telephone interview yesterday why Bush, who has no clear public connection to religious causes, was on the first board.
"He was interested at that particular time," said Vachicouras of Bush. But like some other initial board members, Bush is no longer involved, Vachicouras said. Ratzinger also left a few years ago and was replaced by Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, who is responsible for ecumenical relations for the Vatican, said Vachicouras.
Still active is Daniel, a Syrian American who has family active in the Orthodox Church in Geneva, said Vachicouras. "This is an Orthodox lay person," he said.
Neither Bush, now president of the educational software company Ignite! Learning, based in Austin, Texas, nor Daniel returned calls for comment.
In his highly publicized divorce last year, Bush revealed he and Daniel are co-chairs of Texas-based Crest Investment Co., which pays him $60,000 a year for consulting. Recently, Crest Investment officials used Bush's name as a reference in cutting an exclusive deal with Texas officials on construction of a liquid natural gas storage facility that will guarantee Crest payments of at least $2 million a year, according to the Los Angeles Times.

[shanti]

13. starting with you, poop

starting with you...

[madmax]

14. Do as I say, not as I do.

:grr: Not of fan of organized religion.

[dyingnumbers]

16. It's worse than you think.

Although I am now a confirmed atheist, I was once a practicing Christian as a little boy: Just as I hated it back then, I still hate this holiday for its girlie pastels and sentimental, gooey center. Plus, I always had to give an Easter speech in front of the goddamn congregation.





Disclaimer - The preceding statement does not imply a 'moral conversion'.

[ck4829]

17. Yeah... I'm going to have to go ahead and pass on converting to your brand of morality.

[The_Commonist]

18. I have to agree with him...

"Humanity needs... a spiritual and moral conversion," the 82-year-old pope said in his traditional "Urbi et Orbi" message. "It needs... to emerge from a profound crisis, one which requires deep change, beginning with consciences."

Of course, I would probably disagree with him in how to accomplish this.
No doubt, he expects that said conversion would be accomplished by "accepting Jesus into your heart" and praying for salvation.
I would say that we'd be better off getting Jesus out of there, and changing our consciences to meet reality.
We've got some problems here, and praying ain't gonna fix them...

[Stumbler]

19. Yeah, maybe your "Christians" should start acting like, um... what's his name? Christ?

...just sayin'...

[BrklynLiberal]

20. Is he familiar with Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson?

"Man In The Mirror"

I'm Gonna Make A Change,
For Once In My Life
It's Gonna Feel Real Good,
Gonna Make A Difference
Gonna Make It Right . . .

As I, Turn Up The Collar On My
Favourite Winter Coat
This Wind Is Blowin' My Mind
I See The Kids In The Street,
With Not Enough To Eat
Who Am I, To Be Blind?
Pretending Not To See
Their Needs
A Summer's Disregard,
A Broken Bottle Top
And A One Man's Soul
They Follow Each Other On
The Wind Ya' Know
'Cause They Got Nowhere
To Go
That's Why I Want You To
Know

I'm Starting With The Man In
The Mirror
I'm Asking Him To Change
His Ways
And No Message Could Have
Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World
A Better Place
(If You Wanna Make The
World A Better Place)
Take A Look At Yourself, And
Then Make A Change
(Take A Look At Yourself, And
Then Make A Change)
(Na Na Na, Na Na Na, Na Na,
Na Nah)

I've Been A Victim Of A Selfish
Kind Of Love
It's Time That I Realize
That There Are Some With No
Home, Not A Nickel To Loan
Could It Be Really Me,
Pretending That They're Not
Alone?

A Willow Deeply Scarred,
Somebody's Broken Heart
And A Washed-Out Dream
(Washed-Out Dream)
They Follow The Pattern Of
The Wind, Ya' See
Cause They Got No Place
To Be
That's Why I'm Starting With
Me
(Starting With Me!)

I'm Starting With The Man In
The Mirror
(Ooh!)
I'm Asking Him To Change
His Ways
(Ooh!)
And No Message Could Have
Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World
A Better Place
(If You Wanna Make The
World A Better Place)
Take A Look At Yourself And
Then Make A Change
(Take A Look At Yourself And
Then Make A Change)

I'm Starting With The Man In
The Mirror
(Ooh!)
I'm Asking Him To Change His
Ways
(Change His Ways-Ooh!)
And No Message Could've
Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World
A Better Place
(If You Wanna Make The
World A Better Place)
Take A Look At Yourself And
Then Make That . . .
(Take A Look At Yourself And
Then Make That . . .)
Change!

I'm Starting With The Man In
The Mirror,
(Man In The Mirror-Oh
Yeah!)
I'm Asking Him To Change
His Ways
(Better Change!)
No Message Could Have
Been Any Clearer
(If You Wanna Make The
World A Better Place)
(Take A Look At Yourself And
Then Make The Change)
(You Gotta Get It Right, While
You Got The Time)
('Cause When You Close Your
Heart)
You Can't Close Your . . .Your
Mind!
(Then You Close Your . . .
Mind!)
That Man, That Man, That
Man, That Man
With That Man In The Mirror
(Man In The Mirror, Oh Yeah!)
That Man, That Man, That Man
I'm Asking Him To Change
His Ways
(Better Change!)
You Know . . .That Man
No Message Could Have
Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World
A Better Place
(If You Wanna Make The
World A Better Place)
Take A Look At Yourself And
Then Make A Change
(Take A Look At Yourself And
Then Make A Change)
Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!
Na Na Na, Na Na Na, Na Na,
Na Nah
(Oh Yeah!)
Gonna Feel Real Good Now!
Yeah Yeah! Yeah Yeah!
Yeah Yeah!
Na Na Na, Na Na Na, Na Na,
Na Nah
(Ooooh . . .)
Oh No, No No . . .
I'm Gonna Make A Change
It's Gonna Feel Real Good!
Come On!
(Change . . .)
Just Lift Yourself
You Know
You've Got To Stop It.
Yourself!
(Yeah!-Make That Change!)
I've Got To Make That Change,
Today!
Hoo!
(Man In The Mirror)
You Got To
You Got To Not Let Yourself . . .
Brother . . .
Hoo!
(Yeah!-Make That Change!)
You Know-I've Got To Get
That Man, That Man . . .
(Man In The Mirror)
You've Got To
You've Got To Move! Come
On! Come On!
You Got To . . .
Stand Up! Stand Up!
Stand Up!
(Yeah-Make That Change)
Stand Up And Lift
Yourself, Now!
(Man In The Mirror)
Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!
Aaow!
(Yeah-Make That Change)
Gonna Make That Change . . .
Come On!
(Man In The Mirror)
You Know It!
You Know It!
You Know It!
You Know . . .
(Change . . .)
Make That Change.

[Odin2005]

21. That's why I'm into Buddhism, you pedo-coddling twerp.

[harry_pothead]

22. He can start with himself.