Pope Ratz declares jihad on "aggressive secularism"

[marmar]

from the Christian Science Monitor:



Madrid

Pope Benedict XVI spent this weekend in Spain trying to reclaim one of the most important Roman Catholic strongholds.

During his visit, he surprised Spain with strong words against what he described as “aggressive secularism” on the part of the government that since 2004 has legalized gay marriage, relaxed abortion legislation, and eliminated compulsory religious education in schools.

“The renaissance of modern Catholicism comes mostly thanks to Spain. But it is also true that laicism, a strong and aggressive secularism was born in Spain, as we saw in the 1930s,” the Pope said on board his plane just before arriving in the northwestern coastal city of Santiago de Compostela. “This dispute is happening again in Spain today. The future of faith and the relations between faith and secularism have Spanish culture as its epicenter.”

While officially consecrating Barcelona's Sagrada Familia church as a basilica on Sunday, the pope continued his push.

“The Church opposes all forms that negate human life and supports everything that supports the natural order in the realm of institution of the family,” he told the 6,500 people inside, almost a fifth of them from the clergy. .........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2010/1107/In-Spain-Pope-Benedict-XVI-lambasts-aggressive-secularism

[DonCoquixote]

1. When the History books are written

They will speak of this pope and his predecessor as the two that confirmed the downward slide of the church into irrelevant. Their only hope is, after this pope dies, to install a Latin American pope that embraces ALBA. If they did, especially a Brazilian pope, then that person may very well lead to the defeat of the EU and the US, much as JP@ helped destroy the Soviet Union.

[Speck Tater]

2. It's about damn time we brought back the Inquisition!

:sarcasm:

[golddigger]

3. What, no Jihad on "aggressive Pedophilia?"

[TlalocW]

4. It always amuses me when

Catholic religious leaders actually believe they still have some sort of moral authority these days.

TlalocW

[MorningGlow]

5. Ratz, I see your lips movin'

but all I hear is "blah blah blah..."

Is anybody listening to this sad, outdated individual anymore? :shrug:

[bemildred]

6. You know, it's getting to be amusing watching this cretin crash. nt

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. Careful, Papa, your right wing fascist roots are showing

But it is also true that laicism, a strong and aggressive secularism was born in Spain, as we saw in the 1930s,” the Pope said

Ah yes, and who was the heroic defender of the Catholic church in Spain then? Good ol' Generalissimo Franco. Whom the Catholic church enthusiastically supported in turn, declaring his coup against the democratic government a 'crusade'.

So, it seems that Ratzinger is longing for the days when Good Catholics showed the uppity secularists who was really in charge - with the barrel of a gun.

[AndrewP]

8. I can only hope secularism gets MORE aggressive

Fuck off RazzieBurger

[zbdent]

9. So, when's he going to get his own "liberal media" show?

I mean, much of the "liberal media" kowtows to the Republican/Conservative side, anyway, right? Keith Olberman was fired for donating to Democrats, yet there's no public outcry at Faux having 4+ potential Republican Presidential candidates on their bribery list, er ... payroll ...

[JackRiddler]

10. "As we saw in the 1930s." He's taking sides with Franco (again) in the Spanish Civil War.

Bloody fascist dictatorships that came to power with military assistance from the Nazis, bombing civilians, those are much better than secular societies, apparently.

[nashville_brook]

11. apparently the outrage against pedophile priests = oppressing the church, and a fascist dictatorship

would be a proportional response the same way it was in Spain in the 1930s.

Sheesh. He needs to lay off the wine.