Saturday - September 18, 2010

the popes visit to Britain and a few thoughts

Interesting happenings in the UK this week.  The pope’s visit.  Yawn for some and I don’t guess I care either. But he did have messages I could agree with and I’m not religious.  On the other hand, there are some things I can’t understand. The church we are told is paying some £2 million, and the other 10 million is on the back of the taxpayer.  Well, that means peoples of all other religions too. It even means non believers have to pay for the visit.  Thing is, not all folks who claim membership in the church, are all that interested either.  I think they’re called lapsed Catholics. But everybody has to pay anyway.  Why?

Get this.  Everywhere people turn they are being told belts must be tightened.  The present govt. says the country has been left in such serious and bad debt, that deep cuts are in order.  They want to cut 40,000 policemen for example.  Even, gasp, some civil servants.  Everything across the board. Cut,cut,cut.
So naturally, some of the unions are warning of strike action. One union head says his union will, “cripple Britain.” And yes, he is far left. They don’t care.
Well, here we are facing some tough times it is predicted, but they happen to have 10 million they can spend to host the pope for a few days. The church owns art worth 100 times that. Not to mention property.  Ah ha I have it.  That’s why they can afford all that stuff.  The poor boxes.  Ya think?

The dilemma for the men in charge of the Pope’s security is how to protect him – and let him get close to his flock.

In 1981, the vulnerability of the pontiff was brought into sharp relief, when the Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Agca shot and wounded John Paul II as he mingled with the faithful in St Peter’s Square, in Rome.

And although that assassination attempt led to an increase in security, if the Pope is to remain a public figure it can never be watertight.

Critics – especially militant secularists – have criticised the £3.3million cost of security for his UK visit. But yesterday’s alleged plot was a reminder of why it is needed.

POPE SECURITY

This photo is larger at the link and way,way bigger in the hard copy. What caught my interest was the caption for the box at the bottom center.
It says ... Italian police and Swiss Guard normally carry Sig Sauer P75 automatic pistols but banned from carrying them here.

Say what?  How come?  The paper didn’t say.  Surely they can’t be unarmed. Can they? Or was it just that particular weapon that was banned?
Any ideas?

Now I don’t know about you but I always liked Christmas.  Mostly when young of course.  But still, there is something about that period that I have always found enjoyable.  And I like Christmas Carols (but not in Oct.).  So I was happy to read that the pope made some comments about that.

Pope’s battle to save Christmas: Don’t let atheists crush your traditions, Benedict tells Britain

By Steve Doughty

* Easter and Christmas should not be discouraged by fear of offending others
* Christians in public roles should be allowed to act according to conscience
* Lack of ethical foundation resulted in financial crisis, he tells politicians

The Pope issued a clarion call to defend Christianity last night, saying Christmas was at risk of being struck from the calendar.

In a strongly worded speech delivered in Parliament, Benedict XVI bluntly told politicians not to ‘silence’ religion and discourage public celebration of its most important festivals.

And in a thinly veiled attack on controversial equality legislation, he said laws which forced Christians to act against their consciences were wrong.

‘There are those who would advocate that the voice of religion be silenced, or at least relegated to the purely private sphere,’ he told senior politicians and public figures.

POPE COMMENTS AND PIX

I think he’s quite right on the issue offending others.  Western culture has gotten along well (till recent times and left wing liberals and apologists for the rop)
telling us a cross on a public building or a nativity scene might offend a few non believers.  How about the many who are not offended? Nobody has ever been made the worse because they heard a Carol in public.

He is also very,very correct on the issue of conscience.  The church has a philosophy on homosexuality. Many do not agree with their stance. But to force a Catholic adoption agency under force of law to place a child with a same sex couple is I believe, unreasonable.  The agencies will of course close. And just who does that serve?  Merely the easily offended and professional “activists.”

However, he may be mistaken to think it’s only atheists who want to undo things. No.  It’s those silly damn politically correct bureaucrats who spend too much time thinking of all the different ways that different people can possibly become offended.  It’s the very same kind of thinking that makes hurting someone’s feelings a punishable offense under law. And they are not all non believers. Many are screwballs who believe. Like Harriet Harperson. (Harman)

Side issue, police have arrested 6 Algerians in a murder plot against the pope.

Posted by peiper     on 09/18/2010 at 02:27 PM   
Filed Under: • Religion •  
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