Pope Benedict the XVI has made a stunning attack on the UK’s equality legislation claiming them to be contrary to ‘Natural law’. Well this man is the head of the Catholic Church, he no doubt has a direct line to the ‘Big Man’ upstairs.So who are we to argue?
There are two obvious schools of thought here in relation to the Pope’s comments.
Firstly, He’s right! His attacks are aimed at recent legislation that will outlaw his Church’s ability to distinguish against gay or cross gender individuals who wish to join their ranks or become ordained priests.
I am not Catholic or particularly religious but I understand that the Catholic Church has a deep rooted belief that Gay or Trans Gender persons should not be allowed to spread the word of the catholic faith.
The Catholic Church is a large organisation and should perhaps be given the freedom to select individuals they wish to employ themselves. They are, after all, a religious movement the same as Christians and Muslims. Would we interfere with belief that Muslims take from the Koran, as we seek to do with the same beliefs that the Catholic’s take from the Bible?
This does not mean that gay people are less valuable to our society, just that they are not sought after by the Catholic Church.
The second school of thought is, He’s Wrong!
The British was of life is one base on equality and the notion of ‘best man (or woman) for the job’. Some would say these beliefs in equality, are the very fabric of our society and we should not compromise them far anyone, including ‘His Holiness the Pope’.
Gay Rights groups, who have indicated that they will protest when the Pope arrives in the UK in September will argue that they have fought long and hard to get to the situation where they are approaching equality and acceptance within the community.
They will argue that the Pope’s comments are damaging to their numbers and will be followed by further incidents of gay people being discriminated against and prevented from applying for certain positions.
They will say that this cannot be allowed to happen and they are right. But does this make the Pope Wrong?
In a modern world even the Catholic Church should embrace individuality and accept that a Gay priest could be every bit as effective as a heterosexual one, shouldn’t it?
In this new age society we ARE all equal, aren’t we?
I have no doubt that the non-catholic masses will point to the less than glorious history of abuse committed by priests, and state that the Pope should be more concerned with weeding out this kind of behaviour rather than obstructing people whose behaviour breaks no laws.
But, with all that said the Pope is only, in his view, protecting the institution of which he is the head.
Is he right or is he wrong?….. You decide!
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Tags: catholic, equality, liberty, News, religion, the church, the pope
I’ve never agreed with the virtual brain washing of children with religion. But there again, society has to ‘brainwash’ them into being good people somehow.
One lot say pay your dues to God, the others say pay your dues to the exchequer.
Somehow I never seem to get any dues back.
The Pope’s position is clear, entirely consistent with the Church’s premisses, but inconvenient to many. It is about not having sex outside marriage – heterosexula or otherwise- and about what marriage is (”the union of one man with one woman, to the exclusion of all others, for life”, as the preamble goes, or went, even in Register Offices). Asking him to amend his position is, from his standpoint, like having a vote on whether 2 plus two should be four.
I dislike all religions but I would defend the Pope’s right to be biggotted by religious doctrine. Indeed, his position is far superior to the Angicans who seem to reinterpret the Gospel to move with the times.
Sorry Robert but I don’t believe that “all men are created equal” nor that we live in an egalitarian meritocracy. Despite the law, homosexuality still leaves some people disgusted or at least, less than embracing of “out there, in-your-face” homosexual men and women. I remember the disappointment my girlfriend displayed on discovering that John Borrowman was never going to be interested in her but she still holds a candle for Brad Pitt and Antonio Banderas.