Reply #74: Thanks for the re, JDP. [View All]

You may be overestimating the % of American catholics who listen when the pope speaks 'ex cathedra', though. Personally, as an observant catholic, I don't trust that guy. He looks like a Charles Addams cartoon character.

The current pope was the actual lineally-descendant leader of the Catholic church's 'Inquisition', under JP II. (I forget what the office is called, but it is something with 'Dogma' in the official title. He was also a Hitler youth in Austria, during WWII.

We are a 'big tent' organization, with Opus Dei and P-2 jockeying for position with Liberation Theologians, Labor Priests, and Maryknoll Sisters. The side with the guns and the Borgia-style poisoners usually comes out on top. Umberto Ecco writes a lot of great stuff on the subject, but you could always go for the tabloid-style histories depicted by Dan Brown.

The last 2 Papal administrations have been puckering up to kiss some virulent American nazi WASP repug ass, to be sure. They are doing it for money and power, but they'll still always be outside 'the pale'. The Church hierarchy did the same thing for hundreds of years. The fat rich bishops in Ireland excommunicated all the Irish Nationalist leaders, when they were fighting the Protestant British who occupied Ireland. Hundreds of years ago, in the 1800's. But have a sense of proportion, JD. The Catholics aren't running this anti-abortion pogrom in the US. The whack-job fundy fake Kristian prods are, and they're a bunch of repugs.

Last, here's an amusing antecdote from Tip O'Neill's autobiography, 'Man of the House', pp 169 - 170:

"President Kennedy himself called Speed Carroll. 'I'll be happy to do it,' he said, 'but I want to be in and out. No meetings. Just take me to where I'm supposed to be, give me five minutes to freshen up, and then bring me out to meet the young people.'
When the president arrived at the hotel, Speed (Father James 'Speed' Carroll, Tip's friend from the Catholic Youth Org.) was there to greet him. 'I understand your wishes', he said. 'But we have some bishops who are hoping to meet with you, and a group of nuns in the next room.'
Kennedy didn't miss a beat. 'The nuns I'll see,' he said. 'But not the bishops. They all vote Republican.' "

Funny as hell, innit (q mark)