Amazing! The Pope comes to the U.S apologizing daily about the priestly sex scandal and telling us that his heart bleeds for the victims. He asks the faithful (unbelievably, there are still some left) to pray for the bishops and support the clergy. Does he actually suggest any beneficial changes? No, absolutely not. He wants Catholics to continue to believe in everything the church tells them to believe in – – all of it.
As far as I am aware there is no biblical basis for an unmarried clergy. This was instituted in the Middle Ages to free the church from the need to support whole families and widows. Thus all revenues went to the church without the need for pensions. Nifty!
Nor is there any sound basis for male-only priests, only the presumption that since Jesus was a man and had no female apostles therefore the Church should be a male preserve (with the bone of Maryism being thrown to the women).
If the Pope really wanted to help and modernize the church he could allow priests to lead normal, human lives, which would long-term fix the fiddling with little boys by roaring homos.
Even better, he could allow women priests. Who cares what gender delivers the message?
But no, business as usual, irrelevant and divisive. Epicureanism doesn’t care what your sexuality is and frowns on the the supremacy of the male gender over the female (should go without saying).
Long live decency, human rights and rationality!
Europeans would be astonished at the publicity accorded to this reactionary old man. He might come across as gentle and mild, but his message is unyielding.
He would rather have half as many adherents who blindly believed every jot and tittle of Church teaching than alter the accretions of centuries to modernize the religion and make it meaningful to more people.
There were Catholics in ecstasy as the Pope passed by. Oh, well, if it gave them something in additions to guns to cling to!
“If the Pope really wanted to help and modernize the church he could allow priests to lead normal, human lives, which would long-term fix the fiddling with little boys by roaring homos.”
Very very sadly, it wouldnt fix the the fiddling. Abusers bent on abusing will find a way. Being a ‘celebate’ priest is an ideal entre; sadly and appallingly the church is ‘used’ by a small number as a cover. This besmirches Christians in general (again). Dont lets forget that taking into account the ratio between homosexuals and heterosexuals in society, there are far more heterosexual peodophiles.The ratio of (known) homo to heterosexual abusers is about one to four.
You are right however, there is no basis for male only priests/leaders. In fact there were several leaders of the early housechurches who were women. Perhaps Roman society was a little more enlightened where this is concerned??