A load of old (Papal) bull



The latest pronouncement from that font of brotherly love - the Catholic Church - on homosexuality was released by the Pope today. Many religions have been guilty of dreadful intolerance over the centuries, to those of different colours, classes, nations and other religions of course. While preaching goodness and morality many a religious hypocrite has pronounced those he doesn’t agree with (and it is usually a he, women ain’t too popular either) to be offensive. The Christian churches and especially the Catholic Church have all too often been the guiltiest of this intolerance, despite Christ teaching universal love.



With this pronouncement though the Pope has come out and labelled same sex relationships and marriages to be ‘evil’. What right does a senile old man have to make such a judgement on a whole sector of society? What does an ancient, doddering celibate know about love, sex and marriage to begin with? Why would anyone take advice on relationships from someone who knows nothing about them? Come to think of it, Christian teaching instructs the faithful explicitly not to judge “lest ye be judged yourself”. Of course, that pesky Bible can be ignored when inconvenient by church leaders and brought out only when they need it to beat up on scientists or pagans.



Worse still this incredibly arrogant old fool has issued a commandment to Catholics to follow his line on this. He actually sent letters to Members of Parliament commanding - not suggesting - them on how to vote on parliamentary matters concerned with homosexuality. What century does this arrogant, judgemental, intolerant old fool live in? How dare they attempt to tell the elected representatives of the people how to think and what morality to follow. That is deliberate interference in the democratic process of a sovereign nation.



Now I personally detest religion, but I tolerate the right of any person to follow their beliefs, no matter how foolish I feel them to be. But many of those who suffer from an over abundance of ‘morality’, looking down on us all from their heavenly heights, can’t just follow their own moral code; they have to inflict them on the rest of society. It doesn’t seem to have sunk into these backwards looking intolerants that we no longer live in a feudalistic, medieval society. Just look at the holier than thou lot who spent millions campaigning against the repeal of Section 28 a few years ago. But to stand up and pronounce whole bunch of people to be evil that you have never even met or know nothing of is utterly awful. Coming from the earthly representative of a man who supposedly professed to teach a new religion of love is sickening.



I was taught as a young boy never, ever to discriminate against another person because of their race, colour or creed. As I grew up I naturally included gender preference to this list. After all, if I saw fit to discriminate against someone because they were gay then it makes a mockery of me not judging someone else on ethnicity, gender or religion. I may be many things, but I’m not a hypocrite. That’s called developing and expanding your own morality, something the Pope thinks his followers can’t do for themselves obviously. It’s not even a question of individuals approving (not that they are being allowed the right here) - a person’s approval of another’s lifestyle is irrelevant: it’s tolerating their right to live that life free of duress as long as they harm no-one else that matters in a modern, egalitarian society. Does Peter Tatchell make pronouncements that the Pop is evil and Mps must vote against all legislation concerning Catholics? One sits back and passes judgements, expecting all to follow; the other uses direct action and protest to try and help human rights causes. I think I know which one I consider to be a more moral man.