Thursday 8 October 2009

Pope Maledict Calls The Kettle Black.

Faithful as ever to the paternalizing approach he has perfected when speaking about the African continent, Pope Maledict condescends to telling its people what is wrong with them.

Benedict praised Africa's rich cultural and spiritual treasures, saying they were the "spiritual lung" for a world increasingly in a crisis of faith and hope. But he said Africa had also been afflicted by materialism – the "toxic spiritual garbage" exported by developed countries.

"In this sense, colonialism – while finished in the political sphere – hasn't really ended," he said, adding that as a result Africa was also at risk of another "virus": religious fundamentalism. Groups claiming to be from religious backgrounds are spreading across the continent.

"They are doing so in the name of God, but with a logic that is opposed to divine logic: teaching and working not with love and respect for freedom, but with intolerance and violence," he said. ...

The church is growing enormously in Africa; between 1978 and 2007, the number of Catholics nearly trebled, from 55 million to 146 million. Vatican statistics show that more than 17% of Africa's population is Catholic.

But at the same time, the region's poverty, conflicts and Aids have posed challenges. Among the thorny issues bishops may raise at the synod is the Vatican's ban on condom use. Many say condoms could help prevent the spread of Aids.

Let me repeat what Pope Maledict said about the groups who also trading in the business of religion and competing with the Vatican Taliban, as they try to indoctrinate and convert MASSIVE numbers of people to their own brand of doctrine in Africa.

"They are doing so in the name of God, but with a logic that is opposed to divine logic: teaching and working not with love and respect for freedom, but with intolerance and violence."

That reminds me of something .... and oh yes, this.

1 comment:

fern hill said...

Oooo. Maledict is good. That's a keeper. Off now to google maledict.

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