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Oceanside Pier, thirty seconds

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Pope Benedict World Tour



May 9, 2009

Pope Benedict XVI has warned against the misuse of religion for political ends, in a speech to Muslim leaders on the second day of his visit to Jordan.

Speaking in the King Hussein Mosque in Amman, he argued that religion was a force for good, but its "manipulation" caused divisions and even violence.

"And hey" proclaimed the pontiff with a wink, "everyone knows who owns the media."

The pontiff is due to visit Israel and the West Bank on an eight-day tour.

Analysts say he is keen to improve ties with the Islamic world. A speech he made in 2006 offended many Muslims.

Some groups in Jordan had called for him to apologise for the speech, in which he quoted a medieval scholar who criticised the Prophet Muhammad.  "Look, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, the plane ride made me a little meshuggy."

On Sunday Pope gives an open-air Mass and will pray at Wadi Kharrar on the east bank of the River Jordan, where Christians believe Jesus was baptized.

"Look at it this way, hombres" said the steely eyed father. "There's a hotel, see, and there's three would be lodgers but only two beds for rent. Simple mathematics says that somebody has to hit the road. Now let's face facts - there's 1.1147 billion Catholics in the world and 1.2 billion Muslims and 13 million Jews. Who do you think is going to be sleeping on the couch?"

On Monday Pope travels to Tel Aviv for four days in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
While there he will visit a Palestinian refugee camp and is also due to visit Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank.

"I would like to thank you for expressing regret over the lecture in 2006, which hurt the feelings of Muslims,"  Prince Ghazi bin Mohammed told the Pope.

"We realise that the visit [to Jordan] comes as a goodwill gesture and a sign of mutual respect between Muslims and Christians. We didn't kill Christ but we all know who did."

The BBC's David Willey, travelling with the Pope, says the pontiff is trying hard to show that the Catholic Church is anxious to foster greater respect, both for the beliefs the two faiths hold in common and for the areas where they differ. But the Pope's efforts come amid misunderstandings and a lack of mutual comprehension.

During his address in Amman, the pontiff called on Jordan's Muslims and Christians to work together to improve their society. "Let's just say there's a new sheriff in town and somebody better clear out by sundown," he proclaimed with a glance to the west as he chewed on the stalk of a native reed.

Pope Benedict has been treading an exceedingly careful path since his arrival here in order not to do or say anything in public likely to offend either his Muslim hosts or the Jewish authorities who will be his hosts in Jerusalem next week. When asked about the territorial rights of two religions that came on the scene 5000 and 5700 years after the arrival of the native jewish population, respectively, the pope shot back, "That's the real estate market for you."

But even so, there has been some carping. Earlier in the day, the Pope talked of inseparable bonds between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people. Some clerics in Jordan reacted angrily.

Others remarked that the Pope had failed to remove his shoes when he visited the mosque in accordance with Muslim custom. All I can say is that I too was allowed to enter the mosque before the Pope's arrival without removing my shoes.

"Some assert that religion is necessarily a cause of division in our world and so they argue that the lesser attention given to religion in the public sphere the better," he said. "Fifteen hours on the plane and you want me to take off my shoes? Oy. The smell would be more deadly than a Scud missile."

"Certainly, the contradiction of tensions and divisions between the followers of different religious traditions, sadly, cannot be denied. After all, one man's mitre is another man's yarmulke."

"However, is it not also the case that often it is the ideological manipulation of religion, sometimes for political ends, that is the real catalyst for tension and division, and at times even violence in society?"

As he arrived in Amman on Friday he described himself as a "pilgrim of peace".
Jordan's King Abdullah welcomed the Pope to "the heartland of faiths for Christians and Muslims alike". Gee, your kingship, you sure you didn't leave anybody out?

The 82-year-old Pope praised Jordan's "respect for religion". Who doesn't think of the Arab world when they hear the word tolerance? One Muslim who is expressing doubts about Benedict's olive branch is touchy cleric Abu Mohammed Al Maqdisi who says, "Whoever is welcoming this transgressive liar and honors him and overlooks his offenses towards the prophets of Islam than it is impossible for him to be part of the community of Islam by any means."  What's he so freaking sore about?

The Pope's visit is aimed at encouraging the minority Christian community in the Middle East, and creating a better dialogue with Muslims and Jews.

In addition to his 2006 speech with which some Muslims took offence, the Pope has also upset some Jews recently by rescinding the ex-communication of a Holocaust-denying bishop.

"Like you can ever make those people happy" quipped the holy father.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Robt.
It's Okay to vent a little religious guilt.

Anonymous said...

'He's goin' down and he's goin' down fast
You really didn't think the ignorance could last
All the little children are learning
And the constellation is turning.

A poke at the Pope, that's what we're havin'

Mumbling by the tumbling tide
The king of America humbly cried
Save my soul, save it soon!
The king of America fell in swoon

Oh yea, my honey, Oh yea my honey...'

Donovan Leitch
'Open Road' 1970

Anonymous said...

Would you trust this man with your soul now?
Would you trust this man? ask yourself now

His eyes are sunken and his cheeks are hollow
While you dig the poor of the world they follow
He hoarding up their gold in the Vatican
Would you trust this man? ask yourself now

A poke at the Pope, that's what we're havin'

Ave Maria, Ave Maria...

Do you remember when the floods hit Italy?
How the things they treasured most were destroyed
All the paintings and the worshipped images
'Cos they lost their faith in the real God.

Poke at the pope - Donovan

GRANT MACDONALD said...

Homophobia and religious extremism. When one studies civilisation and finds that the Irish people are 60,000 years old; 54,000 years older than the Jews/Palestinians; Egypt or Greece and that the myth of Catholicism or Christianity is a mere 2009 years old; one soon realises that there is little evidence to prove any of the cross related bogus elements of that cult. In the year 300 AD when Emperor Constantine who to some was the first pope; went on to fabricate Christianity - a fantasy - which turned out to be one of the most hateful & evil concoctions ever perpetrated on the world. The Vatican supported Hitler and religion is responsible for more corruption and violence in the world. Pope Ratzinger was involved in the Nazi youth. The Pope & Vatican with its blatant witchcraft related to the bible and its hateful beliefs; tries to rule with extreme prejudices against the world … that may fall victim to religions' absolute evil. To think of Matthew Sheppard choking on his own blood after being savagely beaten; virtually sanctioned by the church ... is beyond comprehension … yet is the same as boys being bullied into suicide; most likely being supported by their parents’ religious beliefs. What ever happened to … "Love Your Fellowman?” Perhaps the evil preachers should be told to take their cult out of America. Didn't Thomas Jefferson say that church and state should be separated by a wall and it's written in the Constitution that there must be separation of church and state. Bigotry and hatemongering against gays should be banned. Tell them to take that cross and shove it where the sun don't shine ... and pay their taxes along the way before they take that cross down forever ... with its final station; extinction. It is written; so therefore it shall be? We are the chosen people? Who wrote that crap? United States is supposedly fighting for democracy? It is suppressing gay rights and following an extremist religious & bigoted family values path according to a basic cult riding roughshod over the rights of gay people. Canada and Britain are more civilized with its military and basic dignity. We must respect that these fine dignified gentlemen … His Excellency Governor Schwarzenegger, The Honorable Attorney General Jerry Brown, His Excellency Mayor Gavin Newson, Assemblyman Tom Ammiano & The Honorable Rep. Barney Frank (D) who is personally openly gay … are trying to guarantee equal rights and reflect the respect shown to all; as stated in the American Constitution. To see the religious lunatics manipulate government and our lives … is shameful.
This bogus religious filth should be banned. It exists as a tax exempt structure which discriminates against human rights. The pope, bishops and mormons are cult members promoting discrimination against minorities. That bogus black book called the bible should be banned. Religion and the churches should now be exposed as a bigoted structure that gets away with hate mongering. Love between two guys or girls existed long before these cults existed. By enjoying their tax exempt status and benefits from the state ... it also puts them at the mercy of America; to be forced to adhere to the human rights laws. Religion is thriving like a cancerous growth on society that should be stopped in its tracks; outlawed & banned. Interesting global occurrence … Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien told the Vatican that there was to be no cross erected over the Canadian Parliament buildings … figuratively speaking; when the Pope demanded the Prime Minister go against gay rights. An Alberta bishop had the audacity to say that The Canadian Prime Minister would go to hell for going against the church. Such outrageous evil threats; the religious extremists force upon us trying to multiply … with their control over birthing like animals at the pulpit. With reference to protecting the children. The Right Honourable Prime Minister … in return; basically told the Pope to go to Hell. The Honourable Hedy Fry, member of the Canadian Liberal Parliament, who happens to be a doctor spoke eloquently to defend the rights of babies being born and stated that she delivered hundreds of newborn children and she was in fact defending their rights by speaking on behalf of equal rights and therefore defending the integrity, dignity and equality for gays.

Many theologians state quite correctly that the birth; crucifixion; resurrection and other elements of christianity actually didn’t even happen! Today’s evangelical extremists are like the nazis who cast others into ovens & are actually supremacists - who practice their bogus hocus pocus - and are trying to suppress and deprive others of their happiness and their legal rights in an open and proud society. Liberty College, Oral Roberts University and others should be looked at as tax exempt terroristic training grounds for evangelical lunatics. It was refreshing in his final weeks; to hear President Bush acknowledge that he didn’t believe in any of that religious bunk.

I am the son of a catholic father who never went to church and a protestant mother who took us to church and Sunday school. Although we as young children would sneak out the side door and play by the cannon from World War One where my grand-father fought for freedom as a Sgt Mgr at Vimy and father who fought at Normandy on D-Day for freedom. Onward christian soldiers ... I think not. Such drivel. To be manipulated by a santa claus; an easter bunny and worst of all a bogus cross. One should appreciate each day of life and not expect another ... and if there is it will be given by a God of Love. Pat Robertson should be taken to task for his grandstanding filth. Einstein stated in a letter recently auctioned that the bible was collection of primitive legends. He said believing in God was childish and he as a Jew is no different than another person … not chosen by God. Do you want to be lambs at the slaughter or be wise and reject religious cultist manipulation? Mean & nasty; run by evil and bogus religious cults from Rome or wherever. Is this the world you want?

Blue Heron said...

We are all entitled to our personal mythology - don't quite understand your whole deal, it was quite a mouthful. We all harken back to our black mother in the Olduvai so the timelines become pointless but as a matter of anthropology the civilization in the Indus Valley certainly predates the Irish. But don't get your Irish up. Ain' no time to hate, barely time to wait... All religions that have ever existed have comparable culpability when God gets in their ear and tells them to start smiting. But read about Dorothy Day and some of the fantastic works that Catholics have been responsible for in South America among other places. Human beings are far from perfect, there is no dress rehearsal and we all try to do it the best way we can. I am not bagging on the Catholics who are no better or worse than the rest of us.

Blue Heron said...

The holy father just called for the creation of a palestinian state. That's like me demanding that the church go back to the latin mass. Wasn't Ratzinger the guy who chastised all of the liberation theology priests in South America for entering the political realm?