Quote of the Day: Pope Benedict XVI on Love

Wordle created by Mícheál Carchrie Campbell

I have to thank Mícheál for his regular updates of the Pope's public utterances on this trip. I know he would far rather be down in London today rather in a rather damp Belfast. However, part of that is the words that he spoke today. These ones especially stood out:

"We were made to receive love, and we have. Every day we should thank God for the love we have already known, for the love that has made us who we are, the love that has shown us what is truly important in life. We need to thank the Lord for the love we have received from our families, our friends, our teachers, and all those people in our lives who have helped us to realise how precious we are, in their eyes and in the eyes of God.

"We were also made to give love, to make it the inspiration for all we do and the most enduring thing in our lives. At times this seems so natural, especially when we feel the exhilaration of love, when our hearts brim over with generosity, idealism, the desire to help others, to build a better world. But at other times we realise that it is difficult to love; our hearts can easily be hardened by selfishness, envy and pride."

Speaking about love to an open audience is a wonderful thing. Acknowledging that we were made to receive and give love is truly a Christian attitude. It is something that reaches to the heart of the Christian message. But I'm wondering is there are caveats on just what sort of love that might be.

However, as love has made me who we are, it has made me accept that I am someone who yearns for the intimate love of another man. Yes I am wondrously made, but I'm made in that way, to love whom I love and to love my God as well. There is an exhilaration of being in love and of sharing love, agape, Eros or Platonic love (if we are going to the Greek).

Of course I am merely seeing it through my eyes, from a heart that isn't hardened too much but is open. I hope and pray that the Pope, his church and all the other churches can look at the way we should love. That we are made to give and receive that love and that the decision of which gender earns that most intimate of loves is not a socially engineered decision but part of how we were made.

As you can see from Mícheál's wordle at the top 'love' certainly was at the forefront of today's homily, yet has also been the matter of contention of many of those who today chose to Protest the Pope. It can't be fully right in either direction if that is the case.

Read also speaking also of love, my friend Mícheál has found a rather touching and moving letter from a gay priest which he has reposted on his blog.

It's Friday...so a little Papal (Catholic) Humour

Oops. I almost forgot the get this sorted out for this week. However, as there is a Papal Visit on guess the theme.

First up from Father Ted who's have thought that Father Jack was beaten to promotion by a Polish guy called Karol.



And Billy Connolly a Weggie and a Catholic is pleased for the Churches stance on birth control.




And the lastly Dave Allen tells us about his first remembrances of his Catholic schooling.



Of course Dave Allen always ended his shows in an ecumenical way with "Goodnight, thank you, and may your God go with you" so I wish you that today.

Your Holiness, Some Catholics are Gay. Get Over It!

One of my friends this morning on Facebook has posted this:

"happy to welcome the pope to Scotland but hopes that amid all the pageantry, the survivors of sexual abuse at the hands of catholic priests, will receive compassion, apology and a fair hearing. Oh and your holiness, some people are gay, get over it."

I was tempted to add the title of this blog post as a follow up, but decided it neither further expansion, so this is it.

I think that says a lot about where some of the disquiet about this state visit, but at the same times shows a sense of balance. It leads on from the debate on Better Nation yesterday where both myself and Caron added our balance tuppenceworths. I do like it when Liberal Democrats of faith and none can reach an agreement that freedom of religious believe is also embedded in the preamble to our constitution.

Over the last few days I've been seeing a lot of my gay friends and contacts on Facebook, Twitter or other media condemn the Popes visit for whatever reason. I've also seen some of my gay, Catholic friends looking forward the the visit which I why I think these needs saying.

Just as many of us don't agree with everything that our political leaders say, so do many of us not agree with everything that our religious leaders say (even if they claim divine infallibility). There are many of us in the churches of all types who have struggled with our own sexuality and what has been said from our pulpits. Many of us have to undertake a journey on our own with our bibles and with prayer to come to an acceptance of ourselves first and foremost as both gay and Christian. There are now some more support groups out there but many of us still make that journey on our own.

We do it alone fearing being ostracised or excommunicated from a church or religion (as it applies to other faiths too) that we feel in fellowship with and part of. Gay Christians tend to have two additional families outside of their own flesh and blood, the LGBT family and the church family yet they appear like the Montagus and Capulets from Romeo and Juliet always to be at each other's throats (there are of course exceptions).

I saw another tweet that said the Pope was not welcome until the progress was made on all the aspects at which there are dispute contraception, child abuse and homosexuality. The middle one of those I think is at the start of progress being made, however it may well take time. The other two similarly. As I have blogged before it took me over a decade to reconcile my own sexuality with my faith and that was just one individual looking at it out of self interest not the generalities with with the leadership of a church looks at it. Therefore I'm prepared for the churched to take their time to come to conclusions, what I do want however is for them to start on that journey.

As I would have said, because I know, some Catholics are gay, as are some Presbyterians, Baptists, Jews, Muslims etc. We need to all get over it, acknowledge it and work with it.

Bannside to Morningside*

Lord Bannside, who until recently was just plain old the Right Honourable, Rev. Dr. Ian K. Paisley P.C., M.L.A., as well as former M.P. and M.E.P. has announced he is visiting Edinburgh this week.

Far be it for me to point out that the Festival has finished for another year he has another reason for visiting the city I've worked in for the past nine years. Yeah, anyone who know the history of Paisley and the Popes (video link) will hardly be surprised that he is heading the protest against the Pope in Edinburgh.

Regular readers will know that I don't always see eye to eye with Cardinal Keith O'Brien, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of St. Andrew's and Edinburgh, but I had to admire him in the press conference yesterday. He mentioned that as a man born in the former MP's constituency he would have been surprised if Paisley had not made the journey to make his protest.

If what Lord Bannside has said is the reason he will be protesting, in light of the recent revelations he has a justified reason** to protest against a State Visit, when he said :

"What we're doing, we're making a legitimate protest about something that is entirely wrong, and I am looking at myself as a person who is prepared to champion those who have been very, very badly treated by these priests of Rome."

The problem I have with the Protest the Pope idea is that there are elements of this visit which are State Ceremonial, there are other elements which are Pastoral to the Catholic pilgrims who will also be visiting these cities along with the protesters. Therefore protests at the civic elements of the Pope's visit are to be expected, however they should leave the religious elements to those of the faith to have their time with their spiritual leader.

Personally I'll not be making a physical protest. However, I will continue stand up against what I feel are wrong statements and falsehoods on this blog as time goes on (and yes that will mean the odd spat with a good friend). That goes for any church not just the Roman one.

* He may not actually visit Morningside, I'm aware of that, but the Southern Edinburgh works for the wordplay. It is also more widely known than Hillside which is right next to the Catholic Cathedral, so give me artistic license.

** Yeah me having good things to say about Cardinal O'Brien and Ian Paisley in the same blog post mark that in your diary.

Let's Talk About Sex Benny*

I have to praise Cardinal Christoph Schönborn. Whether he actually meant that there is a link between priestly celibacy and child sex abuse scandal that's inflicting the Vatican, or merely that the link needs to be examined, he has reopened the debate

The Archbishop of Vienna, who is a protégé of Pope Benedict XVI and seen as a potential future candidate for the Papacy is hardly opening a can of worms. Although his hastily released clarification may well be a sign that the church is not prepared to publicly face that discussion.

His original article in his archdiocese's magazine called on the Church to make a "unflinching examination" of the causes of the scandal. He specifically pointed out that consideration should be made on "the issue of priests' training, as well as the question of what happened in the so-called sexual revolution of the generation of 1968".

He added: "It also includes the question of priest celibacy and the question of personality development. It requires a great deal of honesty, both on the part of the Church and of society as a whole."

In fact what he said is largely biblical. Considering that the rule on Priestly celibacy is not based on the married founding Bishop of Rome Peter but on Paul who wrote in 1 Corinthians:

"I wish that all men were like me. However each man has his own gift from God, one of this kind, and another of that kind. But I say to the unmarried and to widows, it is good for them if they remain even as I am. But if they don't have self-control, let them marry. For it's better to marry than to burn with passion."

All of what Paul wrote is contained within the article and focus of Cardinal Schönborn. The issues in Ireland, USA and Germany are the most severe examples. The Pope has already gathered the senior Irish Bishops to Rome for what can be described as a ticking off. But surely some self examination is desirable. The church hasn't always been celibate and indeed other pastors in other denominations have been allowed to take wives/husbands**. I'm not saying it is a perfect solution, there are still tales on infidelity even with the marriage of Christian leaders. But maybe the need or want is less that retaining a state of celibacy even if there is a passion burning unquenched as is the only state of service in the Catholic Church. The whole context of Paul's passage was not that you must, but you must do what is right for you, he also didn't rule anyone out of the role passed purely on the nature of their marital status.

It may do the Catholic Church no harm to realise that all humans are fallible, without it there is no need for redemption. Once they realise that and start to acknowledge that then, and I fear only then, will they be able to deal with this issue in a constructive way.

Cardinal Schönborn is calling for just such an examination. Though you wonder if his call will be heeded and acted upon.

* For the title to work properly as a pun on the song lyrics I had to refer to the Pope by taking a popular truncation of his name.

** Well I'm including the female pastors with the husbands, but there are also a number of same gender relationships.

Penny Saving Ideas for Pope Benny

He wants to come here and talk about natural law, but strangely omits the yogic flying element, yet sees it fit that we the British tax payer should shell out £20m for the privilege of him telling us we are wrong. Well EasyJet have offered to fly him here for 'nothing', diddly squat, gratis*.



So I think we the British public should put our heads together on how Pope Benny can talk to his flock without affecting our economy. May be we should chip together to get him one of these:



It would make the new Popemobile cheaper for him too.

Nearly ten thousand have signed the petition (have you?) to make the Pope pay his own way when he comes visiting in September, after his comments the other day. So the above acts of British charity may well be welcome. Surely it is the least we can do to trim his £20m tax burden to visit his flock. It is the 'natural' thing to do as long as he keeps out of our 'law'.

Update There is also a second petition call on the Government to distance itself from the Pope's comments.

*Need to speak the Vatican vernacular.

The Oxymoron of Natural Law

So the Pope is saying that the equality bill defies 'natural law' that may be his belief but it is also an oxymoron.

Natural law, think about it, what does that mean? Look at the book of Genesis to see what natural law actually means in the bible. There is lying, fratricide, stealing, cheating on wives etc. it gets so bad that at one point God wipes out mankind bar one man, his three sons and their wives in a flood.

You see natural law in the bible teaches that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" now that may be something that the Pope has forgotten. Being elevated to the level of the 'infallible' while still a mortal may do that to someone. You see there is no thing as natural law, even the church teaches natural lawlessness, if it didn't it would be out of business. So that attack stems from an oxymoron.

Somehow this country can ban religious extremists from entering this country if they want to, but the Pope is unique in that he also is a Head of State, therefore he get lavished with a £20m of taxpayers money to come and visit his flock. He can hold views that are contrary to the law of the land and expunge them from a platform in front of thousands and yet we the taxpayer will be helping to pay for him.

He claims to have the same God that I do. One that says that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. One who accepts me for who I am, yes all of me. There is no oxymoron in the fact that Christians are sinners saved by grace only in the fact that the Church can try and defy nature by placing laws on it which do not exist.

UPDATE: There now is a Downing Street Petition calling on the Government to distance itself from the Pope's comments.

Pope's Prophylactic Fallibility

Well His Infallibleness Benny XVI's comments in Africa have come under much scrutiny, not least in the Vatican's own official website. While His Condomless was heard to say about AIDS in Africa:

"It is a tragedy that cannot be overcome by money alone, and that cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms which even aggravates the problems."

The Vatican's website changed the word for the phrase "merely risks aggravating".

There is another subtle change and dispute in the Italian text of an interview given on the flight to Angola the colloquial term from condoms is preservati this was replaced by profilattici (which covers a wider range of measures) before being changed back. Clearly in light of the comments the Holy See felt that the use of a word from the stem to preserve life wasn't in keeping with the overall effect of the message that was clearly being portrayed.

It is all very well the church trying to teach abstinence and fidelity of those who take Holy Orders were above reproach. But the failure of Priests in sexual celibacy, even to the abuse of children shows how difficult even the Church of Rome finds it difficult to practise what it preaches.

Surely now is the time for the Pope as head of the Roman Catholic world to acknowledge the help that wearing a condom can do to the quality and hope of life in areas so heavily afflicted by AIDS. If every sperm is so precious that it should be used by procreation then sadly the teenage male population would have every available womb in the world starting to create a new life before breakfast.

Ben and Johnny 2

In his first full day in Africa as Pope, Benedict XVI continues in his stance against condoms (the Johnnies of the piece) as a way to stem the HIV/AIDS epidemic ravaging the continent. He said he'd come with a 'message of hope' but where is the hope for the 22 million across Africa who are already affected, or their wives and families.

The Catholic Church is adamant that education of abstinence and family life is the way to go. He claimed that chastity outside marriage and fidelity within it had proved to be "the only sure way of preventing the spread of HIV and Aids". The problem is that in Africa a lot of the spread of the disease has been within marriage where one of the partners (normally the male) has not held their marriage vows. There have been peaks at times of the increase of the infection amongst pregnant women. And some countries have a greater than 15% presence of the infection amongst it's adult population. It is not so much a case of need to save oneself as being uncertain even if you did that you'd be safe.

The fact that as the church would like to point out the spread in many countries has stabilised at around 20% is not because of a new found fidelity but because the rate of new infections and deaths is in a morbid state of equilibrium. The problem is also that 2 million of those infected in Africa have been infected since birth or from breast feeding from their infected mother. There is a generation that will be growing up with the disease.

Of course the Church will want to spread a moral message but is not giving people the chance to life a first and foremost an abomination, especially as there is a easy chance to help. Yeah sure supplying condoms isn't the whole answer as there is education needed that using one is a selfless act, but one that could help defend each participants health. But to outright deny them because to quote Python 'every sperm is precious' yet doing all they can to help those already with life is hypocrisy of the highest magnitude and one that the Church has yet to be brought to account over.

Ben and Johnny 1

Peter Brookes Cartoon in today's Times points out a serious story of the Roman Catholic Church's attitude to Africa and the frisson over how to handle the AIDS epidemic that is sweeping that continent. I hope to write more about that later in the meantime enjoy Mr Brookes' work.

The Evolution of the Pope

Bad news for Governor Sarah Palin this early on in her bid for the Presidency in 2012.



Yeah I know it's early to start thinking about the next run at the White House. But the Pope has come out and said that Darwin may have been on the right lines ahead of the 200th anniversary of his birth. Indeed Papal Scholars were falling over themselves yesterday to tell us that creation and evolution were wholly compatible. Even citing St Augustine of Hippo and St Thomas Aquinas as precursors to Darwinian thought.



Personally it is an issue I have not had an issue with since my teenage years. The scientist in me and the poet didn't conflict over the two merely saw the biblical account as a way of explaining the stages of what happened (how else would man end up on the last day, and beasts of the deep before those of land) to people who would not yet be able to grasp the scientific concept. You must not also forget that the Bible mentioned the curvature of the earth long before the church denied the flat earth society.

Holy See to Divorce

So the Vatican is to allow divorce, though not for those in marriage, it is merely going to divorce itself from automatically adopting all Italian law.

Vatican legal experts say that too many of the civil and criminal laws of the state that surrounds the Holy See conflict with church principles. Those from New Year's Day the Pope effectively threw out the Lateran treaties 80 years to the day they were entered into by his predecessor Pope Pius XI. The Vatican says that Italian laws are too many, too unstable and too often conflict with the moral teachings of the Catholic Church. The Italian government is aware of the sheer volume issue and are looking to delete tens of thousands of obsolete laws from its civil code.

The Vatican is also concerned with some of the international agreements being entered into by the Italian government. One noticeable objection was their refusal to approve a United Nations declaration decriminalising homosexuality. While many gay groups said that the wording didn't go far enough the Holy See said that it went too far saying it placed different sexual orientations on the same level. The actual text merely went to the level of ensuring that homosexuals have the right to exist without imprisonment or execution for being who they are. The Catholic Church took the view that this was paving the way for more whilst still claiming to be accepting of all.

In the UK we're talking about disestablishing the Church of England, in the USA there is a fine delineation between church and state, the problem with the Vatican is that it is a sovereign state in its own right. But some those under its jurisdiction most notably in the banking field have in the past fallen foul of the law. It will be interesting to see just which laws the Vatican decides to veto.

The Confessional

I've been sort of umming an ahing about just how far to post today following the Pope's comments in which I took a satirical look. However, following seeing what young Alistair Wood has had to say I felt that the time is probably right for one of the most heart on a sleeve blog posts seen here on my journal. Some of the stuff you will see below has been hinted at in part though the history of the blog, but this as it were is sort of the lid of the jigsaw box as it were. So the Pope has a thing about two men kissing or getting jiggy between the sheets so where does that leave us. Does it really make things as bad for mankind as losing the forests.

Alistair laid out some key biblical quotes and I'm going to do the same. First of we need a key definition what does it take to be a Christian. Well Paul says the following in Romans 10:9-10

"If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God
raised him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes,
resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in
salvation."

Now I don't know about you but that is one of the clearest definitions of what it takes to be saved and therefore is a definition of what a Christian is. Indeed that is exactly what I did when I was only 9 years old.

Unlike the Pope there is no mention of any particular sin excluding anyone. Indeed Paul goes further in Ephesians 2:8-9 to say:

"For by grace you have been saved though faith; and that not of yourself, it is
the grace of God; not as a result of works so that no one should boast."

Now I think I'd been the ideal example for the whole nature versus nurture debate. I mean born again at 9, in Northern Ireland one of the most religious areas of the UK, son of a Church elder who was also the Boys Brigade (BB) Captain. Well versed in the bible so much so that at Uni one of my fellow Christian Union (CU) committee member wrote:

"Your Love of God and your dedication is a real joy to see. It is encouraging for me
to find someone who finds so much help from the Bible ad from other. You are a
good guy - and a real Son of God."

Now these comments were meant to be anonymous but I knew the handwriting and this future President of Kingston's CU had also confessed to be a little envious of my knowledge of the bible in our first term.

This dedication from me after two years on the CU committee moved into mission, upon return to leading the Church youth group, then when I returned home teaching in the Bible Class and being an officer in the BB. So clearly the Pope up to this point of my life would not see me as a problem case, after all I fell into line long before I was sexually mature enough to contemplate sex. Incidentally you now chronologically have me in my early 30s.

There's just the one issue that since my late teens despite all the outward signs I've been struggling with a tough issue I'm attracted to other guys not to girls. My fantasy life when it develops is based on guys even in my sleep states. Now where did I get that nurtured into me. I think the experts would all say that is nature at work. As I've hinted before I took the same stance as Iris Robinson and believed it could be prayed out of me.

Now I had quite a unique Christian experience for a Northern Irish lad in his early twenties. I was firmly grounded in the Word but after about one year of Uni I needed more than that I needed a faith that was as real today as in the book of Acts. So I found the more charismatic end of things, even being given leadership of teams in some of the lease keep your hands by the side teams for Summer or Easter with Operation Mobilisation who I also did one year of mission with

Now I still and on three occasions including once during that year of actually serving in that

way someone in the congregation had a word of wisdom that could only relate to me. Especially on two of those occasions the person ended up praying for me and ht even more specific nails squarely on the head. However, you know what Iris and everyone else it didn't change who I was no matter how much I wanted it to.

Now here's where I will diverge from Alistair. He did an exposition that set about showing that being homosexual isn't a sin. You see I don't care whether it is or it isn't because the bible also says "we are all sinners saved by grace". Indeed it is Paul again who when talking about rewards in heaven says:

"If any man's work which he has built upon it remains, he shall receive a reward.
If any man's work is burned u, he shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be
saved, yet so as through fire." 1 Corinthians 3:15

Now to me as I've said above the act of personal salvation is there in the past. The bible says that nothing can take that gift away. No whether Alistair is right with his interpretation of me acting on who I am and experiencing full emotional and physical love with someone of the same gender being covered by exclusion, or exception of other OT abominations in the NT, or whether it is still literal. There is comfort in the fact that as with the adulteress brought before Jesus in John 8 there is no one out there without sin. Therefor at the back escaping as if from he fire there will be many who other's may not have expected to be there, my guess they won't be for one type of sin either.

But they would have one thing in common.

Redemption through grace alone. No matter what the state of the rain forests or the sexual ambiguities of their times. If being a sinner makes any one a worse candidate for inclusion in the church, then there is no church, no Bishoprics and no Pope.

In Which I Suggest Pope Benedict Has a Point

The headline story in the Daily Fail was Homosexuality is as great a threat as rainforest destruction, says Pope wow you've seen the horror all day. Iain Dale (dare I speak his name two evenings in a row) suggested that the Pope should just join the BNP and be done with it. Paul Walter took more considered look at just what he said in depth rather than trying to simply fill a headline.

However, I was talking (or rather typing this over this morning) and came to the conclusion that you know maybe old Papa Ben has a point. Not only that he has a solution. Now I beat all the hundreds of people who visited this humble blog in the last 24 hours didn't expect to hear me coming to that concolusion.

So lets look at it the Pope appears to have identified two major issues affecting mankind:

1. First is the contrariness to nature (defined by Benny boy as man and woman) of the LBGT community in various ways.
2. The deforestation of our planet.

As a liberal leaning environmentalist you would expect me concur with the second but am a little dubious of the first. But this Ulster born protestant says hang on a second this could just make sense. The Church of Rome and its Bishop have a point and a plan to deal with both.

First off remember the churches aversion to wrapping of mens' intimate parts for the purposes of not multiplying too much. Something that many apologists for the non-Catholic population of world say would help solve a lot of the overcrowding on this planet of finite resources. Well that is a conning masterstroke to the Uberplan of the Pope.

First he aims to impose a world-wide ban on their sale, use, or possession on forfeiture one's life and corporeal soul. Then reinstates the Spanish inquisition to ensure that this Papal edict is carried out, and not care too much if they get carried away with themselves again.

End result 8% based of current estimate of the promiscuous, filthy gayer part of the male population would be wipe out 48million people a moderately sized country. However, nothing compared to wiping out the entire continent of Africa. Then of course you'd hear the Church calling HIV AIDS God's gift rather his judgement as they'd have solved both problems in one fell swoop.

The above is of course entirely satirical and my tongue is firmly wedged in my cheek.

Tim'rous Beastie Brown

Wee, sleeket, cowran, tim'rous beastie,
O, what panic's in thy breastie!

To a Mouse Robert Burns

Well echoing the words of Scotland's bard Gordon Brown could well be discribed as a Timorous beastie. First there is his confised state of what he's doing over China and Tibet, then the Prudent Chancellor seems unable to take responsible action for the economy now he has his coveted top job. Now to get another panic off his breastie he's sneaked out a hard hitting statement to Robert Mugabe under the cover of the papal visit at the same time.

Admittedly Brown did say Mugabe must not be allowed to steal the Presidential election. Also he did say it to the United Nations security council. However, he hasn't been this forthright on that issue for the last almost 3 weeks since the elections took place for which we are still awaiting a result.

Of course Brown's statement in going to get lost on a good media day to bury a story as the Pope criticised the US Bishops for their handling of the child sex scandals. So much for Brown being different from Blair in not spinning his message.

Maybe like the end of Burn's poem Tim'rous Beastie Brown is just like the poet:

But Och! I backward cast my e'e,
On prospects drear!
An' forward, tho' I canna see,
I guess an' fear!