Some Pope and Catholic stuff from the blogosphere
Firstly Bishop Nick Baines picks apart Polly Toynbee’s Guardian anti-Pope diatribe:
Reading some of the stuff about the imminent visit by Pope Benedict XVI to the UK later this week, you could be forgiven for thinking that lots of otherwise reasonable people would be quite happy to see the Pontiff suspended from a rope. The nature and degree of the personal venom directed against him raises other questions about what it is that fires such vindictiveness.
The Church Mouse notes the general lack of response by the Anglican Church to the Papal visit and suggests some principles which he believes may help form an Anglican response to the visit:
Despite some theological differences, we should treat the Roman Catholic church as our brothers and sisters in Christ, and as such we should share the experience of the visit with them in the spirit of Christian unity.
And lastly the Protect the Pope blog – which I first featured here – is rightly satisfied with the remarkable progress they’ve made in their short two month existence:
We’re amazed to discover that over the past 2 months there have been 60,000 hits on Protect the Pope. Also, readers have made 1,214 comments.
Tags: Church Life, Internet & Technology, News
September 16th, 2010 at 8:46 am
There has been some anglican response in Edinburgh:
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/Pope-will-pass-mural-criticising.6532524.jp
September 17th, 2010 at 10:20 am
I wasn’t impressed with Bishop Nick Baines’ analysis of Polly Toynbee’s piece. OK, her article is a polemic and these are marked by hyperbole but she makes some strong factual points which he markedly fails to address.
Having evading her points, he then writes “The nature and degree of the personal venom directed against (Pope Benedict XVI) raises other questions about what it is that fires such vindictiveness.”
As a Protestant, the basis of the papacy has always seemed almost idolatrous to me. But the Pope’s unchallengeable personal authority within the RCC makes his role far more personal than other religious or political leaders.
It therefore seems inevitable that those who attack morally abhorrent teachings of the RCC will do so in the form of an attack on the Pope. He, as no other head of faith or state, is personally responsible. That’s the structure he inhabits.
Nick Baines must know that you cannot attack the policies and teachings of the RCC without attacking the Pope. After all, he is the piper to which his flock dance.
I have to say, having not gone a demonstration for many years, that I am seriously considering travelling to London tomorrow.
September 17th, 2010 at 11:47 am
Ian Paisley was here yesterday.
The Pope passed my work. Here is my video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-v7-50ue5B4
Disturbed to note that he equates atheism with nazism. The worst aspect of this is the inference that people can choose to believe or not believe. Faith is not an act of will and he should know better than to say that.
September 17th, 2010 at 12:17 pm
I’ve just seen that the pope has warned of the ‘dangers of the culture of celebrity’ at his massive, all-ticket gig today.
Damn! That’s the second irony meter burned out this month.
September 17th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
This visit is not going well. First an aide describes the UK as looking like a Third World country (perhaps he’s used to everyone in the Vatican being the same colour? Surely he sees the odd black cleric there?)
Now the Pope’s equating British secularism with Nazism. In view of our history and his own this is almost ludicrously inappropriate. Does he not recall our role in WW2?
“Pope repeatedly shoots himself in feet” – you couldn’t make it up.
September 18th, 2010 at 1:13 am
The Pope knows more about the political undertones of the UK than most British people, puts the church of Scotland and CoE to shame – yes this is a Third World country dragged down by mass immigration, multiculturism and political equality.
Make your stand crusader kings or hippie jesus freaks.
September 18th, 2010 at 1:24 am
What this man had to say went over the heads of the dumbed down British public and the politcal elite.
Come and see your civil war, you have been warned.
September 18th, 2010 at 1:40 am
This man looked uncomfortable with the multicultural emphasis at the Twickenham Big Assembly, the English just could not save themselves form the multi-cult group think.
September 18th, 2010 at 3:34 am
Sadly the CoE has lost the real “Catholic” nature of the Church, and also the Reformed nature too. It is only a visible remnant now. Can we still weep for this “English” Church? Yes, truly..
September 19th, 2010 at 9:04 am
@Gordon,
St John’s Church at the West End of Princes Street, Edinburgh the most anti-christian church in Britian everything that is wrong with the “anglican” church can be found here more like communist party HQ than a church.
September 19th, 2010 at 9:07 am
Goy, where do you get this information from? Been recently?
September 19th, 2010 at 9:41 am
Yes Gordon I live in Edinburgh, you wll know as well as I do what the politics of that church are.
September 19th, 2010 at 9:53 am
Hypocrisy – the church chants make poverty history while young Scots sleep in the graveyard – chant peace and justice while demanding the destruction Israel yes I know this church.
September 19th, 2010 at 7:20 pm
Which means you must be local to me. Hmmmm.
Its actually the St Cuthberts graveyard that people normally speak ijn, but I agree with you anyway on that point.