I’m not the one wearing a frock, your Holiness
The spiritual leader of a fifth of the world’s population is at it again, spreading seasonal tidings of hatred and fear. Pope Benedict, showing as much compassion as during his Hitler Youth days, took the opportunity for a spot of gay-bashing in his annual address to the Curia this year. We may be neck-deep in war, pestillence, climate change and economic collapse, but it seems the Pope’s apocalyptic horsemen wear leather chaps.
The scourge of gay, lesbian and transgender people is as bad as the loss of the rainforests, according to the Vatican. Never mind global warming - it’s the Queenhouse Effect that’s really threatening the planet.
Really, Ratzinger - you protest too much. But the Catholic Church and sex were never happy bedfellows. Let He who is without a child abuse cover-up, or a dangerous propagandist lie that condoms don’t work, cast the first criticism. Besides, who would have painted the Sistine Chapel for an earlier Pope were it not for that dreadful auld poof Michelangelo?
Why does it matter? Why even bother taking offence? Aren’t these unremarkable words from a hopelessly outdated peddler of an irrelevant religion? Not at all. It matters because a lot of people do take notice. Many moderate Christians tacitly agree with the Papal view. It makes his followers think that discrimination, gay-bashing and homophobic bullying are acceptable. That voting for Proposition 8 is the Christian thing to do, when all it does is leave 4,000 Californian couples wondering if their marriages will be annulled this Christmas. What purpose does that serve?
So much for a Christmas message of peace, love and joy.
Many people are facing real crises in their lives at the moment - losing jobs, houses and businesses - not fretting about their gay neighbours. To many Catholics, this must seem a bewildering Papal obsession. It’s a missed opportunity for the Church to show leadership during difficult times. But let’s hope it continues to fail to find a more relevant, positive message. Then it may run out of people to give it to.
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