talkmagic.co.uk

SamGurney wrote:

mark lewis wrote:Methinks there are fans of the Reverend Ian Paisley on this forum.

Nope. Never heard of him.

You haven't heard of him? You couldn't avoid hearing him, cos he WAS ALWAYS SHOUTING!!!!!

If young Samuel has never heard of the Reverend Ian Paisley it doesn't do much for his credibility in these matters. It shows a lack of knowledge of current affairs which makes me wonder about his understanding of what the Pope is about.

Perhaps he prefers Mother Theresa who lived among the poor and did great work. Of course Sam has probably never heard of Mother Theresa either.

Of course she had never heard of him so I suppose fair is fair.

There now follows a very old Dave Allen joke.

Ian Paisley's in the pulpit preaching the usual fire and brimstone...

PAISLEY: And there shall be a wailing, and a gnashing of teeth!

There's a little old lady in the front pew. She puts her hand up and says: Excuse me Reverend Paisley, but I haven't got any teeth...

PAISLEY: TEETH SHALL BE PROVIDED!

Tomo wrote:Maybe if the Pope can prove that any of the nasty ideas he espouses is a good one, the Vatican shouldn't be forced to pay to protect their man. But, really, everything each successive Pope has come out with has been wrong, from the Earth being the centre of the universe downwards to condoms not preventing AIDS.

Jut to play devil's advocate, Second Vaican Council's 1968 statement on the preferential option for the poor?

Is The Pope popey?

Is it irony that they are willing to spend £10million (the BBC quoted £15million) on a visit from one man - a man who's supposedly following the footsteps of another man named Jesus who was (allegedly) the epitome of austere and humility, had no money, no home, no possessions and lived on handouts?

Unbelievable and completely unjustifiable imho.

Tomo wrote:Maybe if the Pope can prove that any of the nasty ideas he espouses is a good one, the Vatican shouldn't be forced to pay to protect their man.

So if Obama came over, he wouldn't need any security?

But, really, everything each successive Pope has come out with has been wrong, from the Earth being the centre of the universe downwards to condoms not preventing AIDS.

That's not a very nuanced view, is it? How about condemning communism and socialism, affirming private property while speaking for fair conditions and wages for the working class (Rerum novarum, 1891)? How about saving more Jews during WW2 than any other European state?

Benedict told Gordon Brown during his visit in the Vatican, that the recession is no excuse to discontinue our help for the third world, and anyone familiar with his readings know that he is much concerned with the poor.

It may surprise some to hear, that social justice, fair economic structures (as opposed to e.g. the closed EU-market), fighting corruption and unjust tyrannies were the Pope's main focus when visiting Africa. The remark that condoms "may not be effective in reducing the spread of AIDS and in fact may lead to an increase" was an aside, a response to a specific question from a journalist, and not even part of an official speech. Not surprisingly, the media ignored anything else the man said.

He may be too morally conservative for some people's taste, which means that he doesn't support some forms of preventing the spreading of AIDS. But he is hardly the monster that the media make him out to be, though. AIDS in Africa is due to a lot of things, not just a lack of condoms...

He does look a bit like the emperor from Star Wars on some photographs, though and that is of rather funny.

themagicwand wrote:

Contrabass101 wrote:I don't think Benedict is living very much more luxuriously than you or I.

I'm sorry, but have you seen the inside of the Vatican? Hardly your average two up two down. And yes, it must be a tough old life with all those lackeys running around after you, running your bath, turning down your bed sheets, putting your slippers in just the right place...

I have. It's a gorgeous place.

In all seriousity, I think it is a hard life. Sure, he has people cook his food, help him get dressed etc., but in between those things, he has to meet visitors (bishops, pilgrims, state leaders...) from all over the world, make tough decisions on church politics and sometimes theology, sign documents, keep himself informed on what's going on in the world and in the curia.

Again, he is 82 and had asked for permission to retire several times prior to his election.

How he still manages to write books is beyond me... German productivity at its best, I suppose.

I met Pope John Paul when he visited England. Queued for about 15 minutes and was about 2 feet away from him.

Not being a Catholic it pi**ed off those who were and who had waited hours and only saw him from half a mile away

£10 million and he won't even be playing in the world cup!

dat8962 wrote:£10 million and he won't even be playing in the world cup!

LOL!!

DrTodd wrote:Jut to play devil's advocate, Second Vaican Council's 1968 statement on the preferential option for the poor?

It's a fair cop