Already, it has been filled with controversy - such as one of the Popes senior advisers referring to the UK as a 'third-world country' that is full of 'aggressive atheism'.
Further controversy has surrounded the cost to the country itself for the Popes visit.
Even more controversy is piled up because of the sexual abuse of minors at the hands of a number of Catholic Priests - covered up at the time - and the refusal of a real apology for the horrible suffering of these children.
To sum up: Do you think the Popes visit is a good idea? Is the timing right or wrong? Should he issue an apology to the UK victims of abuse at the hands of Catholic Priests? Should the UK foot the bill for the Popes visit?
Wow... This is very Anti-Pope. Any Catholics want to step in and defend him - all I have heard is 'it's definitely a bad idea' - this leads to a significant question... Does the Pope realize that nobody wants him?
In my view the Roman Catholic Church has tolerated or actively condoned many appalling things in the last century, and the current Pope shows no sign of bucking the trend. Indeed, covering up for paedophile priests when he was a bishop he is very much within the bell curve. The Church currently stands proudly for bigotry and intolerance. Their complete failure to act quickly to stakmp out paedophilia within their own ranks and their complicity in perpetuasting its existence by trying paedo priests by canon law and just moving them on to another parish with more kids to abuse. Their bigoted stance on homosexuality and poverty reinforcing stance on contraception are further examples of how out of touch the Roman Catholic Church is.
An issue which is somewhat unique to Britain is also the IRA. There's still a hell lot the Catholic Church has to apologise for, since it has been retrospectively proven Bishops sanctioned the hiding and sheltering of known terrorists in the Republic of Ireland and on sovreign British territory in Northern Ireland. Terrorists who later went on to kill hundreds of civilians with dirty bombs. Of course there is also the American connection to consider, seeing as they were mostly funded by ignorant Irish Americans who it turns out since 911 don't actually like getting blown up either. Pity. About 40 years too late to prevent bloodshed, but I'd absolutely LOVE to see some American Roman Catholics tried for the funding of a terrorist organisation.
In short the Pope has about as much moral authority as a doorknob. If the 6 million British Catholics want to hear him, fine. I object to secular public money being wasted on it. Not in my name.
First off, thank you Avorne for bringing this issue up.
Im genuinly upset that this a**hole is coming to my Island. I dont want him here. He is not welkomme. One of my friends had a thought that we should not pay our tax for that month as we dont believe in the deity he stands for.
The IRA is supposedly back (according to Yahoo news, which is a joke in itself) so expect more bloodshed and death in the UK.
I dont know if I could say anything more as most has been said by everyone. Exept this...
In short the Pope has about as much moral authority as a doorknob.
My doorknob has waaaaaaaaaaaay more moral value than the pope.
According to the Pope, Atheists are Nazis.. Corrr, no wonder he gets driven around in that bulletproof popemobile, what an idiot. UK a third world country, haha. Anything beats being like the Vatican, that place is worse than Gary Glitters browsing history.
That's a bit rich considering the Pope is a closet Nazi ('had' to join the Hitler Jugend my arse), and indeed that the Catholic Church sheltered and actively prevented justice being brought upon Nazi war criminals.
Heh - we all thought the pope was going to denounce the 'aggressive atheism' comments that his advisor made - then he goes and calls Atheists Nazi's - nice move there Popey-boy. That's a real winning move there.
If his advisors would shut up and stop talking trash about the UK...sure, why not? After all, there ARE Catholics in the UK.
Is the timing right or wrong?
People are always going to do bad things...if the Pope waits until these things boil down to visit, he'll never visit. Catholics in the UK need to know they're not alone.
Should he issue an apology to the UK victims of abuse at the hands of Catholic Priests?
Well, it's not really his fault and it's not the church's. The priests should issue an apology, and the church itself should definitely take harsher measures against them.
The claim by some that Nazism is an atheist ideology can be rejected out of hand. Nazism includes many near-mystical elements drawn from several different types of religion, and the early Nazi party was also involved in several direct conflicts with atheist and freethinker groups in Germany as early as the 1920s. This hostility continued after Hitler took power in 1933 when atheist movements were banned in Germany.
