G
Gandalf Grey
Guest
Pope Benedict Go Home
By Margaret Kimberley
Created Apr 15 2008 - 10:28am
From Black Agenda Report [1]
Why would American media, politicians and average citizens welcome a Hitler
Youth [2] member who personally worked to insure Bush's re-election and who
openly praised the genocide conducted against American Indians? If the man
in question becomes pope, it obviously doesn't matter what he says or does.
Otherwise sensible people suddenly act like illiterate medieval peasants and
fight to kiss his ring.
Benedict XVI will make his first visit to America as pope next week. Since
his elevation in 2005, Benedict has proven himself to be among the worst,
most retrograde popes in modern times. Worse even than his predecessor, John
Paul II. John Paul's iconic "pope mobile" and international visits gave him
the appearance of a warm and cuddly spiritual leader. Yet he was every inch
a politician, and a right wing one at that.
John Paul personally and forcefully opposed the liberation theology movement
that swept Latin America in the 1970s and 1980s. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger,
now Benedict XVI, was just like his boss. As head of the Congregation for
the Doctrine of the Faith, which used to be called the Inquisition,
Ratzinger crushed all efforts to question church authority or promote
leftist political activity. Known as "God's Rottweiler," Ratzinger forced
Fr. Leonardo Boff, the father of liberation theology [3], to retire to a
monastery and shut up about liberating oppressed people.
Ratzinger didn't confine his politics to Latin America. In 2004 George W.
Bush asked the Vatican for help in his election campaign [4]. "Not all of
the American bishops are with me," he whined. Bush's wish was Ratzinger's
command. Ratzinger wrote a letter to American bishops and instructed them to
deny communion [5] to politicians who supported abortion rights. This letter
was written in 2004, when John Kerry, a pro-choice Catholic, ran against
George W. Bush. The communion controversy was just one of the ways in which
the Kerry campaign was weakened by the Bush administration's successful
mobilization of conservative white Christians.
It is certain that no pundit or politician will bring up this disgraceful
activity when Pope Benedict visits Washington and New York. If a foreign
religious leader can work to keep a favored American president in power and
never be reproached, then he is free to deliver words of hate.
Since he became pope, Benedict has heaped insults on American Indians, and
on Muslims all over the world. He said that Christianity was not imposed on
Indians because they "secretly longed" [6] for it. Rubbing salt into the
gaping wound, Benedict added that worship of traditional Indian religions
would be "a step backward."
Not content to insult the Indians who survived the holocaust inflicted upon
them by Europeans, Benedict proved himself to be just as bigoted towards
Muslims. He quoted a 14th century Byzantine emperor who said that the
prophet Muhammad brought only "evil and inhuman" [7] things to the world.
Despite his blatant bigotry, Benedict is still treated with respect and
admiration. It certainly is good to be the pope.
While European nations were killing Indians, they also began the enslavement
of millions of Africans. The church put the full force of its authority
behind slavery from the earliest days of European incursions around the
world. In 1455, Pope Nicholas V [8] gave permission to ". . . invade, search
out, capture, vanquish, and subdue all Saracens and pagans whatsoever . . .
and to reduce their persons to perpetual slavery..." The church didn't stray
from that point of view for centuries. As late as 1866 [9] the church said,
"It is not contrary to the natural and divine law for a slave to be sold,
bought, exchanged or given."
When Benedict visits Washington, D.C. and New York City he will say mass
before huge crowds, and politicians will sharpen elbows and call in favors
in order to be seen with him. No one has asked him to apologize for the
church's past support of these genocides or for his own hate speech. Unlike
Jeremiah Wright, who spoke truthful words, Benedict will be lionized for
telling lies, and justifying centuries of atrocities because the
perpetrators look like him.
Catholics are not the only Christian denomination who justified genocide and
enslavement. America's true national religion, manifest destiny and white
privilege, has very old and very deep roots. They start with the premise
that Europeans had the right to claim foreign lands as their own, and kill,
buy and sell human beings. Most Americans, regardless of denomination or
religious affiliation, see nothing wrong with Pope Benedict's racism. That
is why he will be welcomed with open arms. The German born ruler of the
Vatican may be very American after all.
_______
--
NOTICE: This post contains copyrighted material the use of which has not
always been authorized by the copyright owner. I am making such material
available to advance understanding of
political, human rights, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues. I
believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of such copyrighted material as
provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright
Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107
"A little patience and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their
spells dissolve, and the people recovering their true sight, restore their
government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are
suffering deeply in spirit,
and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public
debt. But if the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have
patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning
back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at
stake."
-Thomas Jefferson
By Margaret Kimberley
Created Apr 15 2008 - 10:28am
From Black Agenda Report [1]
Why would American media, politicians and average citizens welcome a Hitler
Youth [2] member who personally worked to insure Bush's re-election and who
openly praised the genocide conducted against American Indians? If the man
in question becomes pope, it obviously doesn't matter what he says or does.
Otherwise sensible people suddenly act like illiterate medieval peasants and
fight to kiss his ring.
Benedict XVI will make his first visit to America as pope next week. Since
his elevation in 2005, Benedict has proven himself to be among the worst,
most retrograde popes in modern times. Worse even than his predecessor, John
Paul II. John Paul's iconic "pope mobile" and international visits gave him
the appearance of a warm and cuddly spiritual leader. Yet he was every inch
a politician, and a right wing one at that.
John Paul personally and forcefully opposed the liberation theology movement
that swept Latin America in the 1970s and 1980s. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger,
now Benedict XVI, was just like his boss. As head of the Congregation for
the Doctrine of the Faith, which used to be called the Inquisition,
Ratzinger crushed all efforts to question church authority or promote
leftist political activity. Known as "God's Rottweiler," Ratzinger forced
Fr. Leonardo Boff, the father of liberation theology [3], to retire to a
monastery and shut up about liberating oppressed people.
Ratzinger didn't confine his politics to Latin America. In 2004 George W.
Bush asked the Vatican for help in his election campaign [4]. "Not all of
the American bishops are with me," he whined. Bush's wish was Ratzinger's
command. Ratzinger wrote a letter to American bishops and instructed them to
deny communion [5] to politicians who supported abortion rights. This letter
was written in 2004, when John Kerry, a pro-choice Catholic, ran against
George W. Bush. The communion controversy was just one of the ways in which
the Kerry campaign was weakened by the Bush administration's successful
mobilization of conservative white Christians.
It is certain that no pundit or politician will bring up this disgraceful
activity when Pope Benedict visits Washington and New York. If a foreign
religious leader can work to keep a favored American president in power and
never be reproached, then he is free to deliver words of hate.
Since he became pope, Benedict has heaped insults on American Indians, and
on Muslims all over the world. He said that Christianity was not imposed on
Indians because they "secretly longed" [6] for it. Rubbing salt into the
gaping wound, Benedict added that worship of traditional Indian religions
would be "a step backward."
Not content to insult the Indians who survived the holocaust inflicted upon
them by Europeans, Benedict proved himself to be just as bigoted towards
Muslims. He quoted a 14th century Byzantine emperor who said that the
prophet Muhammad brought only "evil and inhuman" [7] things to the world.
Despite his blatant bigotry, Benedict is still treated with respect and
admiration. It certainly is good to be the pope.
While European nations were killing Indians, they also began the enslavement
of millions of Africans. The church put the full force of its authority
behind slavery from the earliest days of European incursions around the
world. In 1455, Pope Nicholas V [8] gave permission to ". . . invade, search
out, capture, vanquish, and subdue all Saracens and pagans whatsoever . . .
and to reduce their persons to perpetual slavery..." The church didn't stray
from that point of view for centuries. As late as 1866 [9] the church said,
"It is not contrary to the natural and divine law for a slave to be sold,
bought, exchanged or given."
When Benedict visits Washington, D.C. and New York City he will say mass
before huge crowds, and politicians will sharpen elbows and call in favors
in order to be seen with him. No one has asked him to apologize for the
church's past support of these genocides or for his own hate speech. Unlike
Jeremiah Wright, who spoke truthful words, Benedict will be lionized for
telling lies, and justifying centuries of atrocities because the
perpetrators look like him.
Catholics are not the only Christian denomination who justified genocide and
enslavement. America's true national religion, manifest destiny and white
privilege, has very old and very deep roots. They start with the premise
that Europeans had the right to claim foreign lands as their own, and kill,
buy and sell human beings. Most Americans, regardless of denomination or
religious affiliation, see nothing wrong with Pope Benedict's racism. That
is why he will be welcomed with open arms. The German born ruler of the
Vatican may be very American after all.
_______
--
NOTICE: This post contains copyrighted material the use of which has not
always been authorized by the copyright owner. I am making such material
available to advance understanding of
political, human rights, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues. I
believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of such copyrighted material as
provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright
Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107
"A little patience and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their
spells dissolve, and the people recovering their true sight, restore their
government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are
suffering deeply in spirit,
and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public
debt. But if the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have
patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning
back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at
stake."
-Thomas Jefferson