After marriage equality wins in the US, Spain and France last week, The Vatican can just smell the pungent stench of fire and brimstone. Over the weekend, the Holy See took to the media in an attempt to stomp out the flames of hell from devouring us all with two separate editorials reaffirming their opposition to same-sex marriage.
“One might say the church, at least on this front, has been defeated,” claimed a front page article in The Vatican’s newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano. “But that’s not the case.”
According to The AP:
The article insisted that Catholics were putting up a valiant fight to uphold church teaching in the face of “politically correct ideologies invading every culture of the world” that are backed by institutions like the United Nations, which last year passed a non-binding resolution condemning anti-gay discrimination.
“The church is called to present itself as the lone critic of modernity, the only check … to the breakup of the anthropological structures on which human society was founded,” it said.
Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi took to Vatican Radio (playing the latest and greatest in Papal pop), saying that gays can have their rights, just as long as it’s not called marriage – you know, that whole separate but equal thing that worked out so well in the past.
Lombardi sarcastically suggested that the next step would be polygamy and polyandry, but he deserves his tens for showing restraint in not suggesting bestiality, since that argument so often comes in for a landing there.
The Vatican, too, observed the US election with rapt attention, though the honeymoon between Pope Benedict XVI and President Obama is officially over. The Obama administration and US bishops had a falling out over the President’s endorsement of gay marriage and an Obamacare mandate requiring nearly all US healthcare plans to cover contraception.
Whereas in 2008, the Pope heralded Obama’s election as an “historic occasion” and sent him a rare personal note of congratulations, this time around His Holiness simply gave him a tip of that giant, pointy hat, while praying that the, or at least The Vatican’s, ideals of freedom and justice continue to be upheld.
Dakotahgeo
Yes, I’m sure PRESIDENT Obama is just underwhelmed by the Vomiting Vatican’s snub of him! NOT! The Vatican (See of no change) has taken a few hits in the frontal underwear this past week. Hopefully they’ll learn a lesson from the elecdtion results… but I doubt it!
Dakotahgeo
@Dakotahgeo: “election.”
andy_d
Considering his background (Hitler Youth), I thing ” . . . the smell of Zyclon D and the fire of the ovens . . .” would be a more appropriate when talking about Razi the Nazi.
alexoloughlin
France has NOT won marriage equality yet. All that happened on November 7 was approval of a marriage equality draft by the French assembly. It goes to a debate in January 2013 where it will be decided to enact it and will probably pass since President Hollande does not need any votes from the conservative opposition to guarantee passage.
2eo
Bless, I’m against the catholic church and its rape of children.
You know, something actually sickening.
S G McGrew
It’s time to end American diplomatic relationship with the Vatican. Ron Reagan under pressure exchanged ambassadors (that’s less than 30 years); since we don’t have ambassadors with the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Dali Lama, or the Eastern Orthodox Church I think that ending the Roman Churches extra influence is only justified. Steve McGrew
Dionte
Amazing how something that is not even real has so much influence over an entire planet full of intelligent life.
avesraggiana
The Vatican falling out of love with Obama?! Yay!!! Please, let’s do everything possible to hasten the ever-increasing irrelevance of the Vatican.
JOHN 1957
Separation of church and state? The divorce is long overdo on every level and with every religion created by man.
Jim Hlavac
Six hundred years ago, in 1415 my family stood on the ramparts at Tabor, Czech Republic, to start the Hussite Wars, and to tell the pope to mind his own business and stop the nonsense. And no more money to support that den of iniquity. In 1492, while Columbus was sailing here, Pope Alexander VI (nee, Borgia,) had to issue a papal bull (how apt a name,) to tell his clergy to stop molesting the boys. 600 years later and I’m still having to fight the men in dresses complaining about drag queens. Egad, they are relentless. And pointless. And soon, the pope may well find another schism on his hand as American Catholics tell him to take a hike over he and his cronies spend millions of dollars to fight the pursuit of happiness, while leaving others without food and shelter. What a miscreant bunch that sorry church is. The only good is their hospital system — perhaps it should be separated from the church, and let the good live on, and the rot, well, continue rotting.
David Williams
Sounds a lot like Indiana Tea Party re-puke-lican senatorial candidate Richard Mourdock – His mantra was “My Way Or The Highway” and his statement that “rape was God’s wish” upon women. Mr Mourdock is himself a catholic and it sounds like he and the pope have been in conference. By the way, Mr. Mourdock was out of step with the world and lost his quest for Senator. Take note Pope Benedict XVI.
1EqualityUSA
The Red Scare is over, so they have to make money another way. They do not care about morals, just money, political power, and worldly things.
Album: My Life in the Bush of Ghosts (Brian Eno)
America is waiting for a message of some sort or another.
Takin’ it again. Again! Again! Takin’ it again.
Well now… no, no… now, we ought to be mad at the government not mad at the people.
Takin’ it again. Again! Again! Takin’ it again.
I mean, yeah, well… wha-what’re ya gonna do?
America is waiting for a message of some sort or another.
No will whatsoever. No will whatsoever! Absolutely no honor.
No will whatsoever. No will whatsoever! Absolutely no integrity.
No will whatsoever. No will whatsoever! I haven’t seen any any any citizen over there stand up and say “Hey, just a second.”
No will whatsoever. No will whatsoever! I mean, yeah, so… wha-what’re ya gonna do?
America is waiting for a message of some sort or another.
smithster11
Each passing day, each new scandal only accelerates the Catholic Church’s – and pretty much all “organized” religions – consignment to the dustbin of humanity’s really bad ideas. Unlike the concept of the earth being flat, organized religion still serves as a hit of crack, so it continues to linger on. I agree, withdraw the ambassador – do we have an ambassador to the Cosa Nostra? – and just ignore it.
leliorisen
The Catholic Church must be so proud. What a worthwhile cause from the defenders and protectors of institutional pedophilia. They are on an international mission to make life Hell for gay people.
Sorry, but why are we bestowing any credibility on the people who perpetrated the Inquisition….who were silent in the face of the Holocaust….who to this day in Africa, help to kill countless more ‘heterosexuals’ from AIDS, because they discourage the distribution of condoms? The Church has no moral authority on anything.
I will take it one step further. The Roman Catholic church, and their leader, the Hitler youth Pope, are all about maintaining power and influence, controlling others, and the acquisition of money. End of story.
They are the last people that should be holding forth on what is moral.
@leliorisen