The Pope's Visit

[sccsux]

You should respect all your fellow men.

 

That's a statement I take issue with.

 

Respect has to be earned; it is not a right, and the pope has done nothing worthy of respect.

[sharrowman]

"I cannot abide defiance"

 

Seems you might have to

[artisan]

Respect is earned, not automatically given. Give me one good reason why I should respect a man who deliberately withheld evidence against child rapists and who has no respect for my spiritual beliefs?

 

Since when has respect been earned?

That is bull shine, and always has been.

Your opinion of The Pope is for your conscience, not mine.

[donkey]

Ratzinger deliberately attempted to plant the idea that being an atheist leads ultimately to murderous totalitarianism. If he is going make such baseless allegations to smear those who do not agree with what he stands for, then why should he then expect to be exempt from them making similar allegatons about his own past, especially in view of the facts that he has right wing politics, a penchant for black propaganda, was complicit in covering up child abuse and that we will probably never know whether he was a willing member of the Hitler Youith or not, because his own word of honour certainly doesn't cut it with me after the way he has conducted himself.

[artisan]

"I cannot abide defiance"

 

Seems you might have to

 

Why, is someone on here defying me?

I doubt it.

[artisan]

Ratzinger deliberately attempted to plant the idea that being an atheist leads ultimately to murderous totalitarianism. If he is going make such baseless allegations to smear those who do not agree with what he stands for, then why should he then expect to be exempt from them making similar allegatons about his own past, especially in view of the facts that he has right wing politics, a penchant for black propaganda, was complicit in covering up child abuse and that we will probably never know whether he was a willing member of the Hitler Youith or not, because his own word of honour certainly doesn't cut it with me after the way he has conducted himself.

 

Herr Ratzinger made no such comment.

Pope Benedict said those things.

Cut out the rascist slurs now.

[milquetoast1]

Mr Ratzinger made no such comment.

Pope Benedict said those things.

Cut out the rascist slurs now.

D.P. Gumby was never this funny.

 

[artisan]

D.P. Gumby was never this funny.

 

 

I will let you know when I am serious.

[Smithster]

Since when has respect been earned?

 

If you still haven't learned that life lesson then I feel sorry for you.

[mj.scuba]

I think we can all imagine incidents for which where we, or people we know, are regretful, even though there was no choice.

 

This is what I am getting at. If Ratzinger has expressed such regret, that he did not take the stance of Rupert Berger and others in the village, then I apologise. I respect that. But I have only heard the excuse, "I had no choice", which to me is not a natural human response, it's the response of a politician than is more concerned with opinion.

 

It's hardly an excuse if that's exactly how it was.

 

You know this is like assuming all German soldiers were fully paid up Nazis. They weren't, lots of them were conscripts. Have you ever seen the programs where an old Tommy meets an old Gerry, meeting up where they had previously faced each other in battle? They ususally both recognise not each other as enemies, but just two people who happened to be on opposing sides of a conflict not of their making.

 

The Pope might well quietly regret it, but being a man of god, he might think that's a matter between himself and god.