The Pope's Christmas Gift: A Tough Line on Church Doctrine (Time Mag gets testy)

Time ^ | December 3, 2008 | Wednesday, Dec. 03, 2008

[NYer]

Those nicknames from the past — God's Rottweiler, the Panzercardinal — don't seem to stick anymore. After acquiring a reputation as an aggressive, doctrine-enforcing Cardinal, Pope Benedict XVI has surprised many with his gentle manner and his writings on Christian love. But with the Christmas season upon us, there is growing proof that the 82-year-old Pope is also quite willing to play the part of Scrooge to defend his often rigid view of Church doctrine.

Benedict's envoy to the United Nations, Archbishop Celestino Migliore, has announced that the Vatican will oppose a proposed U.N. declaration calling for an end to discrimination against homosexuals. At first blush, no one should be surprised to find the Catholic Church hierarchy butting heads with gay rights activists. But this particular French-sponsored proposal, which has the backing of all 27 European Union countries, calls for an end to the practice of criminalizing and punishing people for their sexual orientation. Most dramatically, in some countries, including Iran and Saudi Arabia, homosexuality can be punished by death.

Papal spokesman Father Federico Lombardi was forced to clarify that the Vatican continues to condemn the use of the death penalty for any crime, including those associated with homosexuality. Instead, Migliore said the Vatican's opposition to the U.N. proposal was driven by concern that countries that prohibit gay marriage would somehow be targeted. Said Migliore: "Countries that don't recognize the union between people of the same sex as marriage will be punished and pressured."

[marshmallow]

Can't you already see the headlines when the persecution finally becomes open, violent and sustained and the secular uproar against the Church reaches its crescendo?

"Catholic Church to be Punished for Refusing to Support an End to Violence Against Homosexuals"

[NewHampshireDuo]

I continue to be impressed with Benedict XVI and I’m not even Catholic. Maybe it’s time to convert.

[marshmallow]

Being on the same side as Iranian and Saudi barbarians is bad business

Interesting factoid; the Vatican's principal support in its long and often lonely fight with the UN to prevent abortion being enshrined as a universal human right, has come from Islamic countries.

Go figure.

[caseinpoint]

Un NGOs have played the semantics game a lot. Once they get some special recognition enshrined in a treaty or agreement, the bureaucrats go to work “defining” the scope of that recognition beyond all original recognition. The Catholics are right to hold firm on this. A lot of groups get grief for opposing “compassionate” UN efforts because of the open-ended phrasing in their agreements.

[GOP_Party_Animal]

...the 82-year-old Pope is also quite willing to play the part of Scrooge to defend his often rigid view of Church doctrine.”

I wonder if this ass-hat appreciates bridges and buildings being rigid. Some things are supposed to be solid and dependable.

[NRA1995]

the 82-year-old Pope is also quite willing to play the part of Scrooge to defend his often rigid view of Church doctrine

I'll go the Pope one better: I think Time Mag and its owners & employees ought to be boiled in their own pudding with stakes of holly in their hearts.

[SFR]

I agree, JPII was very charismatic but Benedict is wonderful

[Alex Murphy]

Benedict's envoy to the United Nations, Archbishop Celestino Migliore, has announced that the Vatican will oppose a proposed U.N. declaration calling for an end to discrimination against homosexuals. At first blush, no one should be surprised to find the Catholic Church hierarchy butting heads with gay rights activists. But this particular French-sponsored proposal, which has the backing of all 27 European Union countries, calls for an end to the practice of criminalizing and punishing people for their sexual orientation. Most dramatically, in some countries, including Iran and Saudi Arabia, homosexuality can be punished by death.

If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
- Leviticus 20:13

Corin: Okay, so correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think it's the Catholics doing this [calling for capital punishment of homosexuality]...

I can see some accusing the Catholic Church of aligning itself with the Muslims by opposing the declaration.

[NYer]

Lol

[Villiany_Inc]

"Good for him. If the Pope doesn’t speak out on the teaching of the Church who will??"

I am not Catholic, and have no desire to be Catholic (I belong to a wonderful evangelical, bible-based, Christian church that isnt part of some larger denomination) - however, I really like your new Pope!!

I think he is the right Pope for the times - where it seems a lot of Catholics would rather be Episcopaliens (Catholic Lite, as my Episcopalien friend says) with their more liberal ideology.

On a side note about Christmas... last night I had an encounter with our local library at a Christmas festival. The young girl was telling me about the books they brought to show - some book on Kwaanza (sp?), the Polar Express, and a book about the Menorah...
A book about a made-up NON-CHRIST holiday, a book about a secularist NON-CHRIST story, and a book about a Jewish NON-CHRIST tradition/religious celebration... I just shook my head and walked away.

[GOP_Party_Animal]

Maybe it’s time to convert.

No better time than the present. Considering the fact that so many Catholics voted for Obama, we could use more conservatives such as yourself.

[NYer]

Hide your kids. They're in the playgrounds and in the schools on a recruitment drive.

The GLBT community has already infiltrated the gov't schools and many of the private ones as well. This is one of the results.

Day of Silence

[mo]

“...his often rigid view”

Note to TIME....”his view” has nothing toi do with “rigidity” ....now His view..on the otherhand...but you would’nt comprehend.

[Opinionated Blowhard]

“Scrooge” “rigid view” “homosexual discrimination”

No bias in this “news” article.

[epow]

Being on the same side as Iranian and Saudi barbarians is bad business.

Not on the issue of sodomite "marriage".

I am unalterably opposed to about 99% of Islamic law, but they got it right on this issue. Which reminds me of one of my grandfather's favorite old sayings, "even a blind hog finds an acorn now and then".

[Welcome2thejungle]

I think we have been overwhelmed by charisma this last year.

[Mad Dawg]

But this particular French-sponsored proposal, which has the backing of all 27 European Union countries, calls for an end to the practice of criminalizing and punishing people for their sexual orientation. Most dramatically, in some countries, including Iran and Saudi Arabia, homosexuality can be punished by death.

Here is, IMHO, the insidious aspect of the Left's conversation about this. I'd guess the BEING homosexually inclined is not a crime anywhere, even in Iran and Saudi Arabia. That is, "homosexuality" itself is not punishable by death. Homosexual acts of a particular kind are probably what's illegal.

The hidden implication, presented as an "of course!" if you question it, is that if one is inclined to a certain kind of sexual behavior one simply MUST give into that inclination, and the only moral struggle is to be "honest" about one's depravity or bnot.

[NinoFan]

That’s a pretty stupid thing to say. The moral correctness or truth of an action or statement has little to do with who does or states it.

[texmexis best]

Yup. B16 is the bee’s knees.

[donna]

“Thomas Jefferson indicated that in his home state of Virginia, ‘dismemberment’ of the offensive organ was the penalty for sodomy. In fact, Jefferson himself authored a bill penalizing sodomy by castration.”
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/JEFFERSON/ch14.html

Supreme Court Declares Perversion a Right
Activist court strikes down reasonable Texas law; others at risk
6/26/2003
The Supreme Court today issued a radical ruling knocking down 3000 years of Judeo-Christian-based law. The Court overturned a Texas sodomy law and defied its own precedent to discover a newfangled constitutional right to sodomy.

http://www.cwfa.org/articledisplay.asp?id=4195&department=CWA&categoryid=family