Will the Pope's expected visit contribute to healing process

[eccles]

TÁ sé ag teacht! Il Papa. Benedict XVI himself – all the signs point to a visit in two years’ time. Reading between the lines of statements from the Vatican and Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, the man once known as the ‘Rottweiler’ on account of his ability to stifle dissent will be descending on these shores.

It will be interesting to see how the island of saints, scholars and paedophiles greets him. The expected date of arrival is June 2012, location Dublin. The occasion? The 50th International Eucharistic Congress. By that time, the argument goes, the sight of bishops falling on their croziers like demented Roman generals will have faded from the public mind.

No doubt, it’s also hoped that by 2012 revelations concerning the bestial clerical abuse of children will no longer shock. That, however, is a long shot (the Cloyne report has yet to be released).

Still and all, the Vatican seems sure that the Eucharistic Congress in Dublin will be the bees’ knees. Their blurb says it “will engage people from Ireland and around the world in a programme of liturgical and cultural events”.

http://clericalwhispers.blogspot.com/20 ... te-to.html

So you poor people are going to be inflicted with a Eurcharistic Congress. What in insult to rottweilers calling that bum, Ratslinger a rottweiler. They are gorgeous dogs. These Eurcharist Congresses seem to backfire on the "Holy" Roman Catholic Church.

My bretheren in Atheism, do what you can to stop it. It is a bit hard to stop Ratslinger landing in Ireland. He has diplomatic immunity as a head of state, head of that teensy weensy slab of land, Vatican City.

[munsterdevil]

Trying to stop the visit of the pope would not be sending out a good image of Atheist Ireland. Protest sure, but stop it? Don't be ridiculous eccles.

[deferm]

In response, to the title of the thread "Will the Pope's expected visit contribute to healing process".
I would say the Catholic Church, have only shown themselves to be interested in the "healing" of the churces image.
I have seen no interest as an organisation in any sort of healing for victims (althouh part of me, thinks they believe the church itself to be a victim). What with the what if, apologies etc...

Will it contribute to healing process, for the children who were raped, probably not, for the image of the church probably, as they will use it to draw a line in the sand.

[Rational_thinker]

Trying to stop the visit of the pope would not be sending out a good image of Atheist Ireland. Protest sure, but stop it? Don't be ridiculous eccles.

Exactly: why be like the religious? Let the old boy come - you can be certain the media will go looking for atheists to interview publicly when he's over. It will provide a great oppoprtunity for the two sides rationally to deabte and present their views. That's exactly what I want. It means we can continue to point out the appalling abuses that this man's organisation represents; the way they apologise for historic crimes while, with extreme irony, cover up current ones. Etc. Bring it on.

I recognise it is difficult to see a man who represents the crimes that this one does, being treated as an important dignitary/statesman. But that, unfortunately, is the way of the world.

Cheers,

Jim

[neil88]

Nevermind about healing divides etc etc.

Will be very interesting to see do the crowds come out as they did for JP2.........

I d like to think that Mr Ratzinger would get a less than warm welcome but knowing the fickle nature of the Irish Catholics and indeed the Irish media, Mr Ratzinger will be treated as if he were some sort of saviour. Ironic.