The Pope Blesses the Gays

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/10/13 at 11:39pm

In other news, ice-skating lessons began in Hell today.




Pope breaks decade of silence to bless gay Catholic group. Kairos was inspired by Catholic who burned himself alive to protest church’s stance on gays.

Updated On: 10/10/13 at 11:39 PM

[Bluemoon]

Posted: 10/11/13 at 8:37am

I love this. "Kairos" means "God's time" (as opposed to our own temporal experience). Maybe it really is God's time.

Updated On: 10/11/13 at 08:37 AM

[NYadgal]

Posted: 10/11/13 at 8:41am

And I love that comment, Moony.

Any change - any step forward - is welcome.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/11/13 at 9:09am

Just checking that this still only applies to celibate Catholics gays, right?

[artscallion]

Posted: 10/11/13 at 9:21am

Yes, Phyllis. All six of them.

[Brian07663NJ]

Posted: 10/11/13 at 9:28am

What a coincidence! Just this morning I woke up and thought that the day would be complete if I was blessed by the Pope. Now excuse me while I go tend to my eye...I just tore an eye muscle when I rolled my eyes.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/11/13 at 9:43am

He didn't say anything about the gays being celibate. Only that they have "goodwill."

Do you have goodwill, Phyl?

[Roscoe]

Posted: 10/11/13 at 9:45am

The Papal PR machine works furiously away. Don't be fooled by the hype.

[artscallion]

Posted: 10/11/13 at 10:02am

This pope is to the Catholic church as Meghan McCain is to the Republican party.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 10/11/13 at 10:05am

I dunno.

I've been very dubious about claims that "Who am I to judge," etc., meant more than he actually said. But I'm starting to agree with Addy--not only does he seem to be stepping away from the Church's prior, very ugly stances; he seems to be moving forward.

Roscoe, I take your point, but Lord knows (get it?) the papal PR machine has never had the SLIGHTEST interest in making LGBT people feel good.

I'm still not ready to kiss anybody's ring, but I'm definitely interested in seeing where this man tries to take his Church.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 10/11/13 at 10:16am

"This pope is to the Catholic church as Meghan McCain is to the Republican party."

He's worse. Meghan McCain carries no power within the GOP, she holds no office or position of responsibility, she's a pure attention whore. The Pope is the titular head of the Catholic Church, who could theoretically, at least, order all anti-gay policies within his hate organization to cease forthwith.

Reginald -- hype is hype. When he actually enacts some anti-hate policies in that hate group he's in charge of, I'll buy it. Until then it is all hot air.

Updated On: 10/11/13 at 10:16 AM

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/11/13 at 10:20am

"Do you have goodwill, Phyl?"

They don't call her "Goodwill Phyl" for nothin'!

[tazber]

Posted: 10/11/13 at 10:28am

What I find confusing, and ultimately why I can't buy this line, is that they're not addressing the fact that homosexuality is a sin to them.

So is this more of a "hate the sin, love the sinner" attitude? Because quite frankly that's a load of sh!t.

And since homosexuality is a sin to them, doesn't that make them inherently judgmental?

Ultimately it's all semantics that means nothing.

Otherwise known as politics.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 10/11/13 at 10:34am

Agreed. It smells to heaven.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 10/11/13 at 10:43am

Someone else summed all this stuff up, they said that the Pope's position is to basically concentrate less on what the Church is against, and more on what they're for, in an attempt to be seen less as the Church Of NO!!

They're not changing their policies, or their opposition to gay rights, women's rights, or anything at all of any real substance.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 10/11/13 at 10:54am

Nah, it's all P.R.

[artscallion]

Posted: 10/11/13 at 10:59am

It's all about changing people's perception of them without changing reality. Many Catholics are conflicted because they know and love gays but also have a strong bond with the church. The pope knows this and is giving them something that helps them rationalize remaining with the church.

Updated On: 10/11/13 at 10:59 AM

[tazber]

Posted: 10/11/13 at 11:13am

So, it's a smoke screen for people who don't want face an uncomfortable truth.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 10/11/13 at 11:16am

The Catholic Church is, as we should all know by now, expert at smoke screens and covering up uncomfortable truths, like untold numbers of rapes perpetrated by their staff.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/11/13 at 11:18am

He didn't say anything about the gays being celibate. Only that they have "goodwill."

I didn't read this article at first, because I knew I'd just beat my head my against the wall to find out what Papal comment people are misreprsening today, but the goodwill comment (unless the article - which I did just read now -is suggesting he remade that comment) was indeed about celibate gay Catholics.

His comment was specifically about gays who accept the Lord. You're in a state of mortal sin if you've out sex outside of marriage, so ergo, he's talking about celibate gay Catholics, because you can't receive God's grace in state of mortal sin.

I have plenty of good will. I also have plenty of unrepentant gay sex. The Pope isn't talking to me.


Updated On: 10/11/13 at 11:18 AM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 10/11/13 at 11:22am

I have unrelenting gay sex which sometimes leaves me repentant in those cases when it's really great.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/11/13 at 11:23am

I'm gonna unrepent tonight!

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/11/13 at 11:50am

It might be PR but everytime he opens his mouth and says something like this, he makes it more and more difficult for conservative bishops and archbishops to spew anti-gay bile in the future.

His comments have even forced Catholic conservatives like Antonin Scalia to moderate their views in their most recent interviews--or, at the very least, shut up about it.

When Scalia was asked about the pope's comments last week in New York magazine, all he could says was, "He’s the Vicar of Christ. He’s the chief. I don’t run down the pope."

Popes have been killed for less!

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 10/11/13 at 11:52am

Including John Paul the First!

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/11/13 at 11:54am

Even Maggie Gallagher had to change her tune when the pope did.
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