Rome has historically not been a safe place for popes. The first one (St Peter the Apostle) was crucified there. The next four successors were also put to death. After a gap of three popes, the following five were also killed. The 3rd century saw three executed popes. The city became much safer for popes and all Christians after Constantine declared Christianity the state religion in the 4th century.However, after the collapse of the Roman Empire, Rome eventually became so dangerous for popes that they relocated to Avignon in France in 1309 for 100 years or so. Not that Rome was much safer when the popes returned, so the 1400's saw a number of popes who needed to exercise military skill to get the city under control. As you would with any city that is constantly rioting and revolting against the rulers.
Now Rome is again turning against the current Pope. The picture on the right comes from the recent protests against Benedict XVI's now cancelled visit to speak at the "La Sapienza" University. A university ironically established in the Middle Ages by a previous pope.
It has been reported by the BBC that the main reason for the protests against the Pope's visit are his previous comments of more than 20 years ago on the trial of Galileo. However, the picture in this post tells a different story.
Homosexual activists are driving the campaign against the Pope. The main message, being reported in Italy, is that the Pope is homophobic, therefore should not turn up to speak at the university.
Homosexual activists against free speech, how unusual. (Where's the sarcasm icon?) Readers may or may not know that here in our very own NZ, a haven of homosexual activism - The AIDS Foundation, have previously lobbied for hate speech legislation in NZ. I suppose now that we have the EFA, maybe that will be next when the politicians get back from holiday. But I digress ...
The Pope has cancelled his proposed visit, so the activists may seem to have won for now. However, hopefully their actions are being exposed to the world. Even without knowing what the protests were about, I'm sure most people would consider the actions of the university protesters to be infantile.
Fr Z, whom I link to below, has a very interesting comment on why there has been this level of protest:
The Church in Italy has been very involved in some matters in the public square. After decades of having no real opposition, the Left is freaking out now because the Church and the Italian bishops are no longer being filtered through the monumentally mediocre and now defunct Christian Democrat party. The Church is weighing in on matters like assisted fertilization, civil unions for homosexuals, euthanasia, abortion, etc. The Left and the deviants don’t like this new development at all. Their reactions? Level death threats against the new president of the Bishops Conference and then behave like snotnosed delinquents when faced with opposing views.
UPDATE: Zadok the Roman explains how this is being perceived in Italy:
Mainstream political opinion in Italy is almost entirely in support of the Pope with reference to the whole Sapienza debacle. Even those who do not agree with him see this as a defeat for the principle of free speech. Amongst ordinary Italians there tends to be an attitude of great embarrassment that the Pope seems to be more welcome in Turkey than he is in the country's largest university. Some of the signatories of the notorious letter which opposed the Pope's attendance are also trying to nuance their position. They claim that the letter should have been private and that it was 'used' by the protesters in a way that was not intended. The rector of the university is speaking of a 'defeat for reason and secularism.'Related Links: Fr Z ~What does the prayer really say
See also, previous coverage by Andrei at TBR
Even without knowing what the protests were about, I'm sure most people would consider the actions of the university protesters to be infantile.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, in the event the Pope doesn't say what activists expect him to say, they'll most likely just make it up.
People may well end up knowing what the protests were about - it just may not be the truth.
It's not even remotely clear to me how we get from "one of the protesters held a homophobia placard" to "homosexual activists are driving the campaign..."
ReplyDeletePsycho, it wasn't just one protester. Fr Z. lives in Rome. I'll take his word that the picture is an example of what most of the protests were about. Also, if you look at the same picture in UK papers, they've chopped the words off.
ReplyDeleteAlso, one of the threats levelled at the Pope by the students was that if he came they would stage an "anti clerical" gay and lesbian parade. This is from The Times. You can see a chopped off picture there, too.
ReplyDeleteWhat is clear PM is that it is not the Catholic students association that is behind this.
ReplyDeleteAnother obvious fact is that the winners in this little skirmish are not the progressives, who are looking progressively more stupid as this unfolds, rather it is the Catholic Church and the Pope.
I like this Pope, he is really on the ball.
I am a Kiwi living in Italy, sadly it seems that the writers apparent hatred of homosexuals has motivated this bigoted dribble.
ReplyDeleteIn short - The Pope was invited to speak at La Sappienza University in Rome by the Rector, a number of academics (non homosexual) and students (non homosexual) didn't feel comfortable with the invitation based on Rattzingers past actions and expressed these views. In a free nation or democracy I think this is called free speech is it not??
The Pope decided not to attend and let’s be clear here the invitation was never retracted.
To seize on this situation based on a picture of a pink cardboard hat in order to provide a stage for an anti homosexual tirade is cheap and sadly tells more about the personality of hatred of the writer than to offer any useful political commentary.
I can respect a conservative viewpoint but not one that is so transparently based fraudulent manipulation of an event.
I'll echo what the previous poster said, a fair summation it sounds to me.
ReplyDeleteKiwi living in Italy, you have missed the bit about the 100 radical students that took over the office of the university rector, and the part about threatening a gay and lesbian parade. Here's the whole quote in context from the Times:
ReplyDeleteA hundred militant left wing students had occupied the office of Professor Renato Guarini, the university rector, to demand that the papal visit be cancelled because of Benedict's "obscurantist" stand on science in general and the Church's treatment of Galileo as a heretic in particular. Sixty-seven science professors and lecturers at La Sapienza signed a letter to Professor Guarini calling on him to scrap the visit. Professor Guarini said the Pope was "saddened" by the protests.
Students had said they would greet the Pope with a "sonic siege" of loud rock music - which he once defined as "the devil's work" - an "anti clerical" gay and lesbian parade and banners reading "No Pope" and "Knowledge needs neither fathers no priests".
I would suggest that you, as a NZ'er, have been indoctrinated to accept homosexuality as normal, therefore have trouble noticing it, even when it's right in front of you.
I am a Kiwi living in Italy, sadly it seems that the writers apparent hatred of homosexuals has motivated this bigoted dribble.
ReplyDeleteI don't know the writer of the source material but he could have been motivated by the words and actions of the gay lobby group at the protest. Fact: The gay lobby group and their messages were a part of this protest.
In short - The Pope was invited to speak at La Sappienza University in Rome by the Rector, a number of academics (non homosexual) and students (non homosexual) didn't feel comfortable with the invitation based on Rattzingers past actions and expressed these views.
We don't know the sexual orientation of ALL of the people in your list.
In a free nation or democracy I think this is called free speech is it not??
Except that the academics were reported as being annoyed that their letter had been made public. They preferred to stop his visit in a less than transparent way.
The Pope decided not to attend and let’s be clear here the invitation was never retracted.
Let's be clear that the protesters threats to do everything possible to disrupt the Pope's "Freedom of Speech" was a big part of his decision not to attend.
To seize on this situation based on a picture of a pink cardboard hat in order to provide a stage for an anti homosexual tirade is cheap and sadly tells more about the personality of hatred of the writer than to offer any useful political commentary.
Well, given that the pink cardboard protesters were present with a anti-Pope tirade that was cheap tells me that some people will react to that provocation in the way they did.
What is unclear to me is the proportion of the gay lobby versus the anti-religion lobby.
Back in NZ, we have to go with what information we can glean from different sources. When I say different - several of the main stream media sources regurgitating one story is really only one source. Thank you for your perspective on this matter.
I can respect a conservative viewpoint but not one that is so transparently based fraudulent manipulation of an event.
I don't think it is fraudulent. People place different emphasis on different aspects of the story. Prove to me there are no "Pope is a homophobe" protesters at the protests. The sign says otherwise. The reports I've read say otherwise.
What I take from the opinion you present, as some-one on the ground in Italy, is that the "science versus religion" protest plays a much bigger part of the protest than the other. Thanks for leaving a comment.
Gidday again zen,
ReplyDeleteAh, gee, so sad, heck zen I must be triple your age and even I can tell you that poofter-bashing is Jesus-bashing.
Best man I ever met was a poofter zen, watched both brothers die in france and still reaised his sister in laws kids to be doctors and things. Never knew he was a gay till four days before he croaked, makes no difference loooking at his photo now, lovely,clever, brought lots of kids to Jesus, make half his mark and you'll be a saint zen.
Still prayeing for you (but heck its hard sometimes har har!) Lent coming up zen, been down to the foodbank yet?
yours in Everlasting Adoration of our Most Blessed Virgin,
Pat
Hi Pat. I doubt you are even double my age Pat. I just seem young at heart.
ReplyDeleteI agree that no-one likes a bashing Pat. What do you think of this Pope-Bashing then? Maybe you could pray for those folk too?
Here's one I like:
Keep us, O Lord, from all pettiness.
Let us be large in thought, in word, and in deed.
Let us be done with fault-finding, and leave off all self-seeking.
May we put away all pretense and meet each other, face to face, without self-pity, and without
prejudice.
May we never be hasty in judgment, and always generous.
Let us take time for all things.
Make us grow calm, serene, and gently.
Teach us to put into action our better impulses, straight forward and unafraid.
Grant that we may realize that it is the little things of life that create differences, that in the big
things of life we are as one.
And, O Lord God, let us not forget to be kind.
Amen.
Silly James - look into the cracked mirror on the wall to see who is the victim ,or just go to Sleep !!
ReplyDelete