| Subject: He will go down as a fifth-century pope in terms of who women are |
Author:
XOX
|
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
Date Posted: 18:01:06 04/07/05 Thu
In reply to:
Clement LO
's message, "悼念教宗若望保祿二世燭光晚會" on 16:31:06 04/07/05 Thu
Nothing But the Pope
I am grateful to Pope John Paul II for speaking out against the war in Iraq and his support of freedom and human rights, but as a non-practicing Catholic, I’ve got issues with the Church. I’m not ready to let the pope off so easily for, among other things, failing to allow that condoms help prevent the spread of HIV and curtailing women’s roles in the church. His “culture of life” rhetoric was guided by doctrine, not fact.
The direction in which he took the church internally was very distressing for those who had hopes for real reform. Unfortunately, even though he was a participant in the Council himself, John Paul II ignored pleas from the growing, worldwide movement of grassroots Catholics seeking to strengthen the spirit of openness and inclusion that began with the Second Vatican Council. […] John Paul II was an advocate of human rights in secular life, but he did not apply this belief to the church itself.
Among the human rights still crying out for recognition in the church are: gender equality - including women’s ordination, the right of priests to marry, freedom of conscience and speech, the right to a fair trial, the right to be respected for one’s sexual orientation, and the moral adulthood of the laity in decisions regarding reproduction and the use of condoms to prevent the spread of HIV-AIDS.
The paedophilia scandal exposed a major breach of human rights in the life of the church generally. Although John Paul II ultimately recognized it as a scandal, this scandal needed much stronger action at a much earlier time.
Segers mentions the Vatican’s support of “Christian feminism,” which basically means women are revered because they are or will become mothers. Their role in the church is “separate but equal.”
"He will go down in history as a pope who didn't understand and who wasn't friendly to women," Frances Kissling, president of Catholics for a Free Choice, told Reuters. "He couldn't have slammed the door shut more loudly on the question of the ordination of women. He will go down as a fifth-century pope in terms of who women are."
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
| |
Feedback: 