How can one take seriously someone with a name like Polly Toynbee.
Like, HELLO?
Trevor | 04.10.05 - 4:09 pm | #

That's just plain wrong. Yeah, the pope wasn't flawless and there were some policies I definitely disagreed with, but comparing popes' "rule" with lenins' red terror (and especially terror that followed his rule) is stupid and demented.
north friend | 04.10.05 - 5:29 pm | #

It is a shame that the guy died but he was pretty old and his death was fairly peaceful, as death goes. Beyond that his death means nothing to me. The Catholic church, throughout the health decline of the pope, has been a source of half-truths and obfuscation. Their allowing Cardinal Bernard F. Law to say mass is further proof of their either cluelessness or uncaring when faced with the molestation scandals in the US. I think they are out of touch with reality and we are witnessing the decline in influence of the Catholic church.
Lenny | 04.11.05 - 7:47 am | #

Decline in influence? This week was a strong reminder that the influence is rather quite strong.
Duh | Homepage | 04.11.05 - 11:42 am | #

i think lenny might have been referring to the declining numbers of people attending mass in the U.S. and the declining numbers of priests in the U.S.

the pope's death meant significantly less to me than to the million plus people waiting in line to view the body. i am fond of this:
"he died like everyone else...and then he was dead."
-Ernest Hemingway when asked for details of a close friend's death.
Robotnik | Homepage | 04.11.05 - 6:11 pm | #

Not that I’m a big fan of the Catholic church but they do seem to get a lot of flack for attitudes that they share with many other large organised religions. Anti-abortion, anti-gay, anti-contraception, pro-death penalty, pro-suffering, hellfire, brimstone …etc. You can go east from Rome to the middle east and west as far as the US bible belt and find the same archaic dogma being preached by dozens of clerical multinationals.

http://www.rightnation.us/forums...pic=73389& st=20


It’s not just the Catholic church that gives me the spooks, but organised religion in general.
Lung the Younger | Homepage | 04.12.05 - 5:45 am | #

as the catholic mother of a family of about 50 kids says in monty pythons the meaning of life: 'it is the fastest growing religion y'know'.
toiletgraffiti | Homepage | 04.12.05 - 7:49 am | #

Praise Polly!
klaas | Homepage | 04.13.05 - 4:13 pm | #