Pope

Tomorrow's march isn't anti-faith.
http://www.secularism.org.uk/about.html

Looks like there are going to be a lot of people. Hyde park corner at 1.30pm!

http://www.secularism.org.uk/protest-the-pope.html

Jan the old one wrote:

Why do people who want to see the Pope have to buy a ticket?
Not being a Catholic I have no real knowledge about this religion. But I agree with so many of the comments already made. The whole Church needs to re-align itself to todays world, especially with regard to birth control and condoms to prevent sexually transmitted diseases, to stop the spread of AIDS in third world countries and a population surge where poor little babies and children starve to death for the lack of food and medical care.

If it does not, well there'll be no one to buy tickets at all...will there?

Hi Jan,
interesting article on the BBC website yesterday:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11347172

Quote: "UNAids said 22 countries in the world's worst affected region had seen a drop in new cases of more than 25%...But there was a warning that "challenges remain" in the global fight against HIV/Aids, including expanding epidemics in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and resurgence in new infections in wealthier nations among men who have sex with men"

Forget third word countries for a moment and let's talk developed countries: Is it the pope or the teachings of the RC church that are fuelling the spread of the infection? It doesn't really look like so. Out of political correctness, at least, you should make a comment about them too..

Have a good day

Beetroot - I know today's march isn't anti-faith. Sorry if my posting suggested it is. Maybe I just felt more comfortable under a less broad umbrella. Or maybe I wanted something specifically women-oriented because of the hundreds of Irish women whose children were taken from them and who themselves were incarcerated at the hands of the Roman Catholic Church, and with the collusion of the state, (some in mental institutions), because of their "dubious morality", and whose stories are seldom heard in England. Or maybe I was just being wimpy because of my cold.

Anyway, I'm glad I went to Lambeth Palace yesterday because we were right up against the barriers as the pope and his entourage passed by. I believe that balance is a sign of spiritual and mental health, and that a male-dominated church will inevitably become unbalanced, sterile, neurotic and, ultimately, perverted in every sense of the word - including in its attitude towards gender and sexuality. So restoring balance by expressing respect for women is, I believe, one vital step in any process of reform.

I know that members of the group of men and women I was with yesterday will be attending the Hyde Park march today.

I'm back on my sofa with the tissues and hot lemon :(

Glad you got to protest how you wanted to aoibhneas. I'm actually a bit envious of you being within earshot of the nasty little sicko.

Yesterday's march was massive. Some banners serious, some not. I quite liked 'Jesus had 2 daddies!!.
It was weird to think that not far away were all those child rape supporting holocaust deniers worshipping the same imaginary friend in the sky.

At one point a big man barged through the march and found the smallest young woman. Six inches from her face he screamed 'YOU'RE GOING TO BURN IN HELL!'.

Beetroot, to suggest that those gathered in Hyde Park were "child rape supporting holocaust deniers" does you no credit at all.

I am not a Roman Catholic but really that is a hugely offensive and inaccurate thing to say.

People are quite entitled to be angry about the occasions when the church has failed the vulnerable people in its care, but throwing around ridiculous sweeping remarks like that really doesn't help anyone at all.

This thread is now closed; if people want to continue discussing this, please do so on another forum.