Tuesday 22 July 2008

That bizarre event in Sydney

Cross posted on In a Strange Land

Mostly I have tried to ignore World Youth Day, vaguely thinking that if I clap my hands over my ears and my ears, then I will hear no evil, see no evil and do no evil. The good people at Larvatus Prodeo have been doing a jolly fine job of analysing World Youth Day anyway, which is a good thing, because you certainly won't get any analysis from the sycophants at the Sydney Morning Herald. It hasn't occurred to them to ask difficult questions when people say things like this?
Sister Catherina, a nun from Tonga who was seated well back in the throng, said: “We see Jesus when we see the Pope.” [link]
There's simple faith, and then there's sheer idiocy.

Tigtog Hoyden has a lovely take on Benedict's alleged charm and other failings.

As for what I think about it all, well... take a look at this.
The Pope, in a specially embellished WYD08 gown, was flanked by 420 bishops and 26 cardinals in the sanctuary of the altar, while 3000 priests were seated at the front of the sanctuary. [link]
The mind-blowing, obvious problem with this picture?

Not only are the "most important" people wearing silly hats, but absolutely every single one of the people who get to be right up front, marked out as special and important, somehow closer to holiness than anyone else, is male.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

There is simply to beginning middle or end to making sense of the Catholic WYD thing. It is medieval witchery of the highest order. Pointing out the inconsistencies in their collective delusions is a bit of a waste of time. These people are involved in a brainwashing cult, unfathomably entrenched in an obsessive and irrational charade of utter weirdness. I completely appreciate your points - you are totally right to point out that the ceremonies are sexist and deluded. But it's like the gay lobby arguing for equal rights within the church - there's no entry point to this discourse, no basis for logical discussion or debate.

It's just too weird. It has been really scary watching so many people stare vacantly off into space like Nazi youth, like the borg with the fuses blown. Bloody creepy. No wonder it seemed like everyone left sydney for the week.

Anna said...

Barvasfiend, your comments made me chuckle - especially the borg with the fuses blown bit. You make fair calls about the arbitrary nature of a good chunk of Church teaching, and the general bizarreness of it.

I'm Catholic, and I hasten to point out that you can choose the extent to which you're brainwashed. The Church has produced a lot of thinkers as well as a lot of borgs. I would say I'm about 10% brainwashed, personally. The WYD crowd may be more in the 80-90% range.

There's a lot to be said for some of the moral reasoning of the Church, but you as an individual Catholic you have to bring your own brain and conscience to bear on it, I think.