The pope "kissed and washed" the feet of 12 AIDS patients in 2001 (w/ video)

[Renew Deal]

As Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, he showed compassion for the victims of HIV-AIDS and in 2001, visited a hospice to kiss and wash the feet of 12 AIDS patients.

In 2008, the Catholic News Agency reported that Bergoglio washed the feet of 12 recovering drug addicts at a rehabilitation center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he is from. YouTube video apparently shows photographs from the event.
<snip>

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57574195/pope-francis-sympathy-to-drug-addicts-aids-victims/

[arely staircase]

1. very old christian tradition

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foot_washing

[pnwmom]

11. Yes. But not something Cardinals often do. n/t

[condoleeza]

2. PR, it just goes on and on, the mythology n/t

[arely staircase]

3. sometimes yes, sometimes no

that is where reason comes into the equation.

[Renew Deal]

6. I'm not sure what you're referring to

[LeftyMom]

4. He's anti-condom. You can't love AIDS patients and want more people to join their ranks.

[RainDog]

7. This is the issue. n/t

[pnwmom]

12. Are you sure? Because I just read somewhere today

that his position made an exception in the case of condoms for disease prevention..

[Renew Deal]

17. I saw that too

9. He also believes condom can be permissible to prevent disease

http://allafrica.com/stories/201303140358.html

[woodsprite]

29. I had read that he was for condom use as a preventative to spread of disease. n/t

[Arugula Latte]

5. Too bad his church has caused untold thousands of deaths by

opposing condoms.

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. Not aids patients, not that it matters...

Drug addicts.

[Renew Deal]

9. This is a direct quote

"As Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, he showed compassion for the victims of HIV-AIDS and in 2001, visited a hospice to kiss and wash the feet of 12 AIDS patients."

Are you saying it's inaccurate?

[Control-Z]

10. Not that I believe it would have done ANYTHING

other than to have possibly made the people "feel" better (that someone had paid attention to them - or had appeared to care,) I have to ask, did he kiss and wash? Or did he wash and then kiss? Big difference. Seriously.

[Renew Deal]

13. It's not 100% clear

But it looks like wash first. The video is really a photo slide-show

[nadinbrzezinski]

31. Yes, the original Spanish

Said he did that with recovering drug addicts.

Spanish is my mother tongue.

[truebrit71]

14. Oh well, that totally absolves him from criticism of the anti-gay, anti-condom organisation he now..

...runs

Puhleez....

[Renew Deal]

16. Why do you think this post is about that?

I think some people are determined to hate no matter the reality. They are determined to believe he is some sort of war criminal hypocrite (which is a dubious story anyway), but are unwilling to accept that his biography is more complicated.

[99Forever]

18. So, tell us then...

... if this post isn't about trying to boost the image of the guy, despite the positions he has taken, and the awful positions and things The RCC has and still does take and does, then what is it about?

Seriously, how fucking dumb do you think people are? You think we're as stooooopid as Teabaggers?

[Renew Deal]

25. It's about biography

I haven't seen this posted previously.

[99Forever]

26. Oh please.

You really do think people are stupid, don't you?

Pa-fucking-thetic.

[Renew Deal]

27. Yes some of them are, but not for the reason you think.

Some just can't do anything about it.

[Arugula Latte]

32. Wow! He washed feet! That TOTALLY makes up for the mass deaths caused by his church

because it opposes condoms!

Thank you SO MUCH for this! I feel GREAT about this Pope and this fine institution now!

[truebrit71]

24. He was cosy with the right-wing junta that disappeared thousands of his fellow citizens...

...(not that that is a new trait in the catholic church - See Hitler's Pope) and whilst he may have bathed the feet of 12 people with AIDS, what about the millions that his organisation has sent to their agonizing deaths because they won't allow contraception?

His partaking in a display of public humility absolves neither him, nor the organisation he now heads for the untold suffering of MILLIONS of people throughout the world, and throughout history...

[Dpm12]

15. Foot fetish?

Just screwing around

[Puzzledtraveller]

20. Here you go

I'm not religious but have always had an interest in all religions.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foot_washing

Because I have a scholarly interests in religion and cultures it precludes me from mocking or deriding them. Not that I would anyway.

[Iggo]

19. Oh well gee then, all's forgiven!

Go Pope!

[MattBaggins]

21. I'm going to go ahead and say it.

Keep your lips off of people and put on some fucking gloves.

[LeftinOH]

22. Kissing feet solves nothing. And it's weird. n/t

[Lint Head]

28. Care givers help the sick all the time even to the point of changing their underwear and

cleaning their bottoms. Why is it is big deal when someone of privilege does it? I know very well the story of Christ washing feet but that was Christ not someone pretending to be Christ like. If he is doing it in honor of Jesus and Mary why doesn't he give at least 250 billion dollars of the 500 billion dollars that the church is worth to the poor in honor of Jesus. Jesus said to take the very clothes from your body and give it to the poor. He also said the poor will be with us always. But, the majority of poverty could be eliminated with 250 billion dollars. It could create clean water, provide health care among many things and the church would still be worth 250 billion dollars. It's time for the church to invest in people instead of real estate.

If a major dent was made in poverty the church would lose a cause.

[and-justice-for-all]

30. and he killed how many with his rhetoric? nt