Castro: I'm So Impressed By Pope I Might Return to Church
Source: ASSOCIATED PRESS
By FRANCES D'EMILIO Published MAY 10, 2015, 4:48 PM EDT
VATICAN CITY (AP)
-snip-
After leaving the Vatican, Castro, the brother of Fidel, the revolutionary leader who brought the Communists to power in Cuba, gushed with praise for Francis. The pontiff "is a Jesuit, and I, in some way, am too," Castro said at a news conference. "I always studied at Jesuit schools."
"When the pope goes to Cuba in September, I promise to go to all his Masses, and with satisfaction," Castro said at a news conference at the office of Italian Premier Matteo Renzi, whom he met with after the Vatican talks. "I read all the speeches of the pope, his commentaries, and if the pope continues this way, I will go back to praying and go back to the church, and I'm not joking," he said.
It was a startling assertion for the leader of a Communist country, whose crackdown on dissidents in the past had drawn sharp Vatican criticism.
"I am from the Cuban Communist Party, that doesn't allow (religious) believers, but now we are allowing it, it's an important step," Castro said.
-snip-
Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/castro-im-so-impressed-by-pope-i-might-return-to-church
Hulk
(6,699 posts)Except then I realize he is only ONE person in that whole corrupt bureaucracy of scum and low lifes. The turd that shows up on fox-nonsense cancels him out.
Demeter
(85,373 posts)but one decent Pope does not a lasting tradition make...and even so, Francis cannot fix all the problems immediately even if he recognizes them all, and the Church isn't open to outside criticism....
MADem
(135,425 posts)It ain't just the pope, it's his mortality PLUS the pope that weighs on him!
He was raised up in the culture as a child--it's quite natural that people go for what they know.
It's not like he can stop the march of time!
Also, he knows full well a lot of his constituents never left the club, despite the Official Dismissal of faith.
libdem4life
(13,877 posts)incredible. A good upbeat story for the day. And no, I'm far from naive and it won't happen tomorrow, but the ground has been laid. Thanks for the article DV.
Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)I hope they don't have more Catholic Church bullshit shoved down their throats.
libdem4life
(13,877 posts)is more what the idea is, and I applaud it...for any religion. Jack Kennedy was Catholic and all the rage was that he'll make us all Catholic because we'd never had a Catholic president. I know, because that's what my Dad thought.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)libdem4life
(13,877 posts)fill in.
rpannier
(24,327 posts)And Jerry Jr is much worse
freshwest
(53,661 posts)rpannier
(24,327 posts)It was in an article about Liberty Universities debate team.
It is an outstanding team, which stunned me.
They have a huge budget for their debate team
One of the things the article discussed was a debate competition they were in late 90's. One of the topics was about legalized abortion. The coach asked Falwell if they could still participate given there was a 50/50 chance they'd have to defend abortion rights.
He told them to still participate. That it was good practice to understand the position of the 'other side'
His son said he'd have never given the okay
He's a whack job
Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)second-class citizens not deserving of any power in the church or autonomy over their own bodies, and that gays are not deserving of full equality? How in god's name (pun intended) can any progressive support such an agenda? It boggles my mind.
True Blue Door
(2,969 posts)[img][/img]
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freshwest
(53,661 posts)True Blue Door
(2,969 posts)freshwest
(53,661 posts)gopiscrap
(23,725 posts)I know the RC Church has a lot of problems and this Pope is not perfect, but he is the best since John XXIII and I hold hope in my heart for a more progressive church.
840high
(17,196 posts)freshwest
(53,661 posts)It is a reality that leads people in how they conduct their daily lives in lesser or greater depth, and how they organize their societies and the governments instituted by them.
Hatred of the RCC is not going to make it, or that slice of humanity who compose, shut up or go away. Might as well yell at the tide to stop rolling in. A lot of this stuff freaks me out.
The RCC should not get in the way of good secular government, but it is always in the background as the back up for the failure of such that we all know about. And it has brought down good governments before, as well.
I still want the Pope to address Congress and excoriate those Randian crooks for what they are doing, but I have concerns that it encourages the theocrats. The government that we have is not based on discrimination by religion, but too many have come to see that as necessary for their survival in a changing world. Sad.
I am not sure whether to be afraid or encouraged by this. Cuba will join the rest of Latin America in welcoming him back to their culture.
Helen Borg
(3,963 posts)That is one of the events religions attempt to tackle. Getting rid of religion won't solve that problem. People will find other ways of dealing with it, usually extreme escapism ways.
Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)You like one guy in the church, so you go back to accepting all the bullshit, mythology and repression peddled by the RCC, aka "Grifters R Us"?
Yeeeah, no.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)Ryan and the rest to turn tail and run, although the Pope may in theory let them get away with all that they are doing. Just under the church and family theme.
He has condemned cuts to social safety nets and support for the poor and disabled of all kinds, and has gone after the rich who refuse their tax obligations. So much so the owner of Home Depot was greatly offended as well as many other moneybags and Faux, etc.
IMO, this change by Castro is part of the resurgence of orthodoxy and the southern European version of Christianity. Less focus on one than of the whole. It is growing fast around the world, whereas the more individualist minded version of Protestantism of northern Europe is in decline. Some of the complaints about government in the long run, will enable theocracy.
Many see trends that frighten them and want powerful religious institutions to shield them as the nation states collapse under the pressure of the oligarches. Those who act as if the oligarchy is a recent phenonema and a failure of liberalism simply have not gone far enough back into world history or removed ideological blinders to see how the world was set up.
They fail to acknowledge that only enthusiastic support of democratic process and institutions, no matter how imperfect, and people willing to work within goverments are the only bulwark against feudalism, mankind's native state, it appears, when one even removes the label.
It is about who controls resources and the means of reproduction, as much as it exists in the animal and the vegetable kingdoms. Physical reality of this type is unaffected by words or politics. Brute force is used if necessary to maintain the more powerful by artificial or natural biological dominance. This can take a long time, centuries, to develop, and almost invisible.
Those who rail against maintaining worthwhile good government, from the left or right, enable the background powers of the world, theocracy, to fill in the void and rule us all. There is no future in which the rights of the individual will be protected, unless one takes on himself the 'every man for himself' mindset of carrying lethal weapons everywhere. And that will also create a hierarchy as not all are psychologically, physically or financially able to do so. Thus it will be strong man rule, and the rights of the unarmed, or the less powerful individuals will be lost.
Religious institutions, the same as oligarches and aristocrats, always have more staying power secular government, and often conspired to destroy them whenever it is to their benefit, or support them in other instances.
It is sad to see the changes taking place and now so much hatred of the Enlightenment, which included religious believers who looked far beyond the brands to the freedom of the human mind and spirit.
JMHO.
Disclaimer:
I am not now, nor have I ever been, a Catholic and I don't pretend to understand the thinking of Catholics. But I know quite a number of Catholics who are my allies in various causes. They are firm in their support and willing to sacrifice personally to bring about social justice.
I'm not disrespecting them when I attempt to cudgel my thoughts together on what is going on. I still have hopes the Pope may be able to shame these heartless Randians.
OKNancy
(41,832 posts)+1000
freshwest
(53,661 posts)Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)*Women and gays, not being fully human, don't qualify, of course.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)I know Catholic families that want women treated equally, including ordination and say abortion is or birth control is none of the RCC's business. They have gays in their familythey feel no shame about and accept fully and speak up for them. They believe that people are born gay and it does not detract from anyone.
I don't associate with conservative Catholics anymore than I associate with conservative Protestants or any other brand. As I said, the Pope may let the Congress get off the hook with all the evil they are doing to the disabled, poor, women and minorities of all kinds. Under some kind of family values BS. Or that the church can take care of everyone, which is what the Koch brothers and Libertarians claim.
And again as I said, I am not a Catholic and don't even pretend to know what they are really about. One look at a Catholic website with all their interpretations of reality make my head hurt and I'll never join them.
But not all 1.2 B Catholics are the same, nor are all Protestants the same, just as not all Muslims, Buddhists, atheists, deists or don't give a damns like myself, think the same. I commented on an article with what I feel is going on from what I've seen IRL and read about the trends.
I didn't make the trends. I can't stop the trends. I'm uncomfortable with them, all of which I said, as well. I don't know if you were brought up in the RCC and feel a special offense, which you may have developed from harsh experience. I wasn't.
Child abuse or any other number of offenses and wars and horrors can be brought to bear against the RCC, as well as every other faith, and non-faiths. People suck, and I'm more concerned with Ryan's lethal plans for millions, as well as Paul's total degradation of women than this guy going up there to talk to them. I'll wait until it happens, to make a decision as to how awful this guy is.
He can't undo millenia of slaughter and the RCC is not going anywhere with 1.2 B followers and increasing daily, no doubt. The only faster growing religion is Islam worldwide, and I'm not happy about that, either. I want more secularism, I REALLY WANT MORE SECULARISM.
Iagree with Hitchens on his point that the mission of the state is to tame religion. Some people see it as benign, others don't. I only speak to my experience, and I no longer am willing to attend any church. But If I was, I would still feel no need to apologize to anyone, if anyone thinks I should, since I don't insist that they do, I won't apologize either.
This is an unfortunate situation where government has been starved of its power to act as the arbitrator and guarantor of civil rights and liberties as enshrined in the US Constitution.
We are going to pieces in this country. I predict a number of unpleasantries.
Cryptoad
(8,254 posts)on the Doctrine changes he asking for.........
FairWinds
(1,717 posts)The Catholic Church left them.
Seriously, I'm ready to join Raul in going back.
Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)because they are sinners? Because that bullshit (plus other harmful mythology) is what you would be supporting and enabling if you went back to the RCC.
Gore1FL
(21,095 posts)GliderGuider
(21,088 posts)I'm a third-generation strong atheist, and Papa Frankie impresses the shit out of me.
roody
(10,849 posts)DonViejo
(60,536 posts)McCamy Taylor
(19,240 posts)Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)not deserving of equal rights? Why would a progressive do that?
Feron
(2,063 posts)Francis is a PR pope. His job is to make the Church more appealing in order to retain members, money, and power.
People want to feel good and Francis says all the right things people want to hear from a religious leader.
Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)misogyny, homophobia, and the mass child rape cover-up.
whatthehey
(3,660 posts)Who here can honestly say this is the first aging pinko they have seen snowed by Frankie Photo-Op's Pontifical PR Parade? Wonder if he's a GD poster?
Octafish
(55,745 posts)Even when getting killed by communists, capitalists, and just about everybody else over the past five centuries who thinks violence solves problems.