The Pope and the Condom

[WhoDat1]

The members I am referring to were the ones I encountered recently. The vast majority had head lice, impetigo, anal worms, and festering opens sores. A few even had fluke worms growing directly from the tongue. None were literate, and all were undernourished. Each and every patient complained of back pains (kidney related) from not drinking enough water for fear of intestinal parasites.

They were not very "with it", but they were "creative" as you note above. In fact they were so creative they had figured out how to survive two civil wars, scratch out a meal each day, and live without running water or electricity.

Believe it or not, most seemed pretty happy and all of them were brave.

I love the Church. But the Pope, Vatican City and all the pomp and regalia is not the Church. Its the people, faith and tradition.
I do believe that Holy tradition is beautiful and pretty church buildings are nice to look at. That being said, while there are hungry and sick people in the world, the Church should stick to basic needs, sell off all its property, other than the church buildings for gathering purposes, and follow Christ, as St. Francis and Claire of Assisi did.

The Humble Opinion of a lowly sinner....

 

[Lynnie]

I love the Church. But the Pope, Vatican City and all the pomp and regalia is not the Church. Its the people, faith and tradition.
I do believe that Holy tradition is beautiful and pretty church buildings are nice to look at. That being said, while there are hungry and sick people in the world, the Church should stick to basic needs, sell off all its property, other than the church buildings for gathering purposes, and follow Christ, as St. Francis and Claire of Assisi did.

The Humble Opinion of a lowly sinner....

I love the Congregants. They are the backbone of the Catholic Church/Teachings, the Catechism.....truly wonderful people!

I tell ya' though, that amazingly well-preserved dead body in the Vatican in a glass coffin/case thingie? That's creepy! I mention this only because 'The Church' has done some strange things. That said, for many Congregants around the globe, 'The Church' is their rock! I completely respect that.

 

[Lynnie]

Respectfully, this has nothing really to do with the condom. But, I think it helps with The/A Church Issue, somewhat.....or, maybe not.

It made me smile, however.

This is literally a 'church signs' debate, being played out in a
Southern town, between the Catholic church and a
(fundamentalist) Presbyterian church. From top to bottom
shows you the response and counter-response over
time. The churches face each other across a busy street.

​

 

[Teresa]

I love the Church. But the Pope, Vatican City and all the pomp and regalia is not the Church. Its the people, faith and tradition.
I do believe that Holy tradition is beautiful and pretty church buildings are nice to look at. That being said, while there are hungry and sick people in the world, the Church should stick to basic needs, sell off all its property, other than the church buildings for gathering purposes, and follow Christ, as St. Francis and Claire of Assisi did.

The Humble Opinion of a lowly sinner....

I for one am extremely grateful to have visited the most beautiful cathedrals across Italy and France. they are some of the most beautiful pieces of history on the planet, all built with the ingenuity and sacrifices of people over centuries. I know one thing - when I entered Notre Dame in Paris, the beauty and scale and ancient beauty literally took my breath away.. I knew in that moment that God exists. every cathedral left me in awe and gratitude for those who sacrificed so much to build a church to stand the test of time.. for me and everyone to appreciate and enjoy as a place of worship. most of them seemed like something from another world - especially when you consider the materials, the art, the massive scale, etc. it gave me a renewed sense of what man is able to envision, achieve, build -and a renewed sense of the divine.

I would love to visit many more temples and shrines, mosques and other sacred buildings around the world. It does seem to me that God and religion have inspired some dam great architecture, made to last and to tell a great story about our cultures. to me, these are monuments to our history and lives filled with our ideas and art and work and sweat and tears and everything human.

but, yes I understand the point of using monetary resources for helping others. I do believe men and women and churches around the world have taken this responsibility very seriously and will always do so.