Pope Benedict Denounced

Ok, It's Just the UK Based National Secular Society

Apparently these people take themselves seriously, though for the life of me I can't imagine why.

Here from their site is a gem posted on September 25, 2009. It was just too good not to reproduce:

The news that the reactionary head of the Catholic Church, Joseph Ratzinger, is to be accorded a state visit to Britain next September was greeted with dismay by the National Secular Society this week. The Pope will meet the Queen and speak in both Houses of Parliament. The whole visit will have the full panoply of a visiting head of state, although the Vatican has only a few hundred (all-male) inhabitants.

Terry Sanderson, President of the National Secular Society, said: “This is dismal news indeed. Why Britain should seek to laud such a nasty extremist is beyond me. We should not forget that his ‘teachings’ have resulted in the banning of condoms in developing countries where HIV is decimating the populations. He encourages population growth in places where starvation is common. He persecutes homosexuals, treats women as second class citizens, has colluded in the large-scale cover up of child abuse. His Church interferes illegitimately in politics and undermines democracy. It siphons huge amounts of money out of poverty-stricken economies – what is there to celebrate about such a bigot? The NSS will be joining other groups in protesting against the celebration of this ghastly man’s presence here.”

The Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association is planning to picket the Labour Party Conference in Brighton next week in protest at Gordon Brown’s invitation to the pope.

Many years ago, a man working for me made a small mistake in doing his job in a factory I managed in Indianapolis. I was walking by at the time, and stopped to chat with him. He left me with this bit of wisdom from our encounter. "There is a limit to how smart you can be. There is no limit to how dumb you can be."

On most days, I am reminded of his wisdom. Some days it is clearer than others. Today as I read the above, it was a very clear day.