Behind the Campaign to Smear the Pope

[Le Neigeden d'antan]

O'Grady: Behind the Campaign to Smear the Pope - WSJ.com

Argentines celebrated last week when one of their own was chosen as the new pope. But they also suffered a loss of sorts. Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, a tireless advocate of the poor and outspoken critic of corruption, will no longer be on hand locally to push back against the malfeasance of the government of President Cristina Kirchner.

Argentines not aligned with the regime hope that the arrival of Francis on the world stage at least will draw attention to this issue. Heaven knows the situation is growing dire.

One might have expected a swell of pride from Argentine officialdom when the news broke that the nation has produced a man so highly esteemed around the world. Instead the Kirchner government's pit bulls in journalism—men such as Horacio Verbitsky, a former member of the guerrilla group known as the Montoneros and now an editor at the pro-government newspaper Pagina 12—immediately began a campaign to smear the new pontiff's character and reputation at home and in the international news media.

Thoughts?

The Argentine media's reaction to the Pope's election reminds me of the almost identical smear campaign by the Soviet government against John Paul II. To a lesser degree, Benedict XIV was also smeared because of his German ethnicity.

 

[InformedIgnorance]

Or it could be that there are legitimate concerns about his activities during one of the nation's most troubling periods in recent history; both his failure to act and his alleged actions.

 

[Alceste]

Or it could be that there are legitimate concerns about his activities during one of the nation's most troubling periods in recent history; both his failure to act and his alleged actions.

It could also be that people are hypersensitive about the Catholic church and its representatives sheltering dangerous criminals from justice since the whole pedophile thing came to light.

 

[Wannabe Yogi]

It could also be the way this pope attacked gay marriage when the government of Argentina was legalizing it. I will be very happy if this Pope really turns out to be a advocate for the worlds poor. From my perspective there is no human rights issue greater then poverty. More suffer under grinding poverty then any other issue.

 

[Alceste]

It could also be the way this pope attacked gay marriage when the government of Argentina was legalizing it. I will be very happy if this Pope really turns out to be a advocate for the worlds poor. From my perspective there is no human rights issue greater then poverty. More suffer under grinding poverty then any other issue.

True, it would be very positive if he turns out to at least care about poverty. It's unrealistic to hope for a leader who would have reasonable attitudes about women or homosexuals. This is the Catholic church we're talking about, after all: the living legacy of Paul's misogynistic, repressed philosophy.

 

[Assad91]

I noticed the influx of negative articles on the new papa when he was elected. I think its similar to how celebrities get treated. Sadly, they dont do this for politicians.

 

[InformedIgnorance]

Sure they do go through such a process; it is just that at times, the press takes a liking to politicians that seem to be leaning in a direction they favor.

Gotta remember these guys have all been in the game for like 72 years a piece on average... probably 50 or so in the church we can guess... with all the despotic regimes, atrocities and controversies which have occurred in the last 50 years; many of those places have had catholic populations and thus a cardinal may have come from those regions. In 50 years of church life and 20 years of pre-church life, it is likely that regardless of who they chose for the white cap, there would have been skeletons brought up to the light for the one they elected.

Is it any wonder that an individual who is claimed to be the spiritual successor of the leadership of the church, in many ways the supreme mortal representative of christ's message and mission has the actions and inactions of his life examined for their moral implications?

 

[TommyDar]

Hey OP, weren't you the person who "smeared" the Dalai Lama and blamed him for the self-immolations last week, despite no evidence?

Yet here we are with so much evidence against this current pope and you refuse to believe it.

Why have such a double standard?

 

[Assad91]

Hey OP, weren't you the person who "smeared" the Dalai Lama and blamed him for the self-immolations last week, despite no evidence?

Yet here we are with so much evidence against this current pope and you refuse to believe it.

Why have such a double standard?

Evidence against the new pope on what exactly?

 

[TommyDar]

Evidence against the new pope on what exactly?

His anti-gay statements and his association with a far-right military regime for instance:

New Pope: Francis believes gay adoption is child abuse | Gay Star News

The sins of the Argentinian church | Hugh O'Shaughnessy | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

Or the fact that he was involved in the same sex-scandal coverups as his predecessor

Pope Francis was often quiet on Argentine sex abuse cases as archbishop - The Washington Post

 

[Assad91]

His anti-gay statements and his association with a far-right military regime for instance:

New Pope: Francis believes gay adoption is child abuse | Gay Star News

The sins of the Argentinian church | Hugh O'Shaughnessy | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

Or the fact that he was involved in the same sex-scandal coverups as his predecessor

Pope Francis was often quiet on Argentine sex abuse cases as archbishop - The Washington Post

Sounds like a normal catholic leader. I dont get what your point is. Last Pope was a nazi.

Quick fun point. Dalai Lama is anti gay too lol.

 

[Sunstone]

Quick fun point. Dalai Lama is anti gay too lol.

Hasn't the Dalai Lama retracted his anti-gay statements?

 

[Assad91]

Hasn't the Dalai Lama retracted his anti-gay statements?

I dont know. But considering he came to the states just to say no, id be suspicious of it being just pr.

 

[TommyDar]

Hasn't the Dalai Lama retracted his anti-gay statements?

I don't think His Holiness has actually made explicitly anti-gay statements. Rather, he was saying that Buddhist monks should be celibate no matter what their natural orientation.

That's like saying that the police captain hates beer because he said that officers are not to drink while they drive the police car.

 

[Assad91]

I thought you was an athiest 0.o

 

[Le Neigeden d'antan]

I thought you was an athiest 0.o

For some reason a lot of atheists defend Buddhist and Jews. They claim that Buddhism doesn't believe in "god" so that they need not be a target, but I could never understand why Judaism gets an exception that is not made for Christianity or Islam.

 

[Assad91]

For some reason a lot of atheists defend Buddhist and Jews. They claim that Buddhism doesn't believe in "god" so that they need not be a target, but I could never understand why Judaism gets an exception that is not made for Christianity or Islam.

Yeah, especially western athiest. But I never hear any athiest call the lama "his holiness" and actually stick up for him as such.

 

[Le Neigeden d'antan]

Yeah, especially western athiest. But I never hear any athiest call the lama "his holiness" and actually stick up for him as such.

I have actually heard it a lot from many American and Canadian atheists.

 

[TommyDar]

Yeah, especially western athiest. But I never hear any athiest call the lama "his holiness" and actually stick up for him as such.

I'm not really sticking up for him. But I do hate dishonesty and was just pointing out a fact that the Dalai Lama was only talking about Buddhist monks being celibate, and not about the rest of the people who are not monks.

Besides I'm sure that in 50 years people can change their opinions on certain issues which is no problem as long as they change in the direction of tolerance and progress. There are probably many American or British politicians who didn't support gay rights 10 or 20 years ago but do now because they became more reasonable people.