In a typically gushing Popazoid article in the New York Times, there is the following hidden gem of Papal wisdom:
You’ve really got to be a nasty piece of work to arrive in Africa, the continent ravaged by AIDS, rape, and hunger, and condemn birth control. Seriously? Birth control is Africa’s problem? God, what a self-involved, horrible, stupid wanker. And linking birth control to colonialism is just sick.
Africa is the only part of the planet with a fast growing population, set to quadruple within 100 years or so. And the number of well functioning governments is approximately zero (the best are just not as ridiculously horrible as the average).
Being against birth control in Africa is a morally abhorrent position that wants humans to suffer in the name of ideology.
LikeLike
“Being against birth control in Africa is a morally abhorrent position that wants humans to suffer in the name of ideology.”
LikeLike
It’s also ironic that the Pope speaks out against colonialism, since no organization has been more “colonialistic” worldwide than the Catholic Church, in terms of spreading and sternly trying to enforce its doctrines on indigenous populations.
LikeLike
Good point. This fellow is such a hypocrite.
LikeLike
There is only Catholicism in Africa because of colonialism.
LikeLike
“There is only Catholicism in Africa because of colonialism.”
LikeLike
This is distinctly Malthusian viewpoint: People keep dying so they need to be replaced in the here and now so souls can be racked up in the afterlife, with not much concern for the quality of the lives on earth. Once there are too many people, the self correcting mechanism of die-offs is not the Church’s concern.
I think he has some weird idea that if he links colonialism which Africans hate to birth control maybe they won’t use birth control? But certain African countries have the highest birth rate in the world anyways. Infant and childhood mortality is very high. Maternal mortality is also very high. You want an idea of what it was like to be a pregnant woman before germ theory was a thing, look at some of these African countries. It’s actually really gross that the Pope is going on about birth control.
LikeLike
I think the connection he’s making is something like cultural colonization. The modern colonizers are keeping the people if Africa down by importing their immoral sexual practices, or something. I’m just guessing, though. It might be some other crazy sort of argument.
The Pope is going to Mexico now. I hope he doesn’t forget to voice his ideas about colonialism there, in the heart of a civilization that was destroyed by the Church.
LikeLike