THE Pope’s controversial visit to Britain next month is being threatened by low giving from Catholic parishes and rows over ethics and public money.
According to this report, the cost of the planned state visit events has risen from £12 million to £20 million over the past two months, and there is a £3 million hole in covering the costs of the pastoral and spiritual dimension of the pontiff’s visit – which has also been mired in controversy over child abuse scandals and opposition to Vatican teaching against contraception and homosexuality, as well as its rejection of women as priests.
Attempts to raise money to meet the costs of the four-day visit have fallen far short, with church-goers snubbing attempts to have them pay to see the Pope, according to the Herald newspaper in Scotland.
So far, it is thought just £5.1 million has been raised, the vast majority from private and corporate donors, with only £1.1 million coming from local churches.
The millions being used to subsidise the state visit – including the accommodation of a bunch of his flunkies in a swish London hotel – have also been attacked by those who say that this is an inappropriate use of public money when cuts are being made to provision the most vulnerable in society.
There are additional concerns among domestic visit organisers that the cost of attending open-air events like the one in Bellahouston Park in Glasgow on September 16 has been putting parishioners off, with the charges of as much as £25 each to attend proving too much, in spite of assurances from church leaders that no one will be forced to pay if they cannot afford it.
Senior Catholic affairs commentator Clifford Longley says in The Tablet newspaper:
I wouldn’t want to say that the reaction has been lukewarm but it certainly hasn’t been red hot. I noticed in my own parish that they still have tickets available for the Hyde Park vigil and the Newman beatification. We’re not in a situation where people are queuing around the block for tickets.
In New York recently, protesters gathered to voice their opposition to the Pope's pronouncements on homosexuality
Meanwhile, in London, the first public meeting of the “Protest the Pope” coalition took place recently in Richmond. It called on the UK government to criticise and distance itself from Pope Benedict’s utterances and actions.
Speaking at the rally, National Secular Society President Terry Sanderson gave an assurance that the Protest the Pope campaign was not “anti-Catholic”.
Some Catholic bloggers have tried to portray us as some kind of off-shoot of the Orange order, but this simply isn’t true.
Our title is Protest the Pope and that’s what it means – this particular pope, Joseph Ratzinger. It does not mean protest the Catholics. Indeed, many Catholics entirely understand what we are about and have stated their support.
On the Protest the Pope blog we have a contribution from a Catholic priest who sums up the feelings of many Catholics in the pews who are sick of being represented by someone who is so far away from their own idea of what a compassionate life consists of.
In the past twenty years, the number of people going to Sunday mass has halved in Britain. Last week I read that 50,000 Austrians formally resigned from the church in the previous year.
This does not sound like a church that is at peace with its leadership.
He added:
Our protest will not be confrontational, it will be parallel. We are not going to try to arrest the pope, but we do want him to know that his teachings are profoundly inhumane and damaging to so many people. We want him to know that we do not appreciate his attempts to interfere in the legislative processes of our country.
Benedict is entitled to his views, and to make them clear. But we – the millions who despise those views – also have a right to make clear that they are damaging, cruel and have no place in legislation.
We need to let the pope know this loud and clear. And there will be no better time to do it than when he is in our country.
Meanwhile, it is now seriously being suggested that Ratzinger is a deeply repressed homosexual:
Ratzinger and his 'beautiful' personal secretary George GänsweinÂ
Simply the most repressed, imploded gay in the world.
Here’s a short extract from an in-depth article that appeared in The Atlantic two days ago:
It seems pretty obvious to me … that the current Pope is a gay man … I am not claiming that Benedict is someone who has explored his sexuality, or has violated his own strictures on the matter. There is absolutely no evidence of that, or of hypocrisy of any sort. But that does not mean that he isn’t gay. In fact, Ratzinger’s command that gay priests should actively lie about their orientation makes any public statement about this on its face lacking in credibility. But when you look at the Pope’s mental architecture (I’ve read a great deal of his writing over the last two decades) you do see that strong internal repression does make sense of his life and beliefs. At times, it seems to me, his gayness is almost wince-inducing. The prissy fastidiousness, the effeminate voice, the fixation on liturgy and ritual, and the over-the-top clothing accessories are one thing.
But what resonates with me the most is a theology that seems crafted from solitary introspection into a perfect, abstract unity of belief. It is so perfect it reflects a life of withdrawal from the world of human relationship, rather than an interaction with it. Of course, this kind of work is not inherently homosexual; but I have known so many repressed gay men who can only live without severe pain in the world if they create a perfect abstraction of what it is, and what their role is in it.
The article focuses on Ratzinger’s:
Extremely close relationship with Georg Gänswein, his personal secretary, referred to by some priests I know as Gay.org: Gänswein is remarkably handsome, a cross between George Clooney and Hugh Grant, but, in a way, more beautiful than either …
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
August 17th, 2010 at 12:44 pm
It seems there are many who’ve rejected organised religion while keeping their faith. With the global sex scandals and Ratty’s conservatism it’s no wonder RCC attendances are down, but a 50% drop in twenty years is staggering. Catholics must be viewing their institution with a new cynicism and questioning the wisdom of paying for their Old Paed’s visit.
I too think Ratty’s a repressed homosexual:
http://www.chopics.com/wp-cont.....y_pope.jpg
August 17th, 2010 at 1:03 pm
Let’s see now; 5 million catholics in the UK? 1.1 million pounds from the parishes? Seems to me to 22p per person. Pretty niggardly of those catholics I’d say. Maybe the Rattenfanger should resort to that taxing authority that I’ve heard sovereign nations possess.
“But what resonates with me the most is a theology that seems crafted from solitary introspection into a perfect, abstract unity of belief. It is so perfect it reflects a life of withdrawal from the world of human relationship, rather than an interaction with it”
But of course it has to be that way because whenever the theology bumps up against reality it falls apart so reality must never be allowed to enter into it.
August 17th, 2010 at 2:42 pm
Georg Schwanzstein…carrying..eh…stuff.
August 17th, 2010 at 2:50 pm
Let us just tackle this smear that atheists are anti every Roman Catholic. I am not and I am what usually goes under the description “militant atheist.” I happen to be on good terms with a local RC priest. I think his beliefs are incredible but he seems a decent enough man to me. He told me, a few years ago, he was part of a group of priests asking the Pope to cease banning support for Amnesty because Amnesty supported abortion for raped women.
The appearance of the shameless Ratzinger is causing vast embarrassment to his own priests. The idea that the government should be paying £900 a night per person for Ratzinger and his 11 member entourage shows contempt for the tax payers. Faced with a growing fear of cuts, the readiness to lop huge sums of welfare and other budgets, the lectures on the need for savage cut backs the willingness to pay extravagant sums to keep this bunch in luxury is just not acceptible.
Ratzinger is a destructive force: anti contraception; anti abortion; anti euthanasia, anti condoms to prevent Aids and ready to see a world population out of control continue to breed without constraint. This cruel git, probably a severly repressed homosexual himself, accompanied most of the day with his good looking and younger priestly friend, must be warned off now. What is going on that we are paying for him; how can it be; who is making these decisons? The entire operation is beyond comprehension.
August 17th, 2010 at 3:31 pm
Once upon a time the labels ‘witch’ or ‘heretic’ were all that was needed to end up at the stake. That kind of behaviour is no longer considered acceptable, but the relidiots like to stick to demonizing terms like ‘militant atheist’, probably to remind themselves of the good old days when they ruled the roost.
August 17th, 2010 at 3:55 pm
Catholic clergy cartoon:
http://www.cartoonstock.com/ne.....tref=cmon7
August 17th, 2010 at 4:11 pm
Let them think they’re demonising all they like; nothing wrong with being militant – cf militant social reformer – nothing wrong with being an activist disputant. Militant fundamentalist atheist – wear it with pride!
_____
August 17th, 2010 at 4:29 pm
“So far, it is thought just £5.1 million has been raised, the vast majority from private and corporate donors”
Is there any way to find out who the donors are, particularly the corporate? Might be an idea to name, shame and boycott.
August 17th, 2010 at 4:49 pm
Andrew
For that reason I’d like to know which telecoms firm Andrea Minichiello Williams’ husband is CEO of.
August 17th, 2010 at 4:54 pm
25 quid to go see the pope, do you get to sit on his knee and tell him what you want for christmas??
Seriously though I think I’ll keep my money for the whitechapel/job for a cowboy co headlining gig in november it’ll be much more fun, soomething christians fear.
I’d like to take part in any protests in Glasgow but those orange order wankers will be protesting too and I want to be well away from them, maybe those rational people protesting the pope could kill two birds with one stone and protest the orange order as well.
August 17th, 2010 at 5:45 pm
Something that puzzles me is how Cameron is able to allow the freepending on Ratzinger and Co. Cameron is on holiday at present. Should he do a bit of reading on what our £20 million and rising is being spent on.
I came across the brilliant Colm Toibin review by chance. When I read it, I was amazed at the quality of the writing and the analysis. After reading that, and where it leads, lashing tens of millions of pounds of taxes on Ratzinger is insupportable. Does the Cam/Clegg axis expect to bleed the rest of us, most who agree we have to cut severely, against the context of lavish spending on this destructive bigot, preaching poisonous claptrap and whose “message” is against the very core issues the Cam/Clegg government supports.
If Cam/Clegg expects sympathetic understanding for tackling the budget problems they need a reality check. Why should anyone accept what they want to cut while they are lavishing money on the very things they and we detest? Stop now!
August 17th, 2010 at 5:56 pm
Love the Catholic hate the Church and it’s hierarchy to paraphrase a statement of theirs.
I find it incomprehensible to pay millions of £ to have this vile cross dressing prada shoe wearing repressed old self hating bigoted old queen inflicting his odious views on the UK.
Feel better for typing that !!!
August 17th, 2010 at 6:11 pm
Petursey: I know what you mean. I think it is called catharsis. Reminds me of an exchange I had with a fundie bible belt Christian who described what I would suffer when I died. As I recall, this involved having my arse prodded with red hot pitchforks; hung up by my tongue by red hot pincers, and broiled in the flames of hell for eternity. Meanwhile, he had a ring side seat up in heaven. This charming senario ended by him saying something along the lines of, “I am a forgiving and kind man usually but what you have said is beyond forgiveness and I feel so much better for knowing you will get what you deserve.”
Ah yes, the religion of gentle Jesus meek and mild.
August 17th, 2010 at 8:35 pm
@ Broadsword
“For that reason I’d like to know which telecoms firm Andrea Minichiello Williams’ husband is CEO of.”
I can’t find a trace of him. I work in that industry and can’t find him here or in the US.
I’ve googled, linkedin, facebooked and tried companies house. Maybe he uses a different name.
August 17th, 2010 at 9:08 pm
@ Broadsword
“For that reason I’d like to know which telecoms firm Andrea Minichiello Williams’ husband is CEO of.â€
There’s a chap called Gareth Williams who lives in Haywards Heath with a lady called Andrea Minichiello Williams.
There’s also a CEO of Interoute called Gareth Williams. Interoute are a Telecoms company. He has 4 kids. Andrea has 4 kids.
Is this him? Does this help?
August 17th, 2010 at 9:49 pm
I hear spare tickets are ending up on e-bay. You have to settle up by using Papal.
*gets coat and leaves*
August 17th, 2010 at 10:14 pm
@Andrew
Nice work. I’ve spent more than an hour on this with nothing to show. All your pieces seem to fit, I think you’ve bagged our man.
So there we are, Interoute added to my blacklist. At least I won’t have to change my ISP.
Thanks
Here’s a profile of the CLC’s benefactor from Interoute’s website obtained using Andrew’s info:
http://www.interoute.com/about.....h-williams
Do his clients know he bankrolls religious extremists I wonder?
August 18th, 2010 at 12:08 pm
I’d like to see Herr Papst Ratslinger clapped in the Tower of London and taken to the torture chamber and be subjected to the most horrible tortures that the Holy Inquisition ever used, then burned alive at the stake.
August 18th, 2010 at 6:23 pm
Sorry Robert Tobin but such revolting sadistic behaviour patterns have not , I am happy to say, been considered acceptable for a very long time now. Perhaps you should go join the Taliban.
August 18th, 2010 at 6:54 pm
The fifteen gayest pictures of the Pope:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538.....-the-pope/