AT a staggering cost of around €50-million (£43-m) Spain is about to play host to Pope Ratzinger later this month – and even religious groups have expressed opposition to this latest World Youth Day junket.
Ostensibly, the cost of the visit will be borne by corporate sponsorship, but according to this report donors will be able to recoup 80 percent of their donations from the Government, which means that, indirectly, taxpayers will fork out for the event, scheduled to take place between August 16 and 21.
A detail from the Christian Network's booklet published in opposition to Ratzinger's visit
Secular and religious groups opposed to the visit point out that Spain -where the jobless rate among the country’s generally well-educated young people has reached almost 45 percent, a record in any industrialised country – can ill-afford to splash out this sort of cash on a self-serving exercise designed to boost the Vatican’s standing.
In a document published online Christian Network.Net, grass-roots Christians are questioning an outlay for:
The consolidation of the privileges of the Catholic Church in a secular State like ours.
And it wonders if:
It would be better to invest this money in social work.
Meanwhile, it is reported here that the impending visit may have led to the eviction of demonstrators – the Indignants – from a square in Madrid. Thousands of the Indignants have been protesting against unemployment and corruption, and many believe that police action to clear the plaza was taken to cleanse Madrid of “troublemakers” ahead of Ratzinger’s trip.
Chants of “Fewer crucifixes, more stable work” were heard this week.
But the authorities have flatly denied that clean-up has anything to do with the Pope.
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
August 4th, 2011 at 10:30 am
Maybe the sponsors should claim their money back from the church instead.
August 4th, 2011 at 10:40 am
Is it just me, but how in the name of all that’s sane do you actually ‘sponsor’ a papal visit? Will his wholly untrustworthiness be wearing patches on his golden robes with Nike swooshes on, or the Bet365 logo? Or maybe it’ll be for Vodaphone. Or McDonald’s. Perhaps the ‘popemobile’ will have a fuck-off big Honda logo emblazoned right down the side.
Anybody got any more appropriate ideas? Maybe we could send them through to the vatican.
August 4th, 2011 at 10:47 am
Durex
August 4th, 2011 at 10:58 am
The only way the Spanish government should sponsor any of this jolly is if the phone number for Childline (or its Spanish equivalent) is prominently displayed on the side of the Popemobile, the marquee and any other vehicle or standpoint where Ratsarse is likely to be pictured.
August 4th, 2011 at 11:43 am
His hollowness really loves travelling the world and getting hard pressed taxpayers to fund the promotion of his superstitious bullshit. Thankfully we Brits are above all that.
August 4th, 2011 at 1:34 pm
Ratzinger is addicted to flattery, to huge crowds massaging his vast ego and to supine governments allowing him to strut his vainglorious stuff without fear of arrest. His lust to be the centre of attention, dressed in his designer fashioned robes and his Gucci accoutrements, are the bread of life for him.
The plight of those amongst those whom he rides in splendour are of no consequence to him. Why should they be? He is the star and they are the supporting act. Their job is to fawn, to admire and to plead for access to his presence. And he wants the suffering of the victims of his priests, abused children and poor women acting as brood mares at the behest of him and his priests, kept out of his sight.
Nor does he give a damn about who will pay for this obscene carnival. As in the UK there will be enough liars, political sycophants and manipulated media to let him pretend that there is some reality behind his game. Ratzinger needs this, lusts for the attention, and the addiction shows no sign of reducing.
August 4th, 2011 at 1:44 pm
Corporate sponsors? I’m not quite sure just how many big firms want to be associated with a bunch of nonces these days. Still, if none stump up, I’m sure the government will pay, as we have done here because there is no sign of our share of the cost coming forward.
August 4th, 2011 at 2:59 pm
He should repay the full cost to each country he has visited.
August 4th, 2011 at 3:48 pm
Not only is it disgusting that the Spanish government has invited this evil bastard into the country, but to invite him to something with “youth” in the title is beyond belief.
August 4th, 2011 at 4:06 pm
@ David Anderson – Agreed. It’s like some kind of sick joke.
August 4th, 2011 at 4:55 pm
David Anderson/JohnMWhite: Absolutely. This was my first reaction. How could any country put this man in a position to preach at the youth of the country. And make others in the country, regardless of their wishes, pay for his trip.
Not that the UK is on strong ground on that one. Has he paid his £6 million to us yet. As an atheist and UK taxpayer I think we should insist that he meets that debt.
August 4th, 2011 at 5:29 pm
Of course, Broga is quite right to say that Ratzinger is addicted to flattery but then aren’t all popes? Aren’t they all overly concerned with covering themselves in ostentatious garments and surrounding themselves with fawning sycophants?
Although Ratzinger was in fact quoted on the 2008 World Youth Day as saying that the the event should not be seen as a sort of rock festival with the pope as the star…“Thus the pope is not the star around whom everything turns…he is totally and solely the vicar.â€
So, perhaps he plans to leave his Gucci wardrobe back in Rome and adopt a more modest and self-effacing style?
You know, to keep the cost down and to “reach out to the poor” like the chap he claims to vicariously represent.
August 4th, 2011 at 8:15 pm
David Anderson/JohnMWhite/Broga
Beggars belief, doesn’t it. But that has been the RCC’s modus operandi throughout the abuse scandal: act like it never happened, concede or admit as little as possible, do the absolute minimum to address the problem or compensate the victims, and stick with the winning formula of indoctrinating the young by terrifying them with lies and fantasies as soon as is humanly possible. (And why not, it’s ensured the church has successfully maintained its role as Thought Police and pocket-picker to the masses (pardon the pun) for over two millennia.)
August 4th, 2011 at 8:39 pm
The Catholic Church’s m.o. also included trying to put the responsibility on someone else. Remember Cardinal Bertone?
http://articles.nydailynews.co.....lity-abuse
They are completely without shame.
August 4th, 2011 at 9:19 pm
We can’t blame the RCC, it’s rhe fools in Spain’s government who invited Ratzi, as the head of a parasitic organisation that feeds on the gullible. In spite of all the economic woes there’s money aplenty to pay for this PR-trip. And within a few months’ time, the EU will be asked to bail Spain out. But what a party they will have had.
August 4th, 2011 at 10:52 pm
Martin Hatter
In a word, disgraceful.
August 5th, 2011 at 8:49 am
Was this commented upon here? I lose track these days, I’m afraid!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/new.....-year.html
August 5th, 2011 at 10:13 am
I live about two minutes walk from Peurta del Sol, the central plaza in Madrid which has been semi-occupied by “los Indignados” for several months. The authorities were originally given a certain degree of credit for not moving the police in to clear the square, despite having the legal right to do so when the protests coincided with the regional elections. I am sure the major motivation for the protests remains the financial and employment state of the country, but I doubt that his hole-iness’s visit is helping matters at all.
Anyway, about a week ago we heard what sounded like a barrage of gunfire (almost certainly part of an entertainment display in another nearby plaza) and I made a joke to my girlfriend about the police finally cracking down. The news coverage of last night’s activity in Sol and the surrounding area rather blunts the edge of my “humour” though:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=St0mJAhLk60
August 5th, 2011 at 11:04 am
This was in the news this morning:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14415073
August 5th, 2011 at 12:21 pm
The UK government and UK Local Councils spent large sums of money protecting Ratzinger, sucking up to him and providing him and his entourage with luxury accomodation. The money on police could not, course, be spent elsewhere and regardless of your views this money came out of income and council tax. Add to that the fawning propaganda from the ever faithful BBC.
I suspect much the same may happen in Spain. There will be plenty of broken heads so that Ratzinger can pretend to be welcome and to have something of worth to say.
I think the Vatican still owes the UK taxpayer £6 million. Our politicians show little interest in retrieving this.
August 5th, 2011 at 2:01 pm
£6 million is quite the underestimate from what I’ve read. My understanding is that more than £20 million was spent on the embarassment that was Ratzinger’s visit.
What we got for our tax money was an attack on equality legislation and a statement comparing us to… the Nazis!
Pay us back Ratzinger.
August 5th, 2011 at 2:31 pm
Gordon. I absolutely agree. I think the £6 million was what Ratzinger and Co said they would pay. They seem to have ignored that. Our politicians would be quick enough to chase you are I if we didn’t pay our bills. Why should the Vatican bunch be excused. They should be sued.
August 5th, 2011 at 2:36 pm
Broga
Weren’t Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins thinking of making a citizen’s arrest of his uselessness when he was over here? Maybe they could be persuaded to go to Vatican City and arrest him there for failure to pay his debts.
August 5th, 2011 at 2:45 pm
AgentCormac: Sounds a good idea. They were slagged off enough when Richard Dawkins commented on Ratzinger’s tin pot State and the fact that his diplomatic immunity came from the fascist Mussolini who wanted to do a favour to the then Nazi supporting Pope.
August 5th, 2011 at 3:46 pm
We should find out who those corporate sponsors are and complain to them. Who are they? KY jelly would be my first guess.
August 5th, 2011 at 4:06 pm
That’s a bit generous of you, Uzza, suggesting that the priests would bother with lubrication before buggering boys.
August 5th, 2011 at 5:09 pm
Now I´m pissed off. I´ve just looked at the list of companies and organizations that are supporting this crap. It will be difficult in some cases to avoid using them but I intend to do my best. I´ve already written to my bank, BBVA, to complain. I don´t suppose it will do much good but I´ve got it off my chest. What annoys me most though, is that although I don´t usually do lotteries, I always buy a ticket from the ONCE (that´s Spanish for eleven) charity that helps people with seeing problems, among other things. Now I find that they are supporters of this shite.
August 5th, 2011 at 8:24 pm
Why is it that the atheist and freethought community seem to be the only people who see the Catholic Church for what it really is? There are Protestant denominations that love to denounce the Pope as the Antichrist and the spawn of Satan and other stuff that no sane person takes seriously. Presumably these people cannot focus too tightly upon the real sins of the RCC without drawing attention to some sins of their own. Actually, as I have started to think about what the Muslims might say about the whole thing I have answered my own question.
August 7th, 2011 at 4:53 pm
Broga & David Anderson, I couldn’t agree more. However wealthy the Catholic Church is, it always seems to be taxpayers and private companies forking out for these sort of events and I wonder how many of the customers of companies sponsoring World Youth Day feel about how the Catholic Church has been spending some of its money:
http://news.smh.com.au/breakin.....1ih9i.html
It’s sickening, isn’t it? But the RCC just sees it as a million pound hole in its coffers that needs to be filled and they don’t care where the money comes from.
August 8th, 2011 at 2:10 pm
Surely theres enough money in the kitty to represent and give a little help to such a huge international event- after all the Spanish Govt still supports the arts and various sporting enterprises. But hey, not every tax payer frequents the art galleries of Madrid. Ni mucho menos!
Catholicism is for better and sometimes for worse in the very life blood of Spain and Spanish culture and to claim its all super harmful is simply unfair and untrue.
There will always be a wide spectrum of ways to be under the Catholic (=universal) umbrella. Just as there are so many ways to be a humanist and an atheist: some positive, some negative.
Incidentally do you guys ever get a hand out from the tax payer for any thing you are involved in? I’m intersted to know: I’m not trying to be smart…
Sincere regards and keep up the repectful debate!
August 9th, 2011 at 7:40 pm
First, World Youth Day is a (usually) tri-annual event that occurs at different locations all over the globe, and was started by Pope John Paul II. Pope Benedict is continuing this tradition; he’s not a guest to some Spanish event.
Second, it’s not costing the Spanish taxpayers ANYTHING. See below.
http://www.madrid11.com/images.....11_ing.pdf
So before the Spanish secularists get their knickers in a twist, they should consider the benefits of having over a million youths come into their country and pay for things like hotels, food, and souvenirs.
August 10th, 2011 at 6:35 pm
Bigoted atheists are simply jealous that one million young people will turn up. What a boost to the Spanish economy! How many could Dickhead Dawkins attract? What is more, their behaviour will be exemplary. Where else would one million young people congregate, without rioting, drunkenness, hooliganism, stabbings, debauchery? As for the suggestion that Hitchens arrest the Pope, I’m afraid that, a year or so ago, when he announced his intention to do just, he got cancer a few days later, so he is in no position to. The UK Government should lobby to have this event held here next time. Britain’s tourist industry need it very badly after the disastrous publicity its feral youth have brought on the country this week. What a contrast with the young people going to Spain. No wonder its driving the atheists nuts.
August 12th, 2011 at 10:07 pm
God bless the church.
God bless the pope
God bless us all.
August 26th, 2011 at 1:21 pm
Bah! It’s great encouragement for the youth. And, what do countries spend on The Olympics?!! Sports events can cost as much or more, but that’s ok.