04/17/2008
Gay Catholic Group Gets Wave from Popemobile
The Washington Blade reports that Pope Benedict XVI waved to members of the Gay Catholic Group Dignity USA as he sped by Dupont Circle in the Popemobile on his way to the White House yesterday:
"The pope appeared to look directly at about a dozen members of the group as they stood behind a 10-foot long banner with the message, 'Dignity Washington — Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Catholics, Our Families and Friends — A community of Faith in Action.'...'I thought it was a good chance for us to be seen and he obviously saw us and waved at us, so I think we got our message across,' said Raymond Panas, president of Dignity Washington. The Dignity members remained silent as the pope’s glass-enclosed Popemobile drove past them along a section of Rock Creek Parkway that drew only a small number of spectators, allowing the Dignity contingent to stand out. 'Whether he actually saw or read our sign, we’ll never know,' said Dignity member Bob Miailovich. 'It was nice to see him, and it was all very prim and proper. He waved in our direction and that was very nice.'"
Now, if he'd flipped them the bird dove, that would have been a story.
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Gay Catholics Demonstrate in NY Ahead of Pope's Arrival [tr]
Posted 8:40 AM EST by Andy in Catholic Church, News, Pope Benedict, Washington DC | Permalink
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they should have mooned the s.o.b.
Posted by: the queen | Apr 17, 2008 8:52:43 AM
'I thought it was a good chance for us to be seen and he obviously saw us and waved at us, so I think we got our message across'... don't get your hopes up!
Posted by: virgoboy | Apr 17, 2008 8:55:32 AM
The Queen
AMEN to that
Posted by: jimmyboyo | Apr 17, 2008 9:12:41 AM
The guy is like 81 years old. You think he actually saw you and got the message.
You must be catholic because you're obviously delusional.
Posted by: realitythink | Apr 17, 2008 9:37:44 AM
Big deal "He waved" -- woohoooo....yea, Hitler waved at the populace too ..hmmmm
Posted by: Disgusted american | Apr 17, 2008 9:38:20 AM
Didn't he smile and wave when he was in the Nazi Youth while 6 million Jews and nearly 4 million Catholics were slaughtered?
Posted by: Crixi Van Cheek | Apr 17, 2008 9:40:31 AM
This is a joke, right? I mean, Madonna "appeared to look directly" at me when I went to her concert - doesn't mean she knows or cares if I exist.
How do they know he wasn't waving to one of his old Hitler Youth buddies standing behind them?
Posted by: Shane | Apr 17, 2008 9:49:14 AM
This was the man has said "homosexuals are intrinsically evil,” “homosexuality is an objective disorder,” “gay couples who adopt children are doing violence to those children,” etc,
But, since the asshole waved to them, I guess all if forgiven.
Posted by: Carmen | Apr 17, 2008 9:52:30 AM
This was the man has said "homosexuals are intrinsically evil,” “homosexuality is an objective disorder,” “gay couples who adopt children are doing violence to those children,” etc,
But, since the asshole waved to them, I guess all if forgiven.
Posted by: Carmen | Apr 17, 2008 9:52:33 AM
Hey, CRIXI, nice to have you posting again.
I looked up his bio. His family was fervently anti-Hitler. All German boys were forced to join the Hitler Youth in the thirties & early forties(even homo ones, I guess.... although, I wonder what fem queen boys did?) I don't love the so'n'so Pope, but lets not paint him as a Nazi.
Wasn't that California governor (with the double racist slur for a last name)-- wasn't he the son of a passionate Nazi? But it's not Arnold's fault what his father was.
Lord, I'm so full of forgiveness & compassion today. Maybe I'll convert to Catholicism...or atleast Voodoo--same thing.
Posted by: Derrick from Philly | Apr 17, 2008 9:52:54 AM
Sorry, Dignity, but that pompous shitball Ratzinger is so delusional and self-absorbed that he sees anyone standing near him as affirming his policies...sort of like Bush who gave him a Presidential BJ yesterday. HE DIDN'T READ YOUR BANNER AND DOESN'T CARE ABOUT YOU.
Posted by: JT | Apr 17, 2008 9:54:24 AM
Where did the "nearly 4 million Catholics slaughtered" statistic come from? I've never heard that before and I find it highly dubious unless you're counting Gypsies, intellectuals, gays and Jews who just happened to be Catholic. History shows that the Vatican was actually a junior partner in the Nazi regime.
I think history proves that the Catholic Church has been responsible for the killing of more gays AND Catholics (for not being Catholic ENOUGH) than even the Nazis. And that's not even counting the travesties carried out by the Catholic Church under the banner and cross of the Crusades.
Posted by: Zeke | Apr 17, 2008 10:10:28 AM
He's just blessing everything in sight, the little dear.
Posted by: FASTLAD | Apr 17, 2008 11:50:13 AM
Are you sure he hasn't just giving you the finger? y'know? Flippin' you the bird? Giving you a Jersey Salute?
Posted by: JerzeeMike | Apr 17, 2008 12:13:38 PM
@ realitythink, Amen to that!
@ DERRICK...Um, Bwahahahaaaa!!!
Posted by: Shabaka | Apr 17, 2008 1:34:50 PM
I absolutely HAVE TO ride in that car. It would be fun to take on a trip to Palm Springs, waving at everyone on the 10 Freeway.
Posted by: john | Apr 17, 2008 2:37:03 PM
The old queen must have seen a hot guy amongst the Dignity group. What a wretched bastard. Why do people continue to worship these fucktards? It's like masochism on their part, a need to have someone dictate their lives. Not for me thank you -- I don't need some tragic closet case in a dress telling me what is best for me and claiming some direct connection to an invented sky god. Blech.
Posted by: GM | Apr 17, 2008 3:55:49 PM
Zeke Bud, History does not show that the Catholic Church was a "junior partner" of the Nazi regime. Indeed, quite the opposite. It is because The Vatican maintained diplomatic relations with Hitler's regime that many people were saved and valuable strategic information was passed along to the Allies. The Vatican was also instrumental in persuading Swiss banks to release monies stolen from Jews to fund the Allies' war efforts. It is significant that the Chief Rabbi in Rome converted to Catholicism after the War. He worked with the diplomatic offices of The Church during the War.
All that is not to say that The Church does not deserve the criticism justifiably levelled against it for, inter alia, forced conversions throughout history and, recently in particular, for the high-level institutionalized cover-up of the pedophilia scandal. The Church, unfortunately, acted like the Mafia or a large corporation in focusing on protecting the Institution rather than on the victims. If anything, Catholics are more incensed about this on-going institutional failure than are non-Catholics and are working to redress this horrible wrong.
Moreover, The Church is absolutely wrong in its stance on marriage equality for gays and its statement on "inherent disorder". Fortunately those who think rather than simply believe whatever propaganda is espoused by The Church, realize these truths, e.g., two of the most Catholic countries, Spain and Ireland, have repudiated The Church's positions.
The overwhelming majority of American Catholics, in particular, do not take the pronouncements from The Vatican as seriously as The Holy See or as Protestants appear to. American Catholics largely agree with European Catholics that marriage, as a sacrament, should be separate from marriage as a civil right. The Church is free to deny sacraments to any it believes are non-believers but the state should set the parameters for civil marriage. Frankly, it is the Protestant Evangelicals--in agreement with the current philosophy of The Church--rather than American Catholics who refuse to distinguish between the two.
Zeke, you (and anyone else who has read this blog for any amount of time) know that I love you, which is why I am saying that you are too smart and politically sophisticated to state what you did about the Catholic Church, an opponent that is more than deserving of your enmity.
Ps. I would have written you a personal e-mail but I keep getting "bounced".
Posted by: rudy | Apr 17, 2008 4:02:42 PM
I've always thought it was ironic that they call themselves Dignity. There is nothing dignified about belonging, or wanting to belong, to a group that calls you evil.
Posted by: patrick nyc | Apr 17, 2008 6:28:14 PM
"...I think we got our message across."????? What exactly is the message...that you crave recognition from someone who hates you?
ZEKE, I spent the afternoon today at the U.S. Holocaust Museum in Washington, and I can confirm that there are photos there of Nazi's shooting Catholic priests. I too thought the Vatican/Catholic Church had been somehow complicit in the Holocaust, but apparently their role in that particular nightmare may have been overstated? If anyone has any other info, definitely let us know!
Posted by: peterparker | Apr 17, 2008 6:28:51 PM
Well, there are those infamous photos of high-ranking cardinals saluting Hitler and Mussolini. There are also pictures of Pope Pius shaking Hitler's hand. However, these are all from the 1930s (pre-Holocaust).
What happened during the Holocaust itself seems more muddled because most of those records are sealed in the bowels of the Roman Curia. What is clear is that the Pope supported the Italian fascist regime because they signed a concordat reinstating Catholicism as the state religion. By extension, the Pope probably supported Hitler because he was an ally of Mussolini.
As usual though, I think there was a huge disconnect between the Vatican and actual catholic priests in the war zone. The Vatican was very far removed from reality. They didn't know where the Jews were going, and they didn't bother to find out. I'm sure the Italian and German ambassadors to the Holy See told the Holy Father and his handlers exactly what they wanted to hear (i.e. the Jews are being safely relocated to some far off land outside of Europe).
Posted by: John | Apr 17, 2008 8:09:28 PM
A wave? Are you fucking kidding me? The crumbs that we will accept for a little self-esteem. If the pope will wave at us, what next? Maybe one day he'll let HIV positive folk wear condoms!
Posted by: Lia | Apr 17, 2008 9:41:13 PM
wow...i committed a grammatical error and one of my biggest pet peeves in my post above...i should have written "Nazis"...not "Nazi's"
Posted by: peterparker | Apr 17, 2008 10:06:53 PM
They may call him "pope" but he's most obviously the anti-christ.
Posted by: Eric | Apr 17, 2008 10:38:09 PM
Interesting, Palpatine...err, Benedict...said on the plane over that the problem wasn't homosexuality, it was pedophilia within the clergy....and by extension the seminaries. Perhaps there's a shift in the works over who suitable for ordination and vocation.
Posted by: Ted B. (Charging Rhino) | Apr 18, 2008 11:04:47 AM