--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "feste37" <feste37@...> wrote: > > It's a disgusting picture and the Vatican is right to sue. > Benetton has no message of "unhate" at all; it is just > trying to get attention for itself so it can sell more > of its stuff.
Well, duh. It's an ad campaign. I thought it was a witty one. For the record, as to the current Pope's sexual identity, I have no clue. The vibe *I* get off of him is "repressed homosexual, probably not active." Always have, since I saw my first photos of him. I found that sentiment echoed among many gay friends in Paris and in Sitges; all of them spoke of him as "one of us." As to having respect for him, that is a different matter. I know too much about him. I find him fascinating, but I don't respect him terribly much. In speaking of Pope Benedict XVI, born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, you have to bear in mind that his job, pre-Pope, was as leader of the Inquisition. Seriously. He was the Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (the modern name of the historical Inquisition) from 1981 to 2005. He has also been IMO a horrific influence on the Catholic Church, moving it many steps backwards in the direction of its, and civilization's, dark ages. Although I am not Catholic, there was a time when I was hanging out with a number of priests. They were scholars, and we had a common interest in the Medieval period. When the former Pope died, all agreed long before the conclave of Cardinals met that he would be the next Pope, because in their words, "No one would dare to vote against him. They know what would happen to them if they did." These priests said that Ratzinger was openly referred to as "the J. Edgar Hoover of the Catholic Church," referring to his use of, and consistent abuse of, power. Having seen the trailers for the new Clint Eastwood movie, this parallel may be deeper than they knew. Strangely like Hoover's many-year close relationship with his protege Clyde Tolson, Ratzinger has had a 15-year relationship with Monsignor Georg Gänswein (called "Bel Giorgio" or "Beautiful George" within the Church for his good looks). He became Ratzinger's private secretary when he was head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (the Inquisition), and is now private secretary to the Pope. His fashion sense is such that Versace based a line of clothing on it. You can't make this stuff up: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1768381/posts <ttp://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1768381/posts>
