In Reply To:
First of all, I have no position on Pope John Paul II. Really. So what's your motivation, as an atheist, in posting criticism of him in what's essentially a matter internal to the Catholic Church? Just couldn't stand to hear so many positive statements about a religious leader this week?
Citing Piux X as a canonized saint is funny. As if sainthood is any indication of righteousness. lol! While I understand that
you don't believe in saints, Ken, Catholics do, and if there's a better indication of righteousness than sainthood, I don't know what it is. One would think a good Catholic like Cahill might be a little less quick to characterize a canonized saint as a tyrant.
A quick perusal of the Web shows that Piux X appears to have created a network of informers whose task it was to root out those in the clergy who didn't adhere to his set of guidelines (look up "Lamentabili", which is a list of positions which he utterly rejects). Take my word for it that I don't have to google St. Pius X- I'm already familiar with the Syllabus of Errors. I only wish more Catholics were.
Anyway, what's your problem with that? He took steps to keep Catholic clergy from spreading what the Church considers heresy? Oh, horror! That was his
job, Ken.
He apparently couldn't deal with the fact that the scientific method was better able to answer questions about the real world than was the Catholic Church No, Ken, he "apparently" didn't believe that science can provide us with any religious truth, and he was right about that.
What's my motivation? Balance.
So do you believe Pius XII should be canonized? John Paul II believed it. By your definition, he was as righteous as can be. Furthermore, any saint can't be criticised because, well, he/she's a saint.
Even John Paul II had reconciled science and religion (to some degree). Pius X dismissed all science that contradicted the inerrant Word of God expressed in Scripture.
(Nit: isn't "canonized saint" redundant?)
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"Go yell at an M&M"