Up with hope...down with the pope

Unless you are out of touch with the world and/or a complete moron you have definitely heard about his Holiness, Pope Benedicto's visit to the good old US of A, and I for one could care less.

It's not the extensive TV and news coverage that aggravates me. It's not his decision to perform mass at Yankees stadium (although Fenway Park would have clearly been better for obvious reasons). It's not his prior involvement as a young man in the Hitler Youth Movement, and it's not how he lives in an absolutely magnificent insulated city enjoying grandness and luxury like that of kings, while countless human beings suffer from malnutrition and improper medical attention all over the world. Rather, I am absolutely disgusted by Pope Benedicto's decision to exclude Boston from the itinerary on his US Tour. I know what you're thinking..."Avi...enough. Give it up. Boston is not the end-all-be-all of the world." And while you are incorrect in saying that and a big fuck you for thinking it....that is not the reason at all. Boston has one of the countries largest concentration of practicing catholics in the US, but more importantly it is the city involved in one of the most infamous and outrageous scandals.

As the church scandal slowly and steadily unravelled, more and more innocent adults revealed the blasphemous acts committed by Catholic Priests. Sexual molestation, rape, guilt, and years of psychological struggles have traumatized the lives of innocent boys who are now men, and have received nothing but insincere and hollow apologies from the very religion that promises peace and preaches fear.

This would have been the perfect opportunity, as if they haven't had enough of them already, for the Pope himself to issue a direct statement to the men and families who have been forever scarred. Catholics should be outraged by the blatant hypocrisy demonstrated by Benedicto and his cronies. A fault of humans, which may also be deemed a strength, is our ability to forgive, but even more miraculous than that is our absolute DESIRE to forgive.
I think an apology is long over due. No more running away. No more writing checks of pity. How about a good old fashioned..."Hey I'm sorry...we fucked up. Give us another shot." But alas, this is the Catholic Church we are talking about. They clearly have better things to do...like telling people who they can and cannot marry and of course when you can and cannot have a baby.

Times have changed...people have changed...BUT still one thing remains constant...The Catholic Church.

NOTE: Don't confuse this little shpeel as a direct attack on any ones religion. I am just real disappointed with how the Church has ignored so many people that have been completely screwed up from such horrible things. I happen to be Jewish, but I do not and would never say that one is wrong and one is right. I just think faith is important...whatever you choose it to be. Being from Boston and reading the recent articles written about how wonderful the Pope is was the catalyst for this entry. The Pope had a 3-0 pitch right over the plate here...and missed big time...I guess that's because he's a Yankee's fan!