My response to the announcement of the Pope's resignation[1] was not optimistic. But then I saw a post[2] showing that they might be nominating the first Black Pope[3].
He's responded to the problems the Vatican faces.
Pope Benedict's eight-year papacy saw controversies over paedophile priests, a tense relationship with the Muslim world, and the conviction of his butler for stealing documents that revealed corruption at the top of the Vatican."[We need] to relevantly address issues and the credibility of our own ministry and leadership," said Cardinal Turkson. "The Church, if you adopt the imagery of a boat, is going through quite a bit of a storm and it does not appear to be over yet," he said."In Europe, churches are getting empty, the population appears not to relate much to the Church and to religion and all of that –that is an issue to deal with. In the new churches, Latin America, Africa and Asia, where the Church appears to be growing there is also the challenge of being able to maintain membership. Whoever succeeds Benedict will not lack challenges and they are an invitation to creativity and innovation."
He's addressed anti-gay bills in Africa[4], like, Uganda's controversial "Kill the gays" bill, . .
Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, said some of the sanctions imposed on homosexuals in Africa are an “exaggeration,” but argued that the “intensity of the reaction is probably commensurate with tradition.”Referring to the issue of stigma surrounding homosexuality in Africa, the cardinal said it is important to understand the reasons behind it. “Just as there’s a sense of a call for rights, there’s also a call to respect culture, of all kinds of people,” he said. “So, if it’s being stigmatized, in fairness, it’s probably right to find out why it is being stigmatized.”Moreover, the cardinal called for a distinction to be made between moral issues and human rights.“We [the Church] push for the rights of prisoners, the rights of others; and the last thing we want to do is infringe upon the rights of anyone. But when you’re talking about what’s called ‘an alternative lifestyle,’ are those human rights?” the cardinal said. “He [Ban ki-moon] needs to recognize there’s a subtle distinction between morality and human rights, and that’s what needs to be clarified.”
. . by suggesting that making being gay a crime punishable by death isn't a violation of human rights.
So what if a man they're considering for Pope thinks the problems the Catholic Church faces are the declining membership, not the epidemic of pedophiles in their priesthood; and it's a possibility the next Pope doesn't think it's a human right to not be killed for being gay. But at least he's not another white guy. Progress for the Vatican is a tricky thing.
Maybe the Pope after next will be someone who's not a hateful piece of shit. Or maybe at least sometime before the 22nd Century.
1. Same Shit, New Pope
2. Found on Hammer the Gods
3. Cardinal Peter Turkson, Possible Pope Successor, Has Defended Legislation Like Uganda's 'Kill The Gays' Bill
4. Cardinal Responds to U.N.'s Criticism of Africa's Social Policies
