The head of the most powerful antiwoman group in the world was voted person of the year.

[efhmc]

I am supposed to be overjoyed about this because HE exposes many of the same ideas that I and many other liberals and Christ himself put forth proclaiming the concepts of acceptance of all people, helping the poor, distributing wealth, helping those who are in need and loving all without any regard for who they are or where they come from. These concepts are not gender specific. The Catholic church continues to view women as subhuman and less than any person with a penis. Male who are have been corrupt and immoral are now and have been priests, something a woman, no matter how pure and incorrupt her morals and values are, can never be. For anyone who believes in the worth of all people this is wrong.

[Luminous Animal]

1. And he was declared "Person of the Year" for merely saying words.

Until those words result in action, then... meh.

[seabeyond]

2. i called it... nt

[LuvLoogie]

3. Yeah, you and Jesus Christ...

...

[efhmc]

25. What?

[cherokeeprogressive]

4. He wasn't "voted" person of the year in any objective fashion, by anyone who matters.

Did YOU vote? Did I vote? Do you know anyone who "voted"?

Meaningless.

[efhmc]

23. While it may be meaningless to you and me, it still has power to put

him and his church forth as a force for the oppressed people of the world. Unfortunately, that world does now or has ever included women.

[Vashta Nerada]

5. Just one idea.

He's anti-capitalist. That's it.

Not only are his views on women stuck in the 15th century, so are his views on gays and access to contraception.

[efhmc]

24. As are the church he and millions of Catholics represents.

[KT2000]

6. in 1979

the Ayatollah Khomeini was named Person of the Year by Time. I don't think it is an honor but the fact that the person had the most effect on US/world affairs - good or bad.

[NuclearDem]

12. Bingo! PotY isn't necessarily an endorsement.

[Warren DeMontague]

7. Don't blame me

I voted for Miley!

[TorchTheWitch]

8. Time's person of the year has never been strictly "good" people

Hitler was once person of the year and so were many other horrible people. The vote goes to whoever it is that's been promenantly in the media at the time, good, bad or somewhere in between.

[Demo_Chris]

9. Anti-woman, anti-gay, and pro-child rape, but he's a hero to many people here. nt

[jberryhill]

10. 1. It wasn't based on a vote 2. It is not an award

Pope Francis joins:

Adolf Hitler

Joseph Stalin - twice

Nikita Khrushchev

Ayatollah Khomeini

Vladimir Putin

The "Person of the Year" title, formerly "Man of the Year" is not some sort of honorific. It is an editorial board decision of the most influential newsmaker - for good or ill - that year.

More recently, they have been running meaningless "votes" on the internet, primarily for the purpose of generating interest in that issue of the magazine. The online "vote" is not determinative of who gets selected.

[cali]

11. sorry, I like this choice- and I'm a woman and a feminist

I think Pope Francis is more of a power for good in this world than ill- by a long shot.

[greytdemocrat]

13. Here,here!!! nt

[cali]

14. I think the hate directed toward the Pope that is regularly seen here

is quite interesting- and I use the word hate because that emotion stands out in some posts.


This is a Pope who is clearly more of a force for good than ill and has moved toward making social injustice and greed priorities over such issues as birth control, women's rights and homosexuality.

It's fucking stupid to expect that the RCC will suddenly shed positions they've held for ages. Change is a process.

[Cleita]

15. I'm taken aback by the anti-Catholicism thrown out here.

Catholicism is no more sexist or patriarchal than any of the other Abrahamic religions, and especially the southern evangelical ones, yet the hatred displayed here is almost as bad as the hatred of RWingers against Muslims since Fox News ginned up that hate after 9/11.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

22. That's simply not true.

Catholicism *is* more sexist and patriarchal than many other Abrahamic religions, including most but by no means all other forms of Christianity.

Methodism: all roles open to women.
Anglicanism: women can be priests; recently narrowly failed to let women be bishops but everyone agrees it will happen soon.
Catholicism: no possibility whatsoever of women's ordination any time in the forseeable future.

And that's reflected in their teachings about roles of women in society, too.

[dsc]

26. yes there are other Abrahamic religious which are worse

but Catholicism is way more anti woman than all the mainline Protestant religions and both reform and conservative Judaism. Of the ones I listed on Catholicism has an outright ban on women ministers (priests), oppose abortion in virtually all circumstances, oppose divorce even in cases of physical abuse, and lobby publically for laws that enforce the position on abortion and birth control.

[efhmc]

19. I do not hate any other humans. I do hate doctrines that discriminate against women.

2000 years is enough time to wait for change.

[MNBrewer]

41. I hated Pope Ratzinger, but am so far somewhat pleased with Pope Bergoglio

for not being a nasty asshole like his two predecessors.

That's a low bar, however.

[Beacool]

31. I was about to post something similar.

I'm a woman and I consider myself a feminist, but like this Pope a lot.

[polichick]

16. Corrupt authoritarian institutions are all the rage these days!

[Cleita]

17. Apparently, you and Rush Limbaugh are in agreement on this. n/t

[Proles]

18. In fact, Osama Bin Ladin was supposed to be Person of the Year in

2001, as he was the biggest news maker, but was replaced by Giuliani out of fear of controversy.

[KittyWampus]

20. who exactly is expecting you to be "overjoyed"?

[efhmc]

21. From Groundswell:

"Pope Francis won TIME person of the year!1

This is huge: There's a modern-day prophet preaching about equality, justice, and love. And the world is listening."
While I agree with the words Issac Luria of Groundswell used here, I have major problems with the pope and the antiwoman Catholic Church he heads. The people of the world gravitate to anyone who promises or espouses relief from the evils of the world, but the concept of women as equals always seems to be lost in the joy of MEN gaining justice.

[11 Bravo]

27. Reince Priebus?

[efhmc]

30. Could you please explain this?

I goggled who he is but am wondering how he fits into this conversation. Would you please elucidate? Thanks.

[11 Bravo]

34. He's the head of the RNC. Republicans have proven themselves to be decidedly anti-woman.

I didn't think that it was a particulary esoteric reference.

[efhmc]

37. Thanks, slow brain day

You are right, the repugs make the Catholic Church seem pro-feminist.

[treestar]

28. sometimes you just have to see the glass as half full

I don't see anyone getting anywhere dwelling on the fact the most conservative institution on the planet lags behind. It may lag behind, but it does modernize. The economic stuff is a BFD. Women are affected by economics too.

[efhmc]

29. I wonder why it is still so powerful. The RCC women that I know all believe in birth control

and many believe in the right of women to chose abortion. Yet they are still tied to this church, I do not understand it. If they are not able/reluctant to speak up for their rights, how is this institution ever going to change?

[treestar]

32. It's so huge.

And many people don't believe the official line. That's why it could change over time. It doesn't even have to be dramatic.

The celebrate priesthood is bound to have to change, as they have no one willing to go into the seminary now, or so few that there are parishes with no pastor. That's bound to lead to change.

And women in the Church still live in the USA and still have all freedoms without the Catholic Church being able to do much to interfere. They can no longer be so difficult about things like divorce, for example, or they would shrink in membership.

It's a very conservative institution with little political power and can change from inside. No drama needed. Plus there are those who are vocal about it. And they might get louder seeing Francis is not a hard ass.

[hunter]

33. Every other person in our community is Catholic.

Our family is.

Sure, people don't always attend Mass. (Bad Hunter. My wife had a rough week at work so she's sleeping in today. And now here I am posting on DU.) But the Church is deeply integrated into my community, predominantly Mexican and old California Catholic, but Irish Catholic, Filipino Catholic, etc., etc... Catholicism is woven into the fabric of this place, there's no way to remove those threads out without destroying the cloth.

I imagine it's the same in places, where say, most everyone is Southern Baptist, or places where most everyone is Mormon.

The interesting thing about being Catholic is you can attend Mass nearly anywhere you travel. And then you notice the Church isn't monolithic. Liberal parishes have liberal Priests, conservative parishes have conservative Priests.

Women have a very active roll in our Parish. They're just not Priests.

I fiercely opposed Proposition 8 here in California, as did quite a few other members of our community. I wrote a strongly worded letter to our Bishop and got a personal reply. I'm not sure people outside the Church Community got anything more than a form letter. I've not been kicked out of church yet, and I've not been shunned.

Essentially I have the same relationship with the Church as I do with the government. With the Church I have some control over where my money goes. With the government I can't withhold the taxes I owe just because I don't want to pay for another predator drone or aircraft carrier.

[efhmc]

38. So we should shut up, be happy and wait another 100 years or so?

[treestar]

39. For the Catholic Church, why not?

The rest of society has leaped ahead. No one has to be Catholic.

[bhikkhu]

35. The most powerful anti-woman group in the world needs a reformer

and this pope seems to be one. I think its more a vote of hope than anything else, similar to Obama's peace prize. He has the capacity to do a great deal, and I'm not even remotely religious, but I hope that he follows through on his good beginnings.

[Comrade Grumpy]

36. Feel better now?

[Brickbat]

40. It's a ploy to sell magazines. Don't believe the hype.