Wow...Leahy lays into the Pope in response to Benedicts recent remarks...

[SaveElmer]

That Pro-Choice politicians should be excommunicated...

“I’ve always thought also that those bishops and archbishops who for decades hid pederasts and are now being protected by the Vatican should be indicted,” said Catholic Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), who spoke to reporters last week.

Alot more good stuff in the article...Dems responding forcefully

House Dems repudiate Pope’s abortion remarks
By Jonathan E. Kaplan
May 15, 2007
A group of House Democrats yesterday publicly repudiated the Pope’s recent suggestion that politicians who support abortion rights should be excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church.

Eighteen House Democrats, led by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), are responding to Pope Benedict XVI’s statement that indicated he would support Mexican bishops if they were to excommunicate Mexican legislators who voted last month to legalize abortion in Mexico City.

The Pope made his remarks last Wednesday during a news conference aboard a plane before he was to begin a five-day visit to Brazil.

“We are concerned with the Pope’s recent statement warning Catholic elected officials that they risk excommunication and would not receive communion for their pro-choice views,” the lawmakers said in a statement issued yesterday. “Advancing respect for life and for the dignity of every human being is, as our church has taught us, our own life’s mission.”

The Democratic lawmakers said that the suggested penalty “offends the very nature of the American experiment and does a great disservice to the centuries of good work the church has done.”

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/house-dems-repudiate-popes-abortion-remarks-2007-05-14.html

[Greeby]

1. On SNAP

:applause:

[Selatius]

2. It seems Pope Benedict pissed off people across the Americas

From Native Americans in Brazil to Democrats here in Washington.

[Tellurian]

15. Kudos to Leahy for speaking up-

[durrrty libby]

3. Church leaders are completely ignorant to the needs of their

parishioners. Jackasses all

[AtomicKitten]

4. The Pope in Prada -- He should stick to shoe-shopping with Condie

[DemBones DemBones]

5. Manufacturers DONATE shoes to the pope and to the poor.

"Shoe City", gets 15,001 pairs

Sat Apr 21, 3:18 PM ET
VIGEVANO, Italy (Reuters) - Pope Benedict got 15,001 pairs of shoes on Saturday.

During a visit to this northern city known as Italy's shoe capital, a local consortium gave one pair for himself and 15,000 more pairs for the needy around the world.

The Pope was given red loafers designed and manufactured by the Moreschi firm and made from kangaroo hide.

Those destined for the poor include boots and other types of footwear. Local industrialists are due to send them directly to charities chosen by the Vatican.

Pope Benedict last year made headlines in the fashion media after reports that some of his shoes were designed and donated by top Italian fashion houses such as Prada but the Vatican has never confirmed this.

The Pope's footwear, usually red or burgundy, is called the "shoes of the fisherman" since popes are the successors of St Peter the Apostle, who was a fisherman.

Shoe manufacturing is a vital part of Vigevano's economy. It boasts a shoe museum illustrating the centuries of shoe making in the area, which began in small shops in the 16th century and grew to industrial scale in the 19th century.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/oukoe_uk_pope_shoes

[AtomicKitten]

6. wow - I didn't know that.

Thanks for the info. :)

I retract my snark.

[Ian David]

10. Can we invent a giant missile that drops thousands of shoes on The Vatican? n/t

[terisan]

11. He should donate the ones given to him to the poor.Papal finery is a disgrace.

I grew up in the Catholic Church and continue to be offended by the arrogance of male power.

[firefox_fan]

14. Those bastards kill puppy seals to make shoes for the Pope!

Hmmm...

[firefox_fan]

7. All they need to do is threaten to end the tax-exempt status

of catholic churches. If they try mixing religion and politics.

[Ian David]

12. The Vatican is a rogue nation resorting to extortion to influence Americas political process.

Some of those pro-choice politicians actually believe that the ugly old man in a dress actually speaks for an invisible man in the sky that will actually torment them in a very real Hell for eternity with just a word from the ugly old man.

To them, Pope Ratso's threat is a very real form of extortion and blackmail, as silly as it may seem to rational people.

Therefore, Der Popenfuhrer is using terroristic threats to interfere with the electoral process of America.

Pope Ratso, as sovereign of The Vatican, has turned that country into a Rogue Nation and a Terrorist Organization.

Forget ending The Catholic "Church" tax-exempt status.

Revoke their corporate charter and freeze their assets as a terrorist organization.

Personally, I would stop short of suggesting that we declare Catholics to be Enemy Combatants, because Der Chimpenfuhrer and his band of Triumphalism death-cult Evangelicals might actually decide to DO that.

[firefox_fan]

13. Yes, Vatican should be part of the Axis of Evil!

[hvn_nbr_2]

8. All the popes who didn't exonerate Galileo should be excommunicated posthumously. nt

[patrice]

9. Thank Goodness!!

Why, why, why????????????????????????????? doesn't the pope call for the excommunication of supporters of un-Just Wars of Choice???

[Hekate]

16. That's really gutsy of them -- and SO needed! Kudos to the Dems. nt