Vatican can dish it out, can't take it

Oh, the poor, poor pope. He gets reamed after putting his foot in his mouth over condom use, but we can't make fun of him.

Just to remind everyone:

Speaking to reporters on his way to Cameroon's capital, Yaounde, the Pope said HIV/Aids was "a tragedy that cannot be overcome by money alone, that cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which can even increase the problem".

The solution lies in a "spiritual and human awakening" and "friendship for those who suffer", the AFP news agency quotes him as saying."

Of course, everyone with a brain in their heads shot him down as being up to and including an evil quack, but the Vatican, typically, is not backing down:

"We will not accept the Pope being made the object of mockery and offense, in the media or elsewhere," said Angelo Bagnasco, the country's top bishop, citing the "controversy about condoms".

"He represents for everyone a moral authority, which this journey has made people appreciate even more," Bagnasco said."

Fuck you very much, you phony bullshit holy man. The pope said something stupid, irresponsible, and demonstrably untrue. And unlike spouting some nonsense about whether or not the communion wafer is really the literal body of Christ, or the Immaculate Conception, this is an issue that can cost real humans their health and their lives. There is zero excuse for saying that condom use leads to HIV infection.

And for those of you who think you can defend the pope, fuck you, too. It's not like he flubbed saying the inconsistent use of condoms leads to HIV infection (which is true). He's saying that spirituality and other bullshit nonsense is preferable to proven scientific means of disease prevention.

For the billion and 20th time, the Vatican and its latest corpse-in-waiting are trying to say that all we have to do to prevent sexually transmitted disease is to avoid sex. Period. In other words, just suppress 400 million years of vertebral evolution, our basic primate nature, and the natural and healthy outlet of what can be a beautiful and intimate expression of affection and love, and it'll work just like all the other times in the past.

Sure, no problems there. Just look at your own priesthood. Or for that matter, call up a study on teenage pregnancy rates or teenage STD infection rates. I'm sure that the Catholics are at a big, fat zero for all of recorded history.

Or better yet, don't. Just retract your statement, say you're sorry, and then SHUT UP.

Forever.

Moral authority, my ass.

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Via Skepchick.