The Papal boat-a-cade

Wow, I have just been checking SBS TV and there is a boat full of hard core Christians kumbyaying and holding up signs saying 'The kingdom of heaven is near'. And just when you thought you could annoy a Christian and be arrested for it, what with the weekend coming up; the annoyance laws have been dropped.

SBS coverage voice over and interviewer is our very own Ray, and I don't mean of sunshine. You may remember Ray from such things as the breaking news reality TV show, Today Tonight (or the other one - as many of you will know they are bipartisan). Well, he is on SBS today verbally masturbating the wow factor of the Papal boat-a-cade. The Pope and George Pell stand with a traditionally dressed Indigenous man, which is confusing as there are very few if any, white Australians dressed in dawn of the colony clothes. Why sell Australia with traditional dress Aboriginal people, when like every other person living in this country, they live in a modern world. Come on, a bit of respect, please, these people are the custodians of our land not dress up dolls!

There are many young people on the Papal boat-a-cade dressed in traditional clothing. most of these indigenous cultures who now embrace their colonisers religion were being slaughtered and enslaved by these religions, in some cases only one hundred years ago, it seems most of Australia's early colonisers are now non-believers. We are too busy assuaging our guilt with frenzied consumerism, worshipping at the cathedrals of capitalism, Highpoint, Chadstone and Epping Plaza.

So as the CEO of a creed responsible for most of the bloodshed and corruption the world has ever seen, moves on, beatific smile and pontiff poised, Sydney will be left with a bill of $150 million price tag, which doesn't include disruptions to the normal running of the city.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge will be closed down for 12 hours on Saturday 19 July, for the pilgrims' walk from North Sydney across to Randwick to listen to Pope Benedict XVI conduct a vigil mass unfortunately it seems the pilgrims can't walk across the water, what a shame all that faith can't make that miracle arise, it would really help with congestion in Sydney.

The free visas offered to pilgrims are also free of the usual quotas, so perhaps this ambitious Catholic event will turn out like the Olympics in more ways than one. We might even see a few defections from some of the third world countries decimated and eroded by Catholicism.

Well, if it works!

Excommunication and Mary MacKillop

I've been meaning to put up some images of the christening and Grace's birthday. Hamish and I felt so honored to be asked to be the god parents, we had never been asked before; however, when we were up there I suddenly felt a little bit like a hypocrite - I'm not religious and I don't believe in God. I don't want to take the values of someone else and belittle them with my actions and I felt worried that although this day had meaning for others, all it meant to me was something special for Grace, which is of course enough; isn't it?

The Catholic Church is such a crock of rubbish, Hamish isn't even a catholic, he from the Uniting Church, in fact there was a time there in the mid 90s when I worked hard to be excommunicated, (and it looks like I would have been) a fabulous term and concept for officially being kicked out of the church - I wonder if other religions have this tool for dumping undesirables - I wonder if priests who interfere with children are excommunicated? (They aren't - they just lose their position in communion with their fellow priests etc)
(Taken from Wikipedia)
There are a few offenses that, in and of themselves, lead to automatic excommunication from the Catholic Church:
Apostasy (canon 1364),
Heresy (canon 1364),
Schism (canon 1364),
Desecration of the Eucharist (canon 1367),
Physical violence against the Pope (canon 1370),
Attempted sacramental absolution of a partner in a sin against the sixth commandment of the Decalogue ("Thou shalt not commit adultery.") (canon 1378 §1),
Ordination of a bishop without papal mandate (canon 1382),
Direct violation of the sacramental seal of confession by a confessor (canon 1388),
Procurement of a completed abortion (canon 1398), or
Being a conspiring or necessary accomplice in any of the above (canon 1329).

Wow, how many people should have been dumped as a member of the church? Wikipedia also has a list link - check it out in case you're on it!

Sinead O'Connor has been excommunicated and so has Fidel Castro, also an excommunicationee that was later rescinded was Mary MacKillop. In 1871, Mary was wrongly excommunicated by Bishop Sheil, who was against most of the changes for which she had fought. (Mary and her Josephites were also involved with an orphanage, neglected children, girls in danger, the aged poor and, in Kapunda, South Australia, a reformatory, and a home for the aged and incurably ill. Generally, the Sisters were prepared to follow farmers, railway workers and miners into the isolated outback and live as they lived. They shared the same hardships whilst educating their children.) She was censured on the grounds that she had incited the sisters to disobedience and defiance in her school. Bishop Sheil had also complained that the participants of the school sang excessively. Following her excommunication, she travelled to Rome, explained her predicament to the Pope, and was reinstated in St Ignatius Church in 1872. Despite her ordeal she never publicly blamed the church leaders for their actions. What a gal! It's a good thing she kept quiet, she may have been excommunicated again.