Tuesday, August 15

Oy, the Vatican...

Deliver us from evil... ...and Madonna's road show. Prosecutors in Dusseldorf are ready to monitor Madonna's show this weekend, making sure she doesn't repeat the mock crucifixion scene the Vatican denounced a few weeks ago. Apparently, it could be construed as insulting religious beliefs. The Vatican claimed it was "an act of hostility toward the Roman Catholic church." Bishop Velasio De Paolis, in an article from the Telegraph UK, said: "How this woman can take the name of the mother of Christ, I don't know. Her show represents the rotten fruit of secularism and the absurdity of evil." I think Pope Ratzo, or whatever his non-NaziYouth name is now, should worry about more pressing issues in the Roman Catholic church these days.

One of the headlines read: Vatican Scandalized By Madonna Crucifixion.

When will all of this anger be directed toward the declining rate of Catholicism in the United States, or perhaps toward the recent onslaught of pedophilic priests?
From: Patrick J. Buchanan's website:
--Priests. While the number of priests in the United States more than doubled to 58,000, between 1930 and 1965, since then that number has fallen to 45,000. By 2020, there will be only 31,000 priests left, and more than half of these priests will be over 70.

--Ordinations. In 1965, 1,575 new priests were ordained in the United States. In 2002, the number was 450. In 1965, only 1 percent of U.S. parishes were without a priest. Today, there are 3,000 priestless parishes, 15 percent of all U.S. parishes.
Seminarians. Between 1965 and 2002, the number of seminarians dropped from 49,000 to 4,700, a decline of over 90 percent. Two-thirds of the 600 seminaries that were operating in 1965 have now closed.
--Sisters. In 1965, there were 180,000 Catholic nuns. By 2002, that had fallen to 75,000 and the average age of a Catholic nun is today 68. In 1965, there were 104,000 teaching nuns. Today, there are 8,200, a decline of 94 percent since the end of Vatican II.
--Religious Orders. For religious orders in America, the end is in sight. In 1965, 3,559 young men were studying to become Jesuit priests. In 2000, the figure was 389. With the Christian Brothers, the situation is even more dire. Their number has shrunk by two-thirds, with the number of seminarians falling 99 percent. In 1965, there were 912 seminarians in the Christian Brothers. In 2000, there were only seven. The number of young men studying to become Franciscan and Redemptorist priests fell from 3,379 in 1965 to 84 in 2000.
--Catholic schools. Almost half of all Catholic high schools in the United States have closed since 1965. The student population has fallen from 700,000 to 386,000. Parochial schools suffered an even greater decline. Some 4,000 have disappeared, and the number of pupils attending has fallen below 2 million – from 4.5 million.

Fix your church first, dudes. When all that is said and done, then maybe you'll have time to publicly denounce pop icons that offend you.

8 comments:

Writer said...

So declining ordinations makes hostility towards the Catholic Church OK? Is this what you are trying to say?

denise said...

No, no, no...

I'm saying the Vatican should be focused on getting more people into their churches, rather than focusing on a woman who has spent her entire life surrounding herself with controversy.

It's an easy out, instead of concentrating on what's driving people away from mass on Sundays.

Writer said...

Mocking of the Church by an influential music artist can't be much help for the church to gain membership or retain it.

denise said...

The thing is, I really don't think Madonna is trying to help or hurt the Catholic church with her recent actions.

It did illustrate how ridiculous prominent Catholics can be when it comes to their misplaced outrage.

*see: William Donohue f the Catholic League*

Do a YouTube search for the actual performance, then tell me it's truly offensive. She's singing "Live to Tell" and screen behind her had a video counter that flashed to 12 million, the estimated number of AIDS orphans in Africa.

The anger should be towards the missing global effort to combat the disease, not the woman who chose to make the point in an offensive (to some) way.

Anyhow...yeah.

Powerslave105 said...

Isn't Madonna great? This is what the soon to be former Mrs. Federline wished she could be. Madonna has boosted her career on several occassions by making allegedly offensive displays which irk the church.
The church should concern itself with more pressing issues like allowing priests to marry and have sex(with adults). They'd be a hell of a lot less uptight.

Writer said...

The church is what it is. It's not a goddamn democracy and should not be treated as such.

denise said...

Powerslave:

I wholeheartedly agree!

Oy...Britney will never come close to Madonna's iconic status. I saw her in 2001, shortly after 9-11, in Vegas. It was her first performace in Vegas and she did not disappoint.

As for you Shaine....touchy, touchy. You're defending the Catholic church by taking the Lord's name in vain?

A bold move, indeed!

-d

Powerslave105 said...

The church is not a democracy, I agree. It has been something much worse. See the Council of Nicea and all of the Vatican's meddling since.