Pope says 'builders of walls' sow fear and divide

[firstfloor]

Pope says 'builders of walls' sow fear and divide

Of course, he says this from the safety of his own fortress surrounded by walls, and protected by his very own army(ies).

Because he is Chief of the Christians I think we should all give the Pope plenty of respect while keeping an eye out for any extreme opinions or tendencies. In this case he is correct about the devisiveness of walls. This is the era of removing walls and boundaries, physical, legal and otherwise. You are my brother; this is the goal, to be able to say that about anybody.

[Cow Poke]

Because he is Chief of the Christians

No, he's not. Therefore, the rest of your post is bunk.

[Charles]

It is worth listening to the pope in this context because he makes some very important points. No need to miss those points by focusing on his person.

[seer]

Because he is Chief of the Christians I think we should all give the Pope plenty of respect while keeping an eye out for any extreme opinions or tendencies. In this case he is correct about the devisiveness of walls. This is the era of removing walls and boundaries, physical, legal and otherwise. You are my brother; this is the goal, to be able to say that about anybody.

You know what they say, good fences make good neighbors... And the Pope is not my Chief...

[Cow Poke]

It is worth listening to the pope in this context because he makes some very important points. No need to miss those points by focusing on his person.

No need to pay attention to his points based on the goofus notion that he's "Chief of Christians". He has just as many armpits as the vast majority of the other humans on the planet.

[Charles]

No need to pay attention to his points based on the goofus notion that he's "Chief of Christians". He has just as many armpits as the vast majority of the other humans on the planet.

Again, all I said was he makes important points in this context. You seemingly want to continue focusing on something else.

[Cow Poke]

Again, all I said was he makes important points in this context. You seemingly want to continue focusing on something else.

The Pope was brought up because of the nonsense notion that he's "Chief of Christians". That is the context in which the Pope's opinions were brought forth. He is not a subject matter expert on the US in general, or national security in particular.

And try to pay attention - the TOPIC of the thread is PIZZA!

[Charles]

The Pope was brought up because of the nonsense notion that he's "Chief of Christians". That is the context in which the Pope's opinions were brought forth. He is not a subject matter expert on the US in general, or national security in particular.

And try to pay attention - the TOPIC of the thread is PIZZA!

That was not the context in which I brought up his opinions. My point was that whether he is chief of Christians or not, whether he is to some extend a hypocrite or not, does nothing to undermine the fact that some of his points in this context are important. And yet again you found an excuse to talk about something else...

[firstfloor]

No, he's not. Therefore, the rest of your post is bunk.

[mossrose]

And how, pray tell, is this going to be accomplished?

[carpedm9587]

To be mildly fair, the construction of vatican city is umm not very new. And this pope doesn't exactly ride in closed vehicles as opposed to previous popes.

Yeah - I was going to note:

• the pope didn't build the walls - he inherited them.
• all of the Vatican architecture is now considered to be historically, architecturally, and archaeologically significant. Tearing them down is roughly the equivalent of suggesting we should take down the "Great Wall of China."
• as far as I know, the gates to Vatican City are open pretty much all the time, and pilgrims to this independent country are welcomed and encouraged
• the walls do not exist to keep out impoverished and desperate asylum seekers (and yes, I know the southern wall is also intended to stop more nefarious entrants - but the data does not support the claim that it would have a significant impact on these entrants, for various reasons).

This is not an apples to oranges comparison.

[firstfloor]

And how, pray tell, is this going to be accomplished?

Lutherans and Catholics have already addressed the issue to some limited extent. Eventually, a crisis will come that makes the current divisions seem trivial by comparison, and then they will be forgotten.

[mossrose]

Lutherans and Catholics have already addressed the issue to some limited extent. Eventually, a crisis will come that makes the current divisions seem trivial by comparison, and then they will be forgotten.

You have a very limited view of the division between Catholics and non-Catholics. There are irreconcilable differences that those immersed in the truth of God's word will never accept.

[carpedm9587]

You know what they say, good fences make good neighbors... And the Pope is not my Chief...

I have to admit this made me chuckle a bit. Frost was an honorary Vermonter - having spent the last 24 years of his life in our state (though he was born in California). He actually spent the majority of his life somewhere in New England, and taught in several New England colleges. His poem, "Mending Fences," which is the source of the emphasized line above, was actually a polemic against building walls. His refrain was ironic in nature, placed in the mouth of a neighbor whose philosophy he questioned.

You can read the entire poem here.

[carpedm9587]

You have a very limited view of the division between Catholics and non-Catholics. There are irreconcilable differences that those immersed in the truth of God's word will never accept.

A marvelous example of what I expressed to Seer multiple times - given that much (most? all?) of Catholic teaching is claimed to be likewise rooted in "the truth of god's word." It appears that most Christian sects think they have "the truth of god's word" correctly interpreted, and others are irreconcilably "separate." Sometimes, they aren't even acknowledged as "Christian."