to be getting annoyed at people booing the pope

[yawningprincess]

i know the children abuse issues are pretty horendous but why do people have to stand there booing- its so rude! in other cultures such disrespect simply wouldn't be allowed.

I'd rather live in a country where it is allowed than in one where people would be dragged off to prison for booing and jeering authority figures.

Oh so you agree with all other cultures then, the catholic church has a lot to answer for and people have the right to demonstrate if they want to, me personally I?m sick to the teeth looking at him on Tv.

"in other cultures such disrespect simply wouldn't be allowed"

oh yes maybe we should become like other cultures, perhaps we could drag away the protestors and give them a good beating?

if i could be bothered to battle the crowds to see the pope i would boo too!

of course you're right but its just got under my skin for reasons that most likely are unreasonable

I wish I'd gone to protest to be honest. I've got nothing but hatred for a religion which told me my being bullied at school was a test from God, where harrassment of staff within their schools was actively encouraged by the parish priest, where nuns bullied and terrorized children in their school system (she took my playtimes off me for an entire year at one point - just because she didn't like me), and where they think it's acceptable to tell a 13 year old child her mother is going to hell.

The religion is despicable and the Pope is the head of the religion - I wish I'd had the guts to go and be counted against it all to be honest - and that's before they get to the child abuse cover ups and issues there.

A more mature form of protest than booing would be preferable.

He's been pretty disrespectful of large numbers of British people in what he's said - very rude of a guest.

But freedom of speech and all that, works both ways. Better than the alternative of supression of expression.

Just remember that Sharon Shoesmith was sacked by Haringey council for he departments faliure to protect children, well the pope heads an organisation that has damaged far more children thna Shoesmiths social care department AND as a cardinal he was part of the cover up.

Boo him! he should be bloody arrested

We have a healthy culture of peaceful protest in this country. Some people might not choose booing as part of it, but it's what people do, after all, at political rallies when they disagree. And religion is just a particularly controlling form of politics.

No YANBU, but I would rather live in a country where protest is allowed than not.

he invokes strong response from people.
we are lucky to live in a country that is allowed to boo him.

Thesecondcoming

No religion gets me "hot under the collar" except where it directly affects me or mine or where in the case of SOME of the catholic clergy it was used to bully, bugger and terrorise children with the collusion or at the least the blind eye of the people at the top.

As for the faux sorry from Ratzinger it makes me want to puke.

But nobody is accusing all Catholics of kiddy fiddling.

People are angry with the Pope for doing nothing about it. He is the head of a church that actively sought to hide paedophile priests and nothing much else has been done to bring justice to those children damaged by those evil people.

You can bet that the problem is an awful lot more widespread than has been reported.

Why shouldn't people be angry? Children were raped by many priests. Nothing was or has been done.

Those children are adults and are angry. Should they not be? Who else can they direct their anger against?

Indeed 2 shoes, and he forgets that the same freedom which allows his hated "secularism" to exist allows him to come here and waffle his nonsense.

It amazes me that Catholics are not more angry about their church who hid paedophiles. How can they not have an opinion of outrage about this? Do they not care about the children that were abused?

What I can never understand is why the vitims have never hunted down their abbusers and had a few "words" with them.

As for sorry one american diocese (Boston I think) is trying for bankruptcy to avoid the payouts following lawsuits.

The issues I have with the Catholic church are things I've seen and gone through during my time in their school system as a child, and for a while as a teacher within that system.

I saw a religion riddled with inconsistency, hypocrisy and some very very unpleasant people who couldn't half put on a front show of sanctity when the time called for it.

I have no issues with Islam, Sikism, Judaism, Jedi - any other religion... but I loathe the Catholic church because of all it's done to me over the years. Nothing to do with the issues of what the priests got up to or anything - just my own prolonged personal experience.

If my children had lived - I wouldn't let the Catholics anywhere near them.

OP, think you answered your own question at the start there

"i know the children abuse issues are pretty horendous"

And it ain't the only thing worth booing about.

Like thesecondcoming says, it could be seen as disrespectful not only to a guest in our country (even though not everyone has personally invited him) but unfortunately to all Catholics.

However, we have a long tradition in this country of letting authority figures know vocally exactly how we feel about them, and that is so important.

To me, it's essential to hold anyone who has power in a degree of contempt, they should never be under the illusion that they're above hearing things they perhaps wont like.

But I'm sure the Pope completely understands why people are angry and must have expected some opposition to his visit.

but, doncha all think that the pope is a bit weird? he has really odd voice. If he is the representative of god on earth, then I'm glad I'm an atheist.

The op was about booing the pope not about al catholics being tarred with the same brush which would be stupid.

No one is saying that Mrs Smith who changes the flowers in the church is a danger to anyone but the "eunoch" in the dress is another matter.

Funnys - well: catholic, flying visit to the UK, has a huge following of fans, is surrounded by an enormous entourage, comes across as pretty bloody arrogant, is highly divisive, has a range of stylish expensive dresses... Oh, no, sorry, that's Nadine from Girls Aloud :)