Pope Francis has compared the EU to a dictatorship in its attempt to impose ‘woke’ rules on language.
The pope, 84, said the bloc risked falling apart if it became a vehicle for “ideological colonisation” as he left Greece following a four-day trip.
Brussels last week withdrew a 32-page guide on inclusive language that advised staff to say “human-induced” instead of “man-made” and to avoid reference to Christmas during the holiday season.
Facing an outcry, Helena Dalli, the European Commissioner for Equality, said the guidebook “clearly needed more work”.
Trying to ban such Christian terms amounted to “a fad, watered-down secularism,” Francis said. “It is something that throughout history has not worked.”
“In history, many dictatorships have tried to do these things. I’m thinking of Napoleon, the Nazi dictatorship, the Communist one.”
The pope said that while he believed the EU was “necessary”, it should not try to erase the different identities of countries within the bloc.
“The European Union…must be careful not to take the path of ideological colonisation. This could end up dividing countries and causing the EU to fail.”
Francis, who was speaking on board the papal plane taking him back to Rome, said mandarins in Brussels “must respect…the variety of countries and not want to make them uniform. I don’t think it will do that…but be careful, because sometimes they come and throw projects like this one out there.”
The pope has earned a reputation for speaking his mind during these on-board press conferences with journalists who accompany him on his apostolic visits.
On his way back from Brazil in 2013 he famously said “Who am I to judge?” when asked about the role of homosexuals in the Catholic Church.
The Vatican was critical of the European Commission document when it emerged last week.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who as Secretary of State is the Vatican’s de facto prime minister, condemned any attempt to cancel “our roots, the Christian dimension of our Europe, especially with regard to Christian festivals.
“We know that Europe owes its existence and its identity to many influences, but we certainly cannot forget that one of the main influences, if not the main one, was Christianity itself,” the cardinal said.
Based
There’s no attempt to ban Christmas.
There’s just acknowledgement that the holidays practiced by the european instutitions towards the end of the year are civil, laic holidays and not religious ones.
In France we’ve been doing this for decades. If the Pope isn’t happy with it, we’ll be happy to remind him, once again, that the Church has no business telling states to enforce religious policies. Our people are free to practice their religious, privately, or within reasonable boundaries in public. That should suffice for the Pope.
We’re still aware that most of us meet their families for Christmas. We aren’t erasing that. Maybe the Pope should ask himself what’s so very christian about that Christmas that is all about buying and consuming instead, and how he can let megacorporations use christian imagery to sell sodas and burgers. If you have to fight Francis, maybe you should fight for christian values and not just christian words.
OK – not that interested in what the Daily Torygraph has to say – it used to be a really good NEWSpaper, now it is just a right-wing propagand sheet. But does anyone know what the Pope actually said.
Because as far as I am aware there is no problem with Christmas and the countries of the EU – I’m just back from drinking Gluhwein at a Christmas Market in Cologne. Even in France where the state and religion are seperated constitutionally, Christmas is celebrated and the state does not interfere with that. (Does it?)
So what is all the fuss about? Oh yes, a Daily Torygraph fictional piece to bash the EU. Now, I understand.
Since when has the Vatican an issue with dictatorships?
oh no! war on christmas again >:o
Make the Papacy European again!
If god exist then he could stop de virus before Christmas to let us celebrate Christmas like the pop wants. If not…..
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Article text
Pope Francis has compared the EU to a dictatorship in its attempt to impose ‘woke’ rules on language.
The pope, 84, said the bloc risked falling apart if it became a vehicle for “ideological colonisation” as he left Greece following a four-day trip.
Brussels last week withdrew a 32-page guide on inclusive language that advised staff to say “human-induced” instead of “man-made” and to avoid reference to Christmas during the holiday season.
Facing an outcry, Helena Dalli, the European Commissioner for Equality, said the guidebook “clearly needed more work”.
Trying to ban such Christian terms amounted to “a fad, watered-down secularism,” Francis said. “It is something that throughout history has not worked.”
“In history, many dictatorships have tried to do these things. I’m thinking of Napoleon, the Nazi dictatorship, the Communist one.”
The pope said that while he believed the EU was “necessary”, it should not try to erase the different identities of countries within the bloc.
“The European Union…must be careful not to take the path of ideological colonisation. This could end up dividing countries and causing the EU to fail.”
Francis, who was speaking on board the papal plane taking him back to Rome, said mandarins in Brussels “must respect…the variety of countries and not want to make them uniform. I don’t think it will do that…but be careful, because sometimes they come and throw projects like this one out there.”
The pope has earned a reputation for speaking his mind during these on-board press conferences with journalists who accompany him on his apostolic visits.
On his way back from Brazil in 2013 he famously said “Who am I to judge?” when asked about the role of homosexuals in the Catholic Church.
The Vatican was critical of the European Commission document when it emerged last week.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who as Secretary of State is the Vatican’s de facto prime minister, condemned any attempt to cancel “our roots, the Christian dimension of our Europe, especially with regard to Christian festivals.
“We know that Europe owes its existence and its identity to many influences, but we certainly cannot forget that one of the main influences, if not the main one, was Christianity itself,” the cardinal said.
Based
There’s no attempt to ban Christmas.
There’s just acknowledgement that the holidays practiced by the european instutitions towards the end of the year are civil, laic holidays and not religious ones.
In France we’ve been doing this for decades. If the Pope isn’t happy with it, we’ll be happy to remind him, once again, that the Church has no business telling states to enforce religious policies. Our people are free to practice their religious, privately, or within reasonable boundaries in public. That should suffice for the Pope.
We’re still aware that most of us meet their families for Christmas. We aren’t erasing that. Maybe the Pope should ask himself what’s so very christian about that Christmas that is all about buying and consuming instead, and how he can let megacorporations use christian imagery to sell sodas and burgers. If you have to fight Francis, maybe you should fight for christian values and not just christian words.
OK – not that interested in what the Daily Torygraph has to say – it used to be a really good NEWSpaper, now it is just a right-wing propagand sheet. But does anyone know what the Pope actually said.
Because as far as I am aware there is no problem with Christmas and the countries of the EU – I’m just back from drinking Gluhwein at a Christmas Market in Cologne. Even in France where the state and religion are seperated constitutionally, Christmas is celebrated and the state does not interfere with that. (Does it?)
So what is all the fuss about? Oh yes, a Daily Torygraph fictional piece to bash the EU. Now, I understand.
Since when has the Vatican an issue with dictatorships?
oh no! war on christmas again >:o
Make the Papacy European again!
If god exist then he could stop de virus before Christmas to let us celebrate Christmas like the pop wants. If not…..
Get lost, Pope.
TIL the Grinch is a dictator
Isn’t he technically a literal dictator?