Where did I put that shamrock?
Well, except for certain sectors thereof.
You don’t get it, do you? The church has always said that there’s nothing wrong with being gay, so long as you don’t perform gay acts. It’s exactly like there is nothing wrong with being a homophobic, bigoted prick unless you perform homophobic, bigoted prick acts. Consider Rick “Latin for Asshole” Santorum as a prime example of this in action.
It’s great, isn’t it? It’s like having it be okay for you to be Jewish, as long as you don’t pray.
In point of fact, the church has not always said this.
Come on! When I’m 84 and inches from death, make fun of me! Make fun of me on this message board! Be funny. Be crude. If I have the mental capacity to read it, it would comfort me in my dying throes. A little bit of laughter in the waning hour at my expense. And if there is a Heaven (or Hell) and I reach either one, hopefully they have the internet. Then I could log on to SDMB (dead people allowed?) and have a hearty chuckle.
However, I am not the spiritual leader of anyone. Except maybe my rats, but they wouldn’t even know it.
Don’t you have to perform gay acts at some point to maintain your gayness? If not gay acts, what, then, defines being gay? Speech? Watching eccentric T.V. programs? Fashion? What?
“Last rites” is a misnomer. It is actually called “the blessing of the sick,” and it is “for the health of body and soul.”
A friend of my family used to be the parish priest in a mountain valley, one of those places which have 200 ppl in the winter (average age 80) and 10000 ppl in the summer (because all the kids come to visit and bring their kids). He had some “repeat customers” who would get last rites regularly, every time the doctor said “he won’t survive the night”. The record holder stood at 57 times in 12 years and was still alive when Father Mateo left (I saw him in the newspaper recently, he’s now the oldest man in this province). The doctor said he didn’t know why the heck did he bother treat that guy, the one thing that worked for him was holy water and a black frock.
Sometimes I do wonder when is enough enough, but since John Paul II thinks the measures he’s getting are ok, and since it’s his life, and since he’s still aware enough to decide - it’s his choice. Only because I think it wouldn’t be mine, that doesn’t mean I (or the college of bishops) can impose any ideas on him. Not that he’d let us, he’s a right stubborn one.
Being attracted to people of your same sex. And the “perform gay acts” means fucking people of your same sex, cheesy one.
I haven’t had sex for quite a while but that doesn’t make me any less straight 
<hijack> A question: Is it true that, in order to see if he’s really dead, the pope must be hit on the head with a little silver hammer? </hijack>
Arg. I know. My poor humor has caught up to me.
According to this Wikipedia Talk page, the practice was abolished relatively recently.
So, oral sex is OK?
Then the Church should have no problem ordaining celibate openly gay priests, right? Oh wait, it does.
Besides, I would say actively opposing equal rights for gay people is in fact performing homophobic, bigoted prick acts, which would make the undead man in the white dress to be a homophobic, bigoted prick.
(Who has, at the same time, done countless good for humanity, which balances him out in my book.)
Sigh. Oh well, I guess if you have to barge into a thread to hijack it into a whine about gay rights, it might as well be a thread predicated on mocking a dying octogenarian. :rolleyes:
Classy. Real classy. (IANAC, for those who need to know.)
Entirely fair game after the following assertion was made:
This should not be beyond challenge, yes?
Challenge away. But I’ve seen cogent, compelling, intelligently and passionately argued posts on the subject of gay rights, and then I’ve seen whines, and I know into which camp I lump matt_mcl’s it’s-all-about-me interjection.
I believe the reason why they no longer do this is because they no longer have any bishops by the name of “Maxwell.”
You know, like the Beatles’ song?
I grew up Catholic. I haven’t been one for almost 20 years. Heck, I’m not even really a Christain. But to bicker about what he stood for at this point is ridiculous. The man is dying and will likely be dead in 24 hours. I respect him. At times I thought he should “retire” but if he is truly the conduit to Jesus for millions of Catholics, then I guess he should persist. He went through hell to keep functioning as the head of the Church.
Yes, his views on gays, birth control etc anger me but that’s what Catholic’s believe and even if he thought differently, I doubt he’d be the one to change it. I think he was fairly progressive: statements about Jews and the Nazi’s. He was pro democracy.
He is dying–millions of Catholics will morn soon and you know what, so will I. He was a good man with some misguided thoughts, but he deserves some respect.
Comparing him to Yassar Arafat is inflammatory and you should shut the fuck up.
Oh sure, no problem there. Zombies, ghosts, dragons, cyborgs and all manner of mythical creatures are allowed. We just don’t like trolls 
*
- Note: Not accusing anyone in this thread of being a troll. I simply took the idea of a dead person posting (or lurking, which is actually a little creepy when you think about it. I mean, what if there are dead people lurking right now? That would be sort of scary, wouldn’t it?) and ran with it.