One final call to give Ratzinger something to remember.

With only a few days to go before the start of the papal visit I thought that I would make a last post on the reason why I for one will be joining the protest. Personally I will be motivated not by a particular aversion to Ratzinger himself, loathsome character that he may be, but to popes in general and the whole ethos and morality of the Catholic Church. Roman Catholicism has done it's best to preserve the worst aspects of Judao-Christian feelings of sexual guilt and fear of female sexuality and is perhaps only surpassed by some strands of Islam in this respect. There has been a lot of quite justified outrage at the shocking levels of child sex abuse in the church but we should not forget the truly heart wrenching amount of physical cruelty that has been inflicted on children in catholic schools and orphanages and the terrible damage that has been the result. Ratzinger presides over a rigidly hierarchical and authoritarian organization that has tended throughout history to be an enthusiastic ally of the forces of reaction. The Vatican is a tin-pot pseudo state set up by it's champion Mussolline and as head of this so called state Ratzinger is being afforded a full state visit at a cost to the taxpayer of over 12 million quid.
It should go without saying that this is not an attack on individual Catholics. I won't claim that some of my best friends are Catholic (though some are ex-Catholic) but of course I have met very many nice folk who were believers in Christianity, Islam. Buddhism, Crystal Therapy and have even met quite decent members of the Tory Party; that is really not the point. I will be protesting against everything that Ratzinger represents. I intent turning out for his visit to Twickenham as well as to the big demo on Saturday and I hope we can give him the reception that he deserves.