Recently in Spain, a nation that was dominated by Catholicism under
the right-wing fascist dictator Franco, nonbelievers - who objected to
the government paying for a visit by Pope Benedict XVI - were beaten by police.
Indeed, this is nothing new.
Protestors commonly, including in the
U.S., see their right to protest violated by police.
The pope might not
be a bad guy but the Catholic Church shouldn't be treated as the head of
a visiting democracy, but instead for what it is: just a church.
All
democracies should revoke nation -tate status to the Vatican, because
that favors one particular religion over non-religion.
Also, the Vatican
becoming a nation-state was the product of a deal between the Catholic
Church and then Italian dictator, Mussolini.
Now, obviously protestors should not be denied a right to protest.
Indeed, a pro-Catholic organization named Hazte Oir or (Make Yourself
Heard) advocated that the police ban a protest march against the pope.
Ah, the religious right, no matter the nation-state, tries to reimpose
blasphemy laws to enforce prohibitions on dissent against religion.
A kiss-in protest along the pope's motorcade route, which would have
featured gay couples kissing and embracing, was broken up by the police.
The police would rather deny their fellow citizens' rights than ruffle
the sensibilities of an anti-gay pontiff?
100 protestors were removed
from a route where the pope had thousands of supporters?
This seems like
a visit by President Bush, whose Secret Service commonly moved
protestors several states away, or so it seems, from his motorcade
routes.
All too often those who are religious, especially on the right-wing,
believe that religious beliefs deserve greater respect than
non-religious beliefs.
No, they don't.
Especially when they impact the
lives of others.
The Vatican's anti-gay positions, along with its anti-birth control
policy (especially in places such as Africa), have consequences on the
lives of others.
If the Catholic Church does not want same-sex weddings
held in their churches, fine.
Good for them.
But to deny those who are
gay and lesbian from having equality in their own nations?
That shows the threat of theocracy in the West is by no means finished.