SMOKE is smoke! Regardless of the color. As a past volunteer fireman I can attest to that. When you find yourself in it you know it and will never forget it. Smoke immediately tears up your eyes, they begin to burn, your throat clenches, your nose tries to stop taking in air. You feel dizzy, disoriented, you feel sick, panicked, you want to runaway. You want to flee. Well, that is exactly how I felt watching the debacle of the, "chimney watch" at the Sistine chapel. Every time the smoke began to billow from the chimney I wanted to throw-up. It is hard to believe that in this day in age, countless thousands would gather in Vatican Square, the talking heads (media) would descend (4500 accredited members) and countless millions would be glued to their TV's to watch a chimney. Its not so much the chimney that made me sick, it was the spectacle of it all. All of that to watch an organization with a horrid past, countless questionable acts throughout history; a sickening record of pedophilia, combined with the blatant attempts to silence the critics and cover up their atrocities. All of it to watch them elect their next Leader.
Yes my friends the Catholic church is back (well they never went away) from its slow decent into the abyss that is today's modern society. It gathered its fearless leaders for the "conclave" in an orgy of gold & red which surpassed the last gay pride parade in New York city. It is back to try and reposition itself amongst its followers, to become a beacon of hope, direction and goodness. Have you stopped laughing yet? Hang on. What does the brain trust that is the Catholic church decide to do after it orchestrates the departure of Benedict? What does it decide to do to rejuvenate itself, increase its followers, grow its base, re-invent itself? Wait for it........it elects a 76 year old Pope who the day after his election calls for the churches followers to return to their pilgrim roots. HUH? WHAT? Someone get an interpreter we might have heard that wrong. WOOPPSSS...no he said that in English. Seriously? Pilgrim Roots? In the age of man where you can't even get your kids to talk to each other when they are sitting right across from each other (Dad, texting is much easier then talking). In an age when if you do use a phone your chances of talking to a live living breathing person is less likely then you meeting an Alien. In a time where if you are seen reading an actual book with a cover and paper pages your considered very, very old.....this guy wants to take the church and its followers back to its Pilgrim Roots.
Seventy Six years old Jorge Mario Bergolio ( Pope Francis) is gonna have them 20, 30 and 40 somethings just rushing back to the church wearing their pilgrim hats and clothes...ready to go on a witch hunt. I can see it now. Those 20,30 and 40 somethings flooding out of buses and Subway stations, pulling up in their smart cars....running up the stairs of the grand old churches to follow the new King of the pilgrims. I am having visions of Lord of the Rings. All hail the King! For God sakes seriously? What is it with this organization? Are they that delusional that they cannot see? Do they really believe the Simpson are real and that Bart never ages. That Hilary Clinton didn't know Bill was a womanizing hound dog? That the Kardasians really have talent? Judging by the decisions they make and the way they run their institution those answer would be yes. These guys (yes they still feel in the 21st century that the input of women is NOT required) live so much in isolation of reality that they have become nothing more then a cult. Their numbers are dwindling every where except in African countries which is holding up its numbers and where it spends incredible amounts of time cultivating its demented message to people who don"t even know what the Internet is. That shows you their strategy and their ideology. They have lost the, "knowing" so go to a place in the world where their are many who still are not enlightened. Pilgrim thing starting to sound right?
What bothers me the most however is the sickening track record of this organization when it comes to child abuse and pedophilia. If this organization was any other it would have long since been dismantled, disgraced and its primary leaders thrown into jail. It has subverted investigations, attempted to buy silence, disavowed its responsibility and protected the guilty. Any other organization would have been ripped down by society and its parts scattered to the four corners of the planet. Yet here we are in the 21st century, gathered in front of the TV, Smart phone or Internet, staring at a chimney. We should be ashamed of ourselves, the 1.5 billion followers should be ashamed of themselves. To follow this organization and to continue to promote its existence is a slight to God ( if there is a God). I make no grips with the idea that if someone wants to follow some religion (whichever that might be) then they are certainly free too. In a time where i believe spirituality is a must and that each individual should strive to find more of it, i am sickened by the idea that 1.5 billion people can be so lost.
Maybe it makes sense then that the Catholic Church should elect a Pope who calls for the return to its Pilgrim roots. It is clear based on its followers fascination with a chimney and smoke and what they are willing to accept from this organization that they might just in fact be as enlightened as the Pilgrims were.
Rob
