There are quite a few glaringly obvious reason why certain individuals are angered by Church Teaching and so despise the Pope for preaching the Gospel, but for me, the most interesting one of Professor Steve Jones, the geneticist, leading luminary in the Galton Institute (formerly the Eugenics Society) who, thanks to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, now has access to large quantities of human embryoes to run tests on them at the University College London (UCL) and God alone knows what else! If you read this article from 2004, it makes it quite clear just how into eugenics and just how into creating a vision of a 'new eugenics' which somehow loses its Nazi roots Professor Steve Jones is. It's almost, er, in his DNA, so to speak. Here is the letter he and other rich atheists have signed...
We, the undersigned, share the view that Pope Ratzinger should not be given the honour of a state visit to this country. We believe that the pope, as a citizen of Europe and the leader of a religion with many adherents in the UK, is of course free to enter and tour our country.
However, as well as a religious leader, the pope is a head of state, and the state and organisation of which he is head has been responsible for:
Opposing the distribution of condoms and so increasing large families in poor countries and the spread of Aids.
Promoting segregated education.
Denying abortion to even the most vulnerable women.
Opposing equal rights for lesbians, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
Failing to address the many cases of abuse of children within its own organisation.
The state of which the pope is head has also resisted signing many major human rights treaties and has formed its own treaties ("concordats") with many states which negatively affect the human rights of citizens of those states. In any case, we reject the masquerading of the Holy See as a state and the pope as a head of state as merely a convenient fiction to amplify the international influence of the Vatican.
They even got his name wrong! Anyway, here is a letter, which you can sign, and we can send to The Guardian ahead of the Pope's visit telling readers why we welcome the Holy Father to the UK...
We, the undersigned, welcome His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI to the UK as both Head of State of the Holy See and as leader of the World's one billion Catholics and to the Catholic community of the United Kingdom. We believe that his presence in our country comes at an urgent and pressing time, highlighting the trends in our country that serve only to denigrate human rights and human dignity. We support him wholeheartedly because in guarding the Deposit of Faith he:
Opposes the destruction of human life in the womb and values human life from conception to natural death.
Opposes the trend towards refashioning the institution of Marriage, thereby denigrating its inherent stability, rooted in the natural order, as being between one man and one woman.
Opposes the trend in the UK towards testing on human embryoes, experimenting upon them and stripping the unborn of dignity, under a hitherto illusory and deceitful justification that this form of experimentation will yield medical benefits for mankind.
Has worked tirelessly to change the culture of the Catholic Church to take very seriously allegations or incidences of child abuse. He has, in his Church career, made the scourge of child abuse an issue which should be brought to the attention of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, to be investigated and acted upon effectively, setting up child protection procedures and policies which now make the Catholic Church the safest place for a child to be. He has offered his time, his prayers and has met personally victims of child abuse and has made statements of the Church's penitence regarding crimes committed by clergy against the child, promoted reconciliation and healing of the victims.
Promotes a vision of humanity which advocates a culture of life, stability, marriage, lifelong fidelity and love in which children are welcomed, rather than destroyed, in which human beings are open to new life, opposing vigorously a culture that treats the possibility of new life with contempt.
Upholds the innate, God-given dignity of all human beings regardless of their sexual orientation or social background and upholds the rights and dignity of society's most vulnerable, the poor, the starving, the outcasts, prisoners, the mentally ill and distressed, the disabled, elderly, sick and all those who are so often disregarded by the rest of society. We thank him for encouraging the Faithful regularly to serve those who are on the margins of society and in whom Christ is served.
Proclaims the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the forgiveness of sins, Christ Crucified. His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI proclaims that because of Christ's Life, Death and Resurrection, men and women can be reconciled to their Creator and hope for Heaven within His Church..
There are so many reasons for welcoming the Holy Father to this country, but the two letters signify the clash of cultures caused by the Church - the Sign of Contradiction to the World.
Sign in the comments box if you would like and I'll send it off.
Do we require towns where we live for these letters? Didn't look like it for Fry, Jones and Rayner! Anyway, here's the list so far. Keep 'em coming! More signatories than the letter for Fry and Co already!
Daniel Mallon, Mossend, Bellshill, Scotland
Katherine Rickards, Horsham
Dr Justin Wong (Institute of Public Health, University of Cambridge)
Mary Blyth
Antonia Robinson
Richard Yates, Worsley, Manchester
Mac McLernon, Blackfen, Kent
Rev Fr Patrick Brennan
Fr. Stephen D. Brown, University of Bradford
Seth Phipps
Fr Raymond Blake, St Mary Magdalen Church, Brighton
Natasa Wilkie
Laurence England, Brighton
Michael Nicholson
Paul Waddington
Damian Ryan
Ros Pearson
Dominic Heaney
Patti Fordyce
Elizabeth McLernon, Brighton
Oscar Pinnington
Lucy Pinnington
Dr. Timothy Stanley, Leverhulme Fellow, Royal Holloway College, University of London.
Pauline Gately
Mike Forbester, York
Anthony Dickinson
Mr. & Mrs. David Bradley
Annie Mackie-Savage
Jeff Mackie-Savage
Leo Darroch, International Federation Una Voce
Terry Martin, Horsham
Fr Nigel Griffin, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
Guy Nevard
Annalisa Panelli Hamilton
Maureen Dawson
Benedict Kobus
Dr Anthony Dykes, University of Manchester
Claire McMillan, Aberdeen
Professor David Paton (Chair of Economics, Nottingham University)
Dr. Isobel Camp
Delia Gaze
Daniel Gribbon
J Hickey
Paddy Stanford
Jim Roche
Kevin O'Brien
Robin Farrow
Brian Crowe, Stronsay, Orkney
Margaret Crowe,Stronsay, Orkney
Clare Griffiths
Carol Ann McKechnie
Michael McKechnie
Emma Rose McKechnie
Callum McKechnie
Ryan McKechnie
Dominic Newman
Father John Boyce
Sandy Morris
Sue Sims
Ray Doherty
Major D Wilson
Michael Carchrie Campbell
Liz Masebo
Patrick Carberry, London
Clare Carberry, London
Liz Masebo
Helen Parry
Marguerita Carroll
Dr Brian Sudlow, University of Reading
Karla Mayers
Erica Mayers
Kevin Burgess
Fr. Mark Naughton
Nick Holland
Celia Longley
David Jones, London
Edward Thompson
Marysia Dembinski
Judith Benson
George Horvath, Brighton
Dianne Brennan, Brighon
Michael Armes, Brighton
Best we get this in to The Guardian before the end of the working day. Well done for signing!
It is now...SENT!
I wonder if they'll print it? I mean, we know they're a liberal paper, into freedom of speech and opinion and the like, so ideologically at least, I can't see any reason why they'd omit this letter. We've got more signatories than Stephen Fry, after all...
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