The headlines are all over the British Media: Atheist Richard Dawkins backs campaign to arrest Pope.
Leading atheist Richard Dawkins has backed a campaign to have the Pope arrested for "crimes against humanity" when he visits the UK later this year.So... Okay. Am I the only one a little fuzzy on the logistics of this? Besides that, creating a media circus like this lacks a certain decorum that I expect from educated authors and intellectuals. I'm not defending the pope - and I totally agree that he should be held legally accountable for his part in the cover-up. I just think that there could have been more tactful ways of approaching this. This is just being perceived as an "attack" on Catholicism, or a cheap grab to get Atheists in the headlines. Sure, speak about it - even hire the lawyers. Support an international investigation. Encourage religious people to examine and police their own leaders. But just throwing the idea out there that atheists are going to form a lynch mob and march into the Vatican to put the pope in handcuffs is not good for our PR campaign.
Professor Dawkins said he "whole-heartedly" backed the initiative led by atheist Christopher Hitchens.
UK human rights lawyers are preparing a case to charge Pope Benedict XVI over his alleged cover-up of sexual abuse in the Catholic church.
S.A.M.
I don't think they plan on handcuffing Benedict himself, but rather they plan on prosecuting him.
ReplyDeleteI understand that won't happen in reality, but, unfortunately I think that is the image that comes to mind. Over the past day since I've posted, pretty much every non-atheist person I know who both follows the news and knows I'm an atheist has shot me a message along the lines of, "You guys are plotting to throw the pope in jail???" (sigh)
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