John L. Allen Jr. Explains It All To You

Allen has an editorial in the New York Times today: “At the Vatican, Exceptions Make the Rule”. Boiled down to essentials, Allen says the Vatican ALWAYS says one thing and means another. Allen was specifically writing about the recent document from the Vatican stating that forthwith there will be no more homosexuals accepted in seminaries. But Allen says, in general, the Vatican makes pronouncements and knows people will fall short of putting them in practice. In other words, there will be homosexual seminaries. Allen is okay with this. “Some in the Anglo-Saxon world see this as a form of hypocrisy: the church apparently issues laws while winking at disobedience. But Vatican officials view it instead as a realistic concession to fallen human nature.” And there you have it folks: This is the Roman Catholic rule-of-thumb that makes it difficult for Roman Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, in fact EVERYONE in the world to understand the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. The Rule is: When the Vatican issues an edict, the Vatican expects you to do the opposite. However when you do the opposite, the Vatican will tell you that you are going to hell for doing what the Vatican knows and expects you will do. Hypocritical? Yes. But that's putting it mildly. Making a rule, saying you'll show compassion if the rule is broken and kicking people in the ass when they break the rule is out-and-out sadism. The Vatican says no contraceptives and no abortions. But the Vatican expects people to use contraceptives and have abortions because we are all human. However, the Vatican says that if we use contraceptives and have abortions we are on the fast road to going to hell. We can keep from going to hell by not using contraceptives and not having abortions. But the Vatican knows we will use contraceptives and have abortions. So who comes out of this no-win situation smelling like roses? The Vatican. It has warned people about the wages of sin and it has shown compassion. The Vatican is pure. The Vatican does not err. The only trouble is: You can't fool God. Even when you sit on a throne in Vatican City, God is the ultimate bullshit detector. Look out, Pope Ratz. God is onto you and your red-gowned handmaids.