All together now

Antonio Mennini (seated), Papal Nuncio to Britain

You gotta love organized religion and their truth claims.

Take the Catholics, for example.  They’ve got a pope.  And he believes he’s been specially designated by God to tell the world what to believe and how to behave.  And he holds the keys to the heavenly kingdom.  You know, the place you have to be Catholic to get into?

Then there are the Muslims.  They kind of believe the same thing – only it’s the Muslim way that is the only right way.

Ditto orthodox Jews, some of whom, like the extremists of Beit Shemesh, Israel, for example, although they don’t really care what you do if you’re not a Jew, are liable to spit on you if you’re not in tune with their demand for segregation of the sexes. 

Getting people from these three groups to work together would seem like a major challenge.

That doesn’t stop the Pope’s nuncio to Britain, one Antonio Mennini, who is now calling for Catholics, Muslims and Jews to come together to fight the good fight.

Bravo, Antonio.

And what is the good fight, pray?

Do you want to

• persuade Europeans and Americans to get involved in countries like Eritrea, Somalia, Congo, where most people’s only hope for survival is to flee?
• persuade governments where female genital mutilation is routine to stop the practice?
• encourage democracy and remove all impediments to voting, world-wide?
• double, triple efforts to feed the poor?
• get the homeless off the streets?
• stop slavery and trafficking in women and children?
• stop the recruitment of child soldiers?
• provide clean water in places where people now have to choose between drinking polluted water or dying of dehydration?
• provide greater protection for refugees world wide?
• increase consciousness about the environment, hypocrisy in government, gender inequality, racial prejudice, bullying, lack of access to medicine, child molestation?

None of the above, you say?  What is it then, that is to bring you folks all together?

To put pressure on the British government to give up its efforts to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples?

Oh, OK.

That wouldn’t be my top priority, but if it will make the world a better place…

What a twit you are.