Pope Francis Condemns Legalization of Marijuana

[LiberalElite]

Source: NBC

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis came out strongly against the legalization of recreational drugs on Friday. The pontiff told members of a drug enforcement conference meeting in Rome that even limited attempts to legalize recreational drugs "are not only highly questionable from a legislative standpoint, but they fail to produce the desired effects."




Read more: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/pope-francis-condemns-legalization-marijuana-n136436

---

EDIT: I knew it couldn't last. In some ways he's a breath of fresh air compared with the previous two, but.... back to reality. This is the RC Church I left years ago.

[Cooley Hurd]

1. He had me...

...aaaaand he lost me.

[yeoman6987]

53. Just because he doesn't want people smoking a doobie?

Big deal. It is one thing out of ten lately that is disagreeable and not even that big a deal. He doesn't speak for the United States government anyway.

[Cooley Hurd]

88. Lost me on this topic...

...not overall.

[yeoman6987]

105. Thank you

I went overboard. I am sorry!

[OLDMADAM]

114. Oh damn, I thought he was going to encourge smoking Dope.. /s

Why would any clear thinking individual, think the Pontiff of Roman Catholic Church, would say anything else.. Well, I guess I answered my own question..

[eShirl]

2. Get thee under the bus.

[Demit]

3. What does 'highly questionable from a legislative standpoint' even mean?

Thanks, nbcnews. Really informative news item.

[freebrew]

62. Well, the price has certainly spiked...nt.

[Bohemianwriter]

96. He means this:

The Church is competent to make "informed" statements on judicial and human rights matters, and only the Church is allowed to invade your brain and fuck it up with religious Garbage....


Wanna see "God"?

Have some DMT....!

[Android3.14]

4. Would those recreational drugs include wine?

Thought not. Even El Papa can spout hypocritical nonsense.

[n2doc]

5. Of course, he doesn't want any competing drugs allowed

Opiate of the masses, indeed.

[LiberalLovinLug]

63. +1

true that

[Gore1FL]

6. Fortunately for me, I don;t care what religious leaders think.

They've already demonstrated a lack of capacity for logical thinking.

[SamKnause]

7. I am glad this clown has zero influence in my

life, or on any decisions that I make.

Just another clueless person talking about things they know absolutely nothing about.

[nyabingi]

8. I think maybe the Pope

may need to research the evils of the drug wars and everday violence around the globe that result from the illegality of drugs - he seems like a thinking man who may eventually come to a different conclusion.

But then again, he's a religious dude so maybe not.

[Live and Learn]

39. +1 He needs to learn that drug addiction is a disease

that should be treated accordingly instead of punished.

[RobinA]

66. Really...

It's a short jump from thinking about the evils of drug wars and related violence to the evils of religious wars and related violence. I thinking a pope is not going to want to go down that road.

[Scuba]

9. Speaking of a "fail to produce the desired effects" ...

Or maybe those ARE the desired effects????

[gtar100]

13. That says it all!

We are so good at throwing money into solutions that fix nothing and produce a whole lot of suffering.

[Bluenorthwest]

18. Francis a liar, that is long established fact. Truth is anathema to him.

He lies about women, about gay people, about himself, he is a full tilt propagandist without a truthful bone in his bigoted body.

[rug]

52. Don't forget Uganda.

[theHandpuppet]

60. Some of us haven't.

Nor Argentina.

[happyslug]

85. Or yes, the Pope's Condemnation of Uganda's Anti- Gay law was 100% wrong.

http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/pope-francis%E2%80%99-representative-uganda-concerned-new-anti-gay-law291213

I know it is from a Gay Newspaper, but that does not make the story untrue:

‘I am gravely concerned that a number of human rights violations will occur if the President signs this bill. Although the Catholic Hierarchy may not approve of same-sex relationships or a homosexual lifestyle, I believe the Hierarchy would agree that everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect. Imprisoning someone for life would clearly constitute an abuse of his/her rights.’

Please remember the Papal Nuncio is the Papal Ambassador to what ever country he is assigned, and as such what the Papal Nunico says is deemed to be from the Pope Himself. Quite literally, when it comes to laws being passed, the best way for the Pope to express his disapproval is through his Papal Nunico, which Pope Francis did in this case.

Please note, this was done as the law was INTRODUCED and the Papal Nunico came out against it. The law passed anyway. Thus you had a law passed, that was opposed by the Vatican, then the Vatican is condemned for not condemning a law it had opposed?

[rug]

86. Why would it not be true because it's in a "Gay Newspaper"?

[Comrade Grumpy]

95. And speaking of bigotry...

There's you.

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

111. I don't know why you damn him for being a bigot, since you are one yourself.

[cantbeserious]

36. The 1% Raking The Money In

eom

[90-percent]

10. Even if you presume pot is as unhealthy as alcohol or tobacco

Which is scientifically dubious, why do we ruin lives for using pot? One in six American's are recreational drug users. If we are to fully enforce our medieval laws to the full and complete extent, that would mean a boom for our heinous for fucking profit prison industrial complex, because, if there is justice, then 55,000,000 of us should rightfully be imprisoned. (The best way to get rid of bad laws is to enforce them?)

To quote my hero Frank Zappa;

(Our marijuana laws) ".....are like treating dandruff by decapitation."

-90% jimmy

[Ed Suspicious]

22. That's an awesome quote!

(Our marijuana laws) ".....are like treating dandruff by decapitation."

[Live and Learn]

40. +1000 nt

[silverweb]

99. Minor correction.

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]Zappa was talking about Parents’ Music Resource Center (PMRC) demands regarding rock lyrics in the 1980s.

Zappa put it this way: “It is my understanding that, in law, First Amendment issues are decided with a preference for the least restrictive alternative. In this context, the PMRC’s demands are the equivalent of treating dandruff by decapitation.”
[font face="Arial"]http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/playing_god/treating-dandruff-by-decapitation.htm

[font face="Verdana"]Still a great quote, though, and definitely applicable to regressive cannabis laws.

[90-percent]

107. Thanks for the clarification

I post a lot of Zappa stuff for my own amusement that's pretty arcane and of minimal interest to most. The stuff in parentheses needs some punctuation to indicate that part was not spoken by Frank. If such punctuation exists.

Rachel recently did a piece that included Zappa, in her round about James Burke's Connections kind of way, and she started off speaking about "the great Frank Zappa". Gave me goose bumps, as it's nice to know Rachel is up on her Zappa.

Frank's Senate testimony is up there with Colbert's 2006 WHCD speech. Speaking truth to power in the belly of the beast. Frank effortlessly made Sen Paula Hawkins look like a foolish idiot, because she decided to match wits with him. First, he's smart. Second, he's highly practiced dealing with audiences in pressure situations. If you review all the debates he did in that era, his points were so cogent, he never even raised his voice. Such concise reasoning; "If masturbation is legal, why should it be illegal to sing about it?" The sheer force of his words were enough to bring down his many debating opponents.

I've said it repeatedly, his values resonate with me as much as his music.

-jim

[Ed Suspicious]

11. The guys who brought us this

were pope approved. Maddddddnnnnnneeessss of REEEFFER!

[ReRe]

12. "... "they fail to produce the desired effects."

... that is the part I don't get. What ARE "the desired effects"? Must be a "lost-in-translation" thing. The Holy Father would be shocked if he knew how many in his congregation are users. Seems a bit hypocritical, as Catholics sure do know their way around the liquor cabinet. Looks to me like alcohol is much more detrimental to human health than marijuana, not to mention more addictive.

[ctsnowman]

14. That's too bad

I'd have to be high to listen to him.

[Android3.14]

15. Jesus always opposed people getting stoned

eom

[MannyGoldstein]

16. Can you link to where he mentions marijuana?

The only specific drug that I can find mentioned is narcotics when I do a search to find the transcript.

[Bluenorthwest]

20. Manny 'narcotics' is not a specific drug.

How can you not know that? Oh, that's right. Francis Superstar is opposed to knowledge.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

26. Cannabis is not a narcotic, ... though meddlesome puritanicals always think it is (such as pope). nt

[Bluenorthwest]

29. Of course it is not, nor is 'narcotic' a specific drug as Manny seems to think

I use the term 'think' loosely.

[MannyGoldstein]

43. All you can do is hurl insults?

Based on BS?

Use your head. You're better than this.

[MannyGoldstein]

42. Where did I say it was a specific drug?

But it's a specific class of drugs, namely opiates IIRC, none of which should be available without prescription in my opinion.

I await your evidence that I meant a specific drug, thanks.

[Warren Stupidity]

100. Here you go.

Let me state this in the clearest terms possible: the problem of drug use is not solved with drugs! Drug addiction is an evil, and with evil there can be no yielding or compromise. To think that harm can be reduced by permitting drug addicts to use narcotics in no way resolves the problem. Attempts, however limited, to legalize so-called “recreational drugs”, are not only highly questionable from a legislative standpoint, but they fail to produce the desired effects. Substitute drugs are not an adequate therapy but rather a veiled means of surrendering to the phenomenon. Here I would reaffirm what I have stated on another occasion: No to every type of drug use. It is as simple as that. No to any kind of drug use (cf. General Audience, 7 May 2014). But to say this “no”, one has to say “yes” to life, “yes” to love, “yes” to others, “yes” to education, “yes” to greater job opportunities. If we say “yes” to all these things, there will be no room for illicit drugs, for alcohol abuse, for other forms of addiction.

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-no-to-recreational-and-substitute-drugs-in-co
I added the bold.

[gtar100]

17. Legalization of drugs can be counter intuitive for some people.

But only to those who don't see alcohol as a recreational drug either. A lot of older people have lived an entire lifetime associating drug use with "crime" and now it's difficult for some to see it any other way. They need to see it from a new perspective to understand the horrific consequences of making drug use a crime. Maybe the Pope should spend some time in prisons and ask himself if sending people there is an appropriate response to drug use.

[onehandle]

25. He has a long history of visiting prisons and working with prisoners, even before he was Pope.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis said his care, concern and prayers for those in prison flow from a recognition that he is human like they are, and it's a mystery they fell so far and he did not.

"Thinking about this is good for me: When we have the same weakness, why did they fall and I didn't? This is a mystery that makes me pray and draws me to prisoners," the pope said Oct. 23 during a brief audience with about 200 Italian prison chaplains.

Pope Francis told the chaplains that he still makes Sunday afternoon phone calls to the prison in Buenos Aires that he used to visit and that he continues to correspond with some of the inmates.

http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1304464.htm

[gtar100]

32. I guess even that isn't enough then. Too bad.

His words you wrote remind me of the saying, "There but for the grace of God go I." It's always struck me as a very ugly thing to say, very judgmental.

I just fail to see how prison is a proper response to someone's use of drugs. Maybe because I've known people who use marijuana - some who had no problems because of it and others who got lost in it. But in either case, jail time or even just paying a fine seems entirely the wrong response. If someone doesn't have a problem with it, why do anything. And if someone does, then it's counselling, therapy and the like that is called for.

I don't know what it would take for the Pope to see it any different if he's been to prisons firsthand and still believes drug usage should be illegal. I'm dumbfounded by that perspective.

[theHandpuppet]

59. Yeah, I'll bet he knows a lot about prisons

http://thechronicleherald.ca/world/985258-critics-humble-pope-supported-murderous-argentine-junta

[Garion_55]

19. where in the bible does it condemn drug use?

and God created pot btw, is the pope claiming that god made a mistake?

and yeah he just lost me too. sad.

[Bluenorthwest]

21. The Pope says God makes many mistakes, Francis is here to correct God

He says God messed up in creating LGBT people and for allowing the potential for contraception as well.
Francis also says Jesus in specific was wrong on many things including how to pray, Jesus said only hypocrites pray in public, Francis prays in public for a living, as theater designed to sell his hate for gay people and women. 'See me pray' he says 'Jesus was full of shit' he says.

[onehandle]

23. Not surprised. Much of the work that the Church does with the unfortunate is with addicts.

They see the truly shit end of drug addiction.

Just months ago, Pope Francis washed the feet of prisoners, many of which were addicts.

[Bluenorthwest]

33. They call wine a 'Sacrament' yet we have all seen alcoholics and Skid Rows and

auto accident carnage made out of wine and wine drinkers. And yet each day they lift wine up and call it a part of the body of Jesus.

[AtheistCrusader]

74. Decriminalization of drugs in Portugal has driven down usage rates dramatically.

So, if the wonderpope could be bothered to read any peer reviewed studies on the efficacy of the drug war, versus decriminalization, he'd be enthusiastically behind decriminalization BECAUSE they see the 'shit end of drug addiction'.

[Nitram]

24. The Pope should stick to what he knows.

Same as condemning abortion but looking the other way on capital punishment. What does he have to say about alcohol? Wine?

[Pharaoh]

27. catholic clergy drink like fish

hypocrisy.........

other than this he has been the best pope ever for standing up to the 1% and the inequality of disaster capitalism...

[The_Commonist]

28. Marijuana opens up creativity chambers in the brain.

I believe that, used properly, marijuana can give one a view of the universe for what it really is, or closer to it than the old myths. And that's anathema to organized religion. If one seeks to find the truth, one will be less likely to fall under organized religion's spell, less likely to need the crutch of Jesus and Papa.

Actually, I could take it even further... Using marijuana can bring one CLOSER to the Divine, while organized religion tends to take one FURTHER from the divine, but into the collection plate.

Harder drugs are a different story. Still, it's not up to me to decide if someone wants to salve the existential pain of living in a fucked up society with opiates, for example. The real problems come from those things being illegal. Frankly, I don't want to live in a society where everyone is zonked out on Soma all the time, but I live in a society where everyone is zonked out on Television. Which is, arguably, much worse...

[CanSocDem]

69. The church has always opposed...

...personal spiritual revelation and, like you say they insist on their authority in determining "...a view of the universe for what it really is... " so nobody should be expecting leadership from the church on this issue.

All of the latest progressive revelations from the church have been known to pot-smokers for decades but so has the bias of the establishment been known to pot-smokers...you know the "who gives a shit what they think" response.

With the medical industry telling me it's no cure and the pope telling me it's no path(to the godhead) I think I'll stick to my path of "personal spiritual revelation" and ignore them both.



.

[Ghost Dog]

108. Very well put, thanks. Agree.

Please let me point out that DUers (and Francis) should be aware of this little factor perhaps relevant to the debate:

Jesus was almost certainly a cannabis user and an early proponent of the medicinal properties of the drug, according to a study of scriptural texts published this month. The study suggests that Jesus and his disciples used the drug to carry out miraculous healings.

The anointing oil used by Jesus and his disciples contained an ingredient called kaneh-bosem which has since been identified as cannabis extract, according to an article by Chris Bennett in the drugs magazine, High Times, entitled Was Jesus a Stoner? The incense used by Jesus in ceremonies also contained a cannabis extract, suggests Mr Bennett, who quotes scholars to back his claims "There can be little doubt about a role for cannabis in Judaic religion," Carl Ruck, professor of classical mythology at Boston University said.>>>snip

/... http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x78143

[SmittynMo]

30. But they fail to produce the desired effects?

Ok, someone needs pop open one of his favorite bottles of vino from his back room, smoke a joint with him, and then attempt a re-interview.

I'm sure the outcome would be much different.

[Reter]

31. I wouldn't criticize him for this one

He's rather old, and his generation thinks pot is a drug and it's bad for you. All religious leaders say not to put bad things in your body. It also gives a high, which I could see religious leaders opposing. Again, I don't agree with him but I can understand why he feels that way.

[Bluenorthwest]

34. Do you criticize him for his anti gay bigotry or his opposition to choice?

And just so you know, around here many people the same age as Francis benefit from cannabis and use it regularly. So age is not really an excuse for ignorance. Age should bring wisdom, not confusion and ignorance.

[theHandpuppet]

58. Apparently that doesn't really bother some folks around here

Equal human rights for women and gays is merely a distraction, I guess.

[AtheistCrusader]

75. Apparently having god's bat phone doesn't help one discover the truth about the war on drugs.

[cantbeserious]

35. So Much For The New Pope

eom

[mopinko]

37. as an "orphan" of the irish disease

the catholic church didnt have much to say when my father drank himself to death. and sired a herd of neglected kids along the way.

f u frances. i knew you were the pope all along.

[reflection]

38. BOOOOOOO

[olddad56]

41. Who made the Pope an authority on something that he isn't qualified to condemn?

As a non-catholic, I like this Pope better than any of the others. But maybe he should focus on the problems within the church. Like trying to keep the catholic priests from molesting children.

[Xyzse]

44. That's cool. I mean, there will be things I would disagree with him in.

This is one of them. Just 8 years ago, I might have agreed with him.
My position on marijuana legalization has evolved with more information.

I think even with this one, it is just a matter of time.

[fredamae]

45. I love this Pope

However, every "mortal" man no matter how good-can error.
He's erred on this issue-by denying a God given efficacious Botanical Medicine to the sufferers in his "flock", imo.

[theHandpuppet]

54. So does he also get pass for his bigotry against women and gays?

[fredamae]

70. No and I don't offer

him a pass on Cannabis...I simply don't believe he deserves all this shunning either...what he needs is Education. And this is no way to do it.
As far as Gay rights....pardon my ignorance but how do you see bigotry in his position-I see progress with room to grow.
Women rights, while I think he's moving forward somewhat by declaring women should play a bigger role with-in the church...he's still very "constipated" on the over-all issue-if you will...the same kinda backward thinking on cannabis.

[theHandpuppet]

78. Okay, let me educate you then, since that seems to be the solution

Pope Francis has repeatedly stated his opposition to gay marriage and adoption. i.e., equal rights for LGBTs. Meanwhile, his bishops and archbishops continue to be among the primary driving forces behind anti-gay legislation around the world. Francis' lip service regarding women playing a larger role in the church is just that -- lip service. He has stated that there will be no discussion of ordination for women. He has continued the crackdown on progressive nuns and has slammed feminism. He does not support reproductive choice in any form.

On these issues "shunning" is the least he deserves. Try living with outright persecution and come to DU where you can listen to some people tell you just how much they love this bigot. That's REAL shunning -- when folks care so little for your basic human rights that Francis can be touted as a folk hero.

[fredamae]

82. I'm not sure I fully agree

with the passion in your assessment....I have seen many instances of MedCanna patients experience Real Bigotry, Real Discrimination and Real Segregation..not at all unlike how our LGBT community and Women are regarded.

My dad died waiting for cannabis medicine to become available for him.

Maybe I'm still naively envisioning this Pope thru "Rose Colored Lens". I see the problem(s)-and perhaps I'm more (too?) optimistic about the depth and degree his views are embedded and have too much hope in his willingness to change....

[Humanist_Activist]

90. I don't understand this argument, what willingness to change? Has he given any clue...

that he wants to change his views? Also, a man in his position does NOT have ignorance as an excuse.

He reiterates, almost word for word, the Catholic Catechism on sexuality, people call it new(its 40+ years old), he says similar things his predecessors have said about capitalism, advocates for Catholic distributism, and people call it new, when it is even older. What is supposed to change here?

[heaven05]

46. what does he know?

I bet he's never even smoked a joint.

[marble falls]

47. Give him a break. He has a right wing to mollify. At least he didn't say G*d told him this. He's ...

against smoking pot, he didn't build more prisons.

[WhoWoodaKnew]

48. I still like him. I never expected that he and I would agree on everything...

Plus, I'm not some crazy right winger who gives a purity test to everybody and hates anyone who disagrees with me on one point.

[theHandpuppet]

55. Or minor points like basic human rights for women and gays?

Yeah, okay. No big deal.

[truebrit71]

57. Yup, other than that minor shit he's a swell guy...

[NYC Liberal]

65. George Carlin was right about religion being the best BS story ever

They pay no taxes, and any criticism (that would be welcome if it were directed at anyone else) gets you labeled a bigot and a hater.

[Uncle Joe]

77. + 1 n/t

[mikehiggins]

50. and I should care...why?

it'd be nice to see the actual statement, which might not be as open and shut as it is presented in the OP but the other question, at least to me, is "so what?"

The Pope says he thinks this is a bad idea. The guy behind the meat counter in my local supermarket thinks its a great idea. Who should I listen too more?

So this Pope is not perfect. I think he mentioned that on the way in. Still an improvement.

[rug]

51. A fairly conventional statement. Here's the full statement:

http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/it/speeches/2014/june/documents/papa-francesco_20140620_drug-conference.html

Here's a translation.

THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS TO THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE Sala Clementina Friday, June 20, 2014

Distinguished Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to meet you at the end of the International Drug Enforcement Conference. I thank you for your visit and I express my appreciation for the work that you carry out addressing a problem so serious and complex of our time. I hope that these roman days mark a fruitful stage in your commitment.

In particular, I hope that you will reach the objectives you have set yourselves: to coordinate drug policies, share information and develop an operational strategy aimed at the contrast of drug trafficking. Perhaps in the drug trafficking actions are those that make more money in the market. And this is tragic.

The scourge of drugs continues to rage in shapes and impressive dimensions, powered by a market obscene, which overrides national borders and continental. In this manner continues to increase the danger for young people and adolescents. Faced with this phenomenon, I feel the need to express my pain and my concern.

I would like to say very clearly: the drugs are not overcome with drugs! The drugs and an evil, and evil there can be no surrender or compromise. Imagine being able to reduce the damage, allowing the use of psychoactive drugs to those people who continue to use drugs, doesn't solve the problem entirely.The legalisation of the so-called 'soft drugs', even if partial, in addition to being as less objectionable on the legislative level, do not produce the effects that had assigned themselves. The replacement drugs, then, are not sufficient treatment, but a veiled way of surrendering to the phenomenon. I wish to reiterate what has already been said on another occasion: no to drugs of every kind. Simply. No to any type of drugs (cf. General Audience, 7 May 2014).

But to say this no, you have to say yes to life, to love, it is to others, is education, to sport, at work, you are a more job opportunities. A couple that did not work, let us consider it. I think that the figure is 75 million, in Europe. I think, I'm not sure, don't want to say a thing that is not. But we think of a couple: neither, nor. Neither study nor works. Enters this lack of horizon, hope, and the first offer are the dependencies, including drugs.

This ... Job opportunities, education, sports, healthy life: this is the road of drug prevention. If you realize these "yes", there is no place for drugs, there is no place for the abuse of alcohol and other addictions. The Church, faithful to the mandate of Jesus to go wherever there is a suffering human being, the thirsty, hungry, in prison (cf. Mt 25.31 -46), has not forsaken those who have fallen into a spiral of drugs, but with his creative love went their meeting. She took them by the hand, through the work of so many workers and volunteers, because they could rediscover their dignity, by helping to resurrect those resources, those personal talents that the drugs had buried, but that he could not clear, since every man is created in the image and likeness of God (Gn 1,26 ). But this work of recovery is very limited, it is not sufficient. We need to work on prevention. This will do very well.

The example of so many young people who, desiring to escape to the dependence on the drugs, undertake to rebuild their lives, and a stimulus to look forward with confidence.

Distinguished Ladies and gentlemen, I encourage you to continue your work with always great hope. I wish you the best, and I cordially bless you all. Thanks.

Must be a slow news day.

[AtheistCrusader]

76. Typical errors.

"I would like to say very clearly: the drugs are not overcome with drugs!"

Methadone is used as substitution therapy to help patients kick heroin addiction.

[rug]

80. And suboxone is used to kick methadone.

Et cetera.

[truebrit71]

56. Aaaand WonderPope goes under the bus...

...ignorant, cossetted, elderly white men spouting off about shit they have almost ZERO understanding of....why am I surprised...

[Fozzledick]

61. This is really nothing new

Medieval Popes often complained about "the constant stench of burning hemp" coming from the seminary students' quarters in the Vatican.

[LiberalLovinLug]

64. I guess that white smoke coming out of the Vatican

Wasn't a celebratory doobie.


Seriously though, so he prefers the other side of the coin..lives ruined by prison, stained records, employment troubles etc..? Oh, I guess he would be in favor of that. After all its the desperate and depressed that turn to religion in a attempt to find solace. Wouldn't want them finding any of that solace in a nice toke by a bubbling stream.....ahhh.

[rug]

67. This thread is chum for pent up talking points.

Fly! Fly!

[Comrade Grumpy]

68. Does anyone expect the Catholic Church to be in support of drug legalization?

Not a shocking statement from the pope.

[Ash_F]

71. Too bad. Tides are changing.

Maybe the next one will get it right.

[davidthegnome]

72. Hmm.

Well, Mr. Vicar of Christ - I strongly suspect that the vast majority of all the world's people, including the vast majority of practicing Catholics, will ignore you. The Catholic Church has earned a great deal of shame and contempt in recent decades and is not nearly as powerful as it once was. This is because idiots like you try to manipulate government into living by your religious beliefs. This is because your church (particularly it's clergy and higher ranking officials) covered up an overwhelmingly huge sex abuse scandal - and has basically become a hidey hole for perverts of all types. You want to be relevant again, old boy? Maybe you could take a step into the modern century. There is nothing wrong with marriage - and women are *GASP* not evil - they are just as worthy (often MORE worthy) than men.

Get outraged all you want about pot, but the reality is that you, Mr. Holy man, have a great deal to make amends for, as the leader of the Church - you have no business criticizing this sort of thing until you clean your own damn house. I'll wait right here while you do that.

Shit like this makes me glad I left the church a long time ago.

[RainDog]

73. LOL!

He doesn't know what he's talking about. If you look at Portugal, regarding the issue of hard drugs - their 10 year program demonstrates taking a health care and risk reduction approach is better than a hardline approach.

More lives are saved simply by making needles available because this stops the spread of HIV.

But the Vatican has always aligned with the more regressive aspects of any society, so nothing new in this pov from the church.

Those here who claim this is the new and improved Vatican, however - I hope you realize how foolish you were to tout this guy as anything other than the same old same old.

That's beyond the issue of marijuana, since marijuana is nothing like a drug that's processed, such as heroin or meth, etc.

[Bickle]

79. Because the only drug you need is Jspesus

Stop spending your money in things that don't line our pockets!

There's a reason why they do this, they try to replace one addiction with another one that gets them another customer

Except no one is shoving a dog in a. Baby's mouth and threatening it with eternal torment if it doesn't hit the bong.

[Arugula Latte]

83. Crackers turn into Jesus meat, maaaan ...

Religion -- what a mind melt.

[VanillaRhapsody]

81. i think this guy never tried it.....

[happyslug]

84. Here is the actually letter, it is in Italian but I included a Google translation

http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/it/speeches/2014/june/documents/papa-francesco_20140620_drug-conference.html

My comment is while you can view the Pope's statement as opposing Marijuana legalization, he uses the term "Soft Drugs" not Marijuana. The raises the question what did the Pope means by "Soft Drugs"?? Does that include Marijuana or does that include other drugs?? Notice NBC translated the Pope's term "Soft Drugs" (Google translation, so be careful) to "Recreational drugs". Close terms but also NOT the same terms.

ADDRESS OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS
TO PARTICIPANTS IN THE 31st EDITION
OF '"DRUG ENFORCEMENT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE"

Clementine Hall
Friday, June 20, 2014

Ladies and Gentlemen ,

I am pleased to meet you at the end of the International Drug Enforcement Conference . Thank you for your visit and I express my appreciation for the work that you carry out dealing with a problem as serious and complex of our time. We hope that these Roman days will mark a milestone in your efforts fruitful. In particular, I hope that you can reach the goals that you have faced: to coordinate anti-drug policies, to share relevant information and develop an operational strategy aimed at combating drug trafficking. Maybe in drug trafficking actions are those that make more money in the market. And this is tragic.

The scourge of drugs continues to rage in impressive shapes and sizes, powered by an ugly market that crosses national and continental boundaries. In this way, there is a growing danger for young people and teenagers. In the face of this phenomenon, I feel the need to express my sorrow and my concern.

Let me say very clearly: the drugs do not win with drugs! The drug is an evil, and evil there can be no failure or compromise. Think of being able to reduce the damage, allowing the use of psychotropic drugs to those people who continue to use drugs, does not solve the problem. The legalization of so-called "soft drugs", even partial, as well as being at the very least questionable in terms of legislation, does not produce the effects that they had set themselves. The replacement drugs, then, are not sufficient therapy, but a veiled way of surrendering to the phenomenon. I want to reiterate what I said on another occasion: no to any kind of drug. Simply. No to any kind of drug (cf. General Audience, May 7, 2014 ). But to say no, you have to say yes to life, yes to love, yes to others, yes to education, yes to sports, yes at work, yes to more job opportunities. A young man who has no job, think about it. I think the figure is 75 million, in Europe. I think, I'm not sure, I do not mean a thing that is not there. But we think of a young man: neither, nor. Neither studying nor working. Join this lack of horizon, hope, and the first offer are addictions, including drugs. This ... job opportunities, education, sports, healthy life: this is the way of drug prevention. If you make these "yes," there is no place for drugs, there is no place for alcohol abuse and other addictions.

The Church, faithful to the command of Jesus to go wherever there is a human being suffering, thirsty, hungry, in prison (cf. Mt 25:31-46), has not abandoned those who have fallen into a spiral of drugs, but with his creative love has gone to meet them. Took them by the hand, through the work of many workers and volunteers so they could rediscover their dignity, helping to resurrect those resources, those talents that the drug had buried, but that could not be deleted, since every man is created in the image and likeness of God (cf. January 1:26). But this work of recovery is very limited, it is not enough. We need to work on prevention. This will do very well.

The example of the many young people who, eager to escape the dependency on drugs, commit themselves to rebuild their lives is an incentive to look ahead with confidence.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I encourage you to continue your work with always great hope. I wish you the best and I cordially bless you. Thank you.

[RainDog]

112. well...

my ex played soccer on the junior national team in his country, got a PhD, and was a seriously ill alcoholic the entire time.

entire. time.

alcoholism is a disease. drug abuse, in general, is a manifestation of a disease.

the compassionate soul of Jesus would recognize this.

but someone who is repeating the talking points of bureaucrats won't.

[Timez Squarez]

87. So sez the one idiot with a funny hat.

You can't control me. I am of not your religion.

I think Catholicism needs to re-evaluate itself as a religion.

It isn't even close to religion. It's a cult.

[Humanist_Activist]

89. So it wasn't his homophobia or his misogyny that reminds you as to why you left the RCC years ago?

I know all the reasons I left, and I don't see much of a difference between this guy and the previous Popes.

[FiveGoodMen]

91. He came out saying some good (long overdue) things about economic justice

From there, it's been all downhill.

[Humanist_Activist]

93. He's an advocate for Catholic Distributism, something the previous two Popes also advocated for...

its just the press weren't interested in focusing on those speeches. Again, not much different and not long overdue.

[LiberalElite]

98. You may not have meant this post for me - but

I left it when I was still in Catholic h.s. because despite 12 years in Catholic schools it just didn't "take". AFAIK homophobia and misogyny weren't issues that appeared in common discourse then. My reasons were I hated having to get up early for Mass every Sunday; hated going through the motions of the rituals and prayers (esp. the Rosary) and didn't believe most of it anyway. In the '90s the NYC Archdiocese ran an ad campaign to get the disaffected ex RCs back to church. The slogan was, depending on the time of year, "Come home at [Christmas] or [Easter]. I wasn't leaving home when I left the RC Church. However, I posted about Pope F. because with my upbringing there's still a (albeit vestigial) attachment to it although I no longer identify as RC. I'm one of those "none(s)" now.

The thing about this guy is he seemed like less of a scold than most of his predecessors.

[truthisfreedom]

92. Obviously he's never tried it.

If it had grown in the mideast during Jesus' time, I'm sure the bible would show him turning wood into weed like he turned water into wine.

[Bohemianwriter]

94. Aside from the fact...

That he is afront to his own bible god whom allowed mankind to use whatever plant or weed as we wished as long as we didn't pick the fruit of knowledge, his opinion on this matter means less to me than the roller papers I'm about to use to roll myself a good cone doobie at this moment...

[diane in sf]

97. Oh please, with all the wine the church goes through?

[djean111]

101. I don't see that the Pope's opinion on pot is any more relevant than my next door neighbor's

opinion. Less relevant, actually. The laws of a nation are not his purview. Period.

[bravenak]

102. I wish he would bother to condemn Homophobia.

Then he could smoke a joint with a glass of wine and start tattling on all the pedos.

[liberalmuse]

103. If the Catholic church started putting weed in their wafers...

they'd go broke and he'd be out of a job. Weed and organized religion don't mix.

[Lint Head]

104. Francis is as irrelevant to me as the amount of dirt on a distant planet.

He does not speak to, for or with a higher power and definitely not for me. But apparently influences a lot of people. Just like any who, by an accident of history and society, have been lifted up to a position of power over people.

[SidDithers]

106. ...

Sid

[Ghost Dog]

109. Perfect.

[center] [/center]

[Beacool]

110. I would have been shocked if he had said he supported it.

It's the Pope after all. Did anyone expect him to officially approve of the use of drugs?

Seriously?

[nomorenomore08]

113. For everything he says that I'd like to applaud, there's something like this that brings my hopes

crashing back down. He says "Who am I to judge?" but then goes ahead and judges same-sex relationships as deficient. He admits the Church is too focused on abortion while being just as anti-choice as his predecessors.

As a baptized, educated, albeit non-practicing Catholic, I too would like to see real change in the Church hierarchy. I just don't think Francis represents that, for the most part.