Pope's visit:aide steps aside after comparing Britain to 'third world' (aggressive new atheism)

[Turborama]

Source: The Guardian

One of the pope's top advisers on his visit to England and Scotland has dropped out of his entourage following the publication of an interview in which he said that arriving in Britain "you sometimes think you've landed in a third world country".

Benedict XVI's spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi, told the Guardian, however, that Cardinal Walter Kasper had withdrawn "for health reasons".

He said the 77-year-old prelate's absence from the papal party, which lands in Edinburgh tomorrow at the start of a four-day visit, "had absolutely nothing to do with anything else". Kasper, the Vatican's leading expert on relations with the Church of England, made his remark after noting that Britain was a "secular, pluralistic" country.

Asked by the German news magazine, Focus, whether Christians were discriminated against in Britain, he replied: "Yes. Above all, an aggressive new atheism has spread through Britain. If, for example, you wear a cross on British Airways, you are discriminated against."

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/sep/15/popes-visit-aide-dropped

[Radical Activist]

1. But I thought third world countries were more likely to have fewer athiests

and more people who are manipulated by a politically powerful church.

[kristopher]

2. Sounds like an good reason to move to England...

[thereismore]

4. There is no separation of church and state in Britain, even on paper. They teach religion

in public schools.

[kristopher]

5. In reality it doesn't exist here either.

[TlalocW]

3. Hmmmm... When I think of most third world countries...

Most of them seem to have the presence of the Catholic church that insinuates itself into the government.

TlalocW

[damntexdem]

6. He should go visit Lord Summerisle.

(A la the original The Wicker Man.)

[AlbertCat]

7. Christians were discriminated against in Britain,

Yawn....

Wake me when they get the lions out.

[Turborama]

9. Romans used to throw Christians to the lions

Non Christians used to be heavily discriminated against in Britain for witchcraft, heresy, sacrilege and blasphemy.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_by_burning#Historical_usage

[Nihil]

10. The vet bills got too high ...

... all those lions with stomach upsets and chronic constipation ... :hide:

[madmom]

8. Well of course it looks like a third world country to him if he lives at the vatican.