Not a good day for the Catholic Theocons

Well, well, well, get ready for the Catholic theocons to get their chastity belts in a knot.

It seems that Pope Benedict believes that the false dichotomy set up by creationists between evolution and faith is "an absurdity".

Oh, and that argument about evolution being just a "theory"? According the Pope, not so much:

because on one hand there is much scientific proof in favor of evolution, which appears as a reality that we must see and which enriches our understanding of life and being as such.

Or, to be even more blunt: "Evolution exists"

The Holy Father merely pointed out what nearly all scientists themselves acknowledge, that evolution does not even attempt to address the origin of life:

"[Evolution], but it is not enough to answer the great questions," such as how human beings came to exist and why human beings have an inherent dignity, he said.

For those rightwing Catholics that believe the faith amounts to nothing more than loving fetuses and hating fags, the Pope reminds us of another moral imperative: protection of the environment:

Everyone today can see that man could destroy the foundation of his existence -- his earth -- and, therefore, we can no longer simply use this earth, this reality entrusted to us, to do what we want or what appears useful and promising at the moment, but we must respect the inherent laws of creation

Oh, and the Pope had something to say to those who rail against the influx of immigrants from Muslim nations, and have an aneurysm whenever someone with so much as a dark tan moves into the neighborhood. The Pope pointed out that we should:

recognize these persons as neighbors to be loved

Finally, the Pope is reported to have said that the Christian call to evangelization is not simply lecturing people about a collection of doctrines, but means living a life of hope and love of neighbor, and spread the faith by explaining Jesus Christ is the source of the hope that enervates that love.

For all of the rap he gets about some of his positions, Pope Benedict truly believes that we should celebrate our Catholic faith, not mourn it, and see God as a blessing, not a burden.

That's something that folks like Tom ("Kool-Aid ain't just for Protestants") Monaghan could learn from.



Oh, and the guy can rock a pair of sunglasses, too.