Attacks on Pope show ignorance

Abigail Mitchell’s commentary on the Pope’s recent visit to Africa in her article “A poor beginning” contains self-contradictions and a misrepresentation of Catholic doctrine.

While denouncing the Pope’s statements promoting abstinence as “ridiculous” and “infuriating” because they attempt to impose a set of “morals” on others, Mitchell attempts to show concern for those with “other moral values” who may have found the statements “insulting.” The pope did not name-call or attack others’ views while speaking in Africa – Ms. Mitchell, however, did just that in her article.

In a great display of irony, she calls a specific set of beliefs “ridiculous” because they may offend others – all the while entirely unconcerned by offending the members of the world’s largest Christian church. In the name of embracing all “moral values,” she renounces those belonging to millions of people across the globe, and to the very people in Africa whom she appears to be defending.

The article also demonstrates a lack of understanding of basic Catholic doctrine. Those views expressed by Pope Benedict regarding abstinence and birth control do not belong to him. They belong, instead, to the basic dogmas of the Catholic Church.

The Pope cannot, merely on a whim, contradict these teachings. Ms. Mitchell’s command to “weight your views” to determine the lesser of two evils cannot be practiced. The pope is merely expressing the teachings already in place in the church.

Rather than putting the blame on one pope for the dogmas that she finds distasteful, the author of “A poor beginning” should instead launch an attack against every church council ever held, the doctrines of the Church themselves, and the entire history of one statements of one man, which are merely reflections of the aforementioned aspects of the Church.

Or, then again, maybe the intellectual authority of the Catholic Church is no match for the likes of an op-ed writer in Bloomington, Ind.

Michael Thomas
IU freshman