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Abbott to Rudd: Don’t try to spin the Pope
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On Thursday, the Prime Minister will lobby for the canonisation of Australia’s Mary MacKillop when he meets Pope Benedict XVI in Rome. This morning Crikey asked Tony Abbott — Shadow Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and part-time spokesman on all things Catholic — about the politics of lobbying a Pope: Do you think the fact the Prime Minister is an Anglican and not a Catholic makes him less qualified to talk to the Pope about the canonisation of Mary MacKillop? A. He’s perfectly entitled to talk to the Pope and entitled to express a view on these things, but the idea that the canonisation process can be influenced by political lobbying is absurd and shows a misunderstanding of the way these things work. You were quoted as saying: “The idea that you can impress Catholics in this way is just wrong. It’s spin gone mad”. So how do you impress Catholics? You impress Catholics by not trespassing on things that are not your responsibility. These things are managed by the Catholic Church within their own rules, not amendable through political lobbying. Is the Pope immune to spin? I think the Pope is so far above that kind of thing that he orbits in a different sphere uninhabited by politicians. But doesn’t the Catholic Church do its own spinning? Like everyone, the church has to explain things. Like everyone, the church will explain things in the easiest way. What you’ve got here is a PM who thinks he should be the centre of the universe, that nothing significant should happen without his fingerprints. An attempt to gate crash the canonisation process is typical of the Prime Minister who has a totally overblown sense of self importance. What should the Prime Minister be talking to the Pope about instead? He might want to go to confession and tell the Pope about the lies he told on the Rove program last weekend, when he said about 9pm in the evening he would take a hit in the polls when he certainly would already have known by then the opposite was true. He should ask for the Pope’s guidance on how to avoid blatant self-promoting untruths. Have you ever met the Pope? No I haven’t. What would you discuss with the him if you had the chance? I’d probably go to confession as well. That would probably be the most appropriate thing to do. |
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13 Comments
Do you think while Kevin’s got His Holiness’ attention he could also lobby him to stop lying to Africans about condoms spreading AIDS?
Come to think of it, Kevin probably doesn’t need to provide the Pope with any “evidence” of Mary Mackillop’s “miracles”. It’s pretty clear that the church doesn’t require such trivial information to support its teachings and claims. In fact, maybe a better tactic to achieve her sainthood would be for Kevin to convince the Pope that there is scientific proof that Mary didn’t perform miracles.
Oh dear, Crikey betrays its ignorance of matters religious rather spectacularly here. It’s not a good look when you clearly don’t know how to spell one of the main subjects of your article. Or maybe you were just really under the gun when you wrote it.
Honestly, can you “reporters” at Crikey just be honest for a least a few minutes?
I really fail to understand the need to include a swipe at the coalition in every story.
At the moment the running joke/bet in our household is at what point will BK put in the (inevitable) para “But the Coalition are far worse, they…”
The outside bet is that he won’t include such a para, I’ve got 1 gives you 80 on that. The favourite bet is which exact paragraph, I’ve got 1 gives you 2 on para 12.
So far I’m $42 up on my wife, although she’s far smarter than me I know idiots when I see them.
…and a spectacularly quick correction; well done. Gotta love online media.
Despite the quick correction, I still want to see a First Dog on the Moon cartoon about Mary McKillop being shot out of a cannon! Please?
Hey Tony how do you explain what catholic Bishop Pell dose in the main stream press ?
Does this deserve a lead story?
Joel, my goodness you’re a sensitive soul. Paranoid perhaps? How on earth did you perceive this to be a swipe at the coalition? If anyone swiped it would have been Abbott swiping at himself.
I thought it was an interesting article. Abbott was asked some reasonable questions in response to a previous comment he made. He answered them, fairly truthfully I thought, and with less of his own political point scoring than he could have.
It does show the ludicrous notion of the separation of church and state. When church issues become of interest to the electorate, the distinction gets muddy very quickly indeed.
C
Abbott continually puts himself up for ridicule. Far better for Rudd to lobby the Pope as opposed to tobacco companies Mr Abbott.
Seems you have a persecution complex today Joel, perhaps a quick call to Rev Abbott will ease the pain. I suspect a good deal of tongue in cheek in this article. My reading of the Q and A was Antonio acting all serious and tut tut, please not take the Pope in jest. Thats the trouble with the monk, life is far too serious. But I certainly don’t read Crikey having a go at the Libs, stone the crows, never let it be so. Words would be said over drinks at the Vatican local should such a lack of taste be shown towards one so holy as a contender for the Liberal leadership, Tony The Devout. I suspect Benedict XVI will enjoy a chin wag with our Kevvie, be a hoot, if Bennie is in to hooting. You know what they say, once a catholic always a catholic, its like riding a
bike, one never forgets.
Alison, that is so funny. When I get the mental picture it’s great.
Being what I’d consider an agnostic Catholic, it’s always entertaining and somewhat enriching to see Tony the righteous throw stones. Maybe he should stand before God’s right-hand man and explain himself.