Catholic homophobes and woman-haters were thrilled with conservative columnist Kathleen Parker's tribute to Pope Benedict's willingness to baptize Muslims and his insistence that though Jesus' may have had a point that love covers a multitude of sins that love must have a verifiable human rights content.
Kathleen Parker's paean to the human rights bravery of Pope Benedict only tells part of the story. Yes, the former Cardinal Ratzinger, now Benedict the Sixteenth like every Pontiff since John XXIII has spoken out bravely on some human rights issues. They have stood in solidarity with the poor, and some of the oppressed.
The portion of the story that doesn't get told is the violation of human rights by a church that continues to deny women, not just ordination, but also meaningful positions of power in church leadership. The continued persecution of gay persons is a second area of social injustice that continues to be institutionalized in the Roman Catholic Church.
These prejudices from on high frequently foster the same bigotry in local Catholic parishes and schools. This kind of poison is a contemporary Catholic profile in cowardice, despite the measure of courage deserving praise.
