14th September 2004

NZ Association of Rationalists and Humanists

Tell the Pope to Get Over It

The NZ Association of Rationalists and Humanists is urging the Government to tell the Pope to stay out of New Zealand's business.

This follows a statement made by the Pope on Monday that New Zealand's planned Civil Unions legislation "violated God's plan for humanity". The Pope was meeting a delegation of New Zealand Catholic Bishops. The delegation was led by Cardinal Thomas Williams, who recently fretted about "the spiritual bankruptcy of liberalism".

Paul Litterick, Secretary of the NZ Association of Rationalists and Humanists, noted that the Pope's commitment to marriage was such that he prohibited any of his nuns, monks and clergy from entering into it.

Likewise the Pope's support of the family was shown by the way his church had implemented a deliberate policy of concealing numerous cases of sexual abuse committed by members of his clergy. "God's plan for humanity" also seems to involve Catholic authorities in developing countries denying people access to contraception, thereby creating unwanted pregnancies and spreading AIDS.

Mr Litterick went on to note that the Pope recently lectured the Canadian Government about its plans for formalising same sex unions. "Canada dismissed the Pope's comments as an intrusion in Canadian politics. Our Government should do the same."

"We should tell the Pope to get over it."

ENDS

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