Why does it matter who he is? His shitty opinions are dated and deserve criticism.

You make a big to do in the MLK about racism and expect cops/policies to instantly change, but the Pope get's a pass. Why?

I think most people view him in the context of like, what to expect from a pope.

How can the two be compared? Jesus! You're talking about ONE MAN (the leader ,admittedly but still one man) trying to change a whole dogma that has gone on for centuries, and then compare that to a police force that has been in existence for, what, about two hundred but whose policies, while they have changed over time, have never been about one thing, ie kill black guys. The Catholic Church has not changed its mantra in about five hundred years or longer. I literally don't get the connection here. At all.

Also, while we're at it, where did I say the cops' policies should instantly change? I never said that. I said they need to do something about it. I don't expect it to change tomorrow. Also, you'll notice that I'm not saying "The Chief of Police/Justice Minister/whoever is in charge is a douche because of what's happening in the force". I'm aware it's not the fault of one man that these things happen, and you can't lay the blame for it at one door. You, apparently, are not aware of the same thing regarding the pope.

I'm all about criticizing the Catholic Church and their backward policies, that cause legitimate harm when they apply to gays and contraception, but pinning it on one man who's really just spewing much the same rhetoric as the rest of his institution is silly.

What am I pinning on him? I just don't understand why he gets a pass as an individual. He deserves criticism the same as everyone else.

Exactly. I have zero love for the Catholic Church, but Benedict was a far ****ing worse pope than Francis is turning out to be. At least he's trying to change the mindset, and seems to genuinely care. But there's only so much he can do within the strictures of the position he's in.

(This is in response to Batty, Ninja poster!)

Don't you get it? You can't criticise one man for continuing to spout the same mantra the church has for centuries. It's not like he started or suggested these things and nobody had said them before, or held those views before. It's just the party line. You might as well accuse Raoul Castro of being the dictator Fidel was, and getting Cuba into the poverty-ridden cycle it's in, but at least he's trying to do something about it by talking to the USA. As a matter of interest, would you "like to slap" Bendedict too? JP II? JP I? Pope Paul? They all said the same things, and worse; at least Francis is trying to break the cycle. THAT's why he gets a pass, if you want to see it that way. He's not just business as usual, unlike his predecessors. He's trying to change things, and he should be acknowledged for that.

Guys, I just read the last few posts, wanted to see what else was in this thread, so I went to the first page...

Can somebody confirm to me that this is a fifteen page argument about religion so I don't have to read it. Or is there some other things in the middle?

Your Mom.

If this is true:

How is that breaking a cycle?

And yes, I'd like to slap every Pope and religious figurehead, and god fearing person for being naive or willfully ignorant.

I just skimmed some stuff and made comments here and there. I don't think a majority of this thread is about religion. The parts I read were hardly even serious discussion.