Catholics blast 'hostile' C4 film about the Pope

[Habesha]

The broadcaster chose Mr Tatchell to front a 60-minute programme to be transmitted around the time of Pope Benedict XVI’s planned visit to the UK in September.

Mr Tatchell is one of the founders of a group called Protest the Pope, which criticises the Pope’s record on homosexuality, contraception and child abuse and says that he “is an unsuitable guest of the UK government”.

Channel 4 said that the programme will examine the impact that the Pope’s pronouncements have had on both the developing and Western world, and that it will give voice to a range of views on the Pope.

“There is nothing surprising in the continued frantic jumping up and down by the Guardian/Channel 4/BBC axis in opposition to the Pope,” said James MacMillan, the composer, who is a devout Catholic. “Their venom is now so repetitive that it has lost any potency it once had. Frankly, people are getting bored with them.”

Mr Tatchell defended the programme, saying: “This will be a robustly factual programme that explores the Pope’s personal, religious and political journey since the 1930s, as well as the motives and effects of his controversial policies.”

Ann Widdecombe, the Tory politician who famously converted to Catholicism, said: “I think this will confirm the view that there probably already is in the Vatican that this is a profoundly anti-Catholic country. I wouldn’t call this the right thing for any serious broadcaster to do, but they’re doing it for the publicity, they’re doing it to stir up controversy. Mr Tatchell certainly won’t be sympathetic to his subject, so what’s the point of doing it? It won’t be skeptical, it will be hostile.”

Christina Odone, the Catholic writer, said: “Peter himself would be the first to admit that he is no authority on the subject. And perhaps it would be good, rather than have some polemical, knee-jerk reaction to the Pope if Channel 4 would be interested in actually shedding light on a figure who is so important, and so often misinterpreted and misunderstood - and of whom more needs to be known. I don’t think the founding father of [gay rights pressure group] Outrage! is the right person for this.”

“It’s really awful,” said Jack Valero, a prominent member of Opus Dei. “Any idea that Mr Tatchell can be impartial in presenting a programme about the Pope coming here - it’s just amazing that anybody could think that.”

telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/7801076/Catholics-blast-hostile-C4-film-about-the-Pope.html

This is outrageous. Channel 4 have gone way too far this time. Look at this derogatory picture of the Pope that Peter dragged around at a gay rights campaign:

pinknews.co.uk/images/dunacntatchell.jpg

This is a man who is going to present a documentary about the Pope? How can he be impartial. Is this a joke? And what does he really know about Catholicism? I’ve noticed with C4, Muslim documentary let’s get a Muslim to present it, atheist documentary, let’s get an atheist to present it, a Christian documentary, let’s get an outsider, not a Christian, and someone who is not impartial either but someone who hates the Church.

 

[Aquinas62]

telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/7801076/Catholics-blast-hostile-C4-film-about-the-Pope.html

This is outrageous. Channel 4 have gone way too far this time. Look at this derogatory picture of the Pope that Peter dragged around at a gay rights campaign:

pinknews.co.uk/images/dunacntatchell.jpg

This is a man who is going to present a documentary about the Pope? How can he be impartial. Is this a joke? And what does he really know about Catholicism? I’ve noticed with C4, Muslim documentary let’s get a Muslim to present it, atheist documentary, let’s get an atheist to present it, a Christian documentary, let’s get an outsider, not a Christian, and someone who is not impartial either but someone who hates the Church.

he is lucky he didnt carry that “sign” in front of me… i sure would have “shown him the love and tolerance” do you think he would have had the guts to carry something like that depicting Mohammed!

 

[Habesha]

he is lucky he didnt carry that “sign” in front of me… i sure would have “shown him the love and tolerance” do you think he would have had the guts to carry something like that depicting Mohammed!

Oh, you’ve got to be joking. As if they would, can you imagine it. Most gay rights campaigners and atheists are very moderate when it comes to Islam. It’s Christianity, and specifically Catholicism that they have the real problem with.

I’ve also heard, on Christina Adone’s blog that Dawkins is doing a programme for C4 on faith schools. Is this a joke?

As David Linsey said on his blog, Will Peter Tatchell’s Channel Four programme on the Pope mention Tatchell’s campaign to lower the age of consent to 14, and his occasional public expressions of his true view, which is that the age of consent should be abolished altogether? Even Harriet Harman’s Paedophile Information Exchange thought that it should be four. But that won’t do for Tatchell.

Will Tatchell interview anyone from the numerous Social Services Departments that ran homes in which, at the same time as the Church was hushing up sex between men and teenage boys on the part of a small number of priests - and thus, however imperfectly, indicating disapproval of it - such behaviour was absolutely endemic, with major figures in that world publishing academic studies, used for many years in the training of social workers, which presented it as positively beneficial to both parties and therefore actively to be encouraged?

Will Tatchell interview anyone from the Police, who long ago stopped enforcing the age of consent from 13 upwards, perhaps even asking them to explain for exactly whose benefit they adopted the present approach, a question also hanging over their non-enforcement of the drugs laws?

And will Tatchell interview anyone from Channel Four, the dramatic output of which has waged, and continues to wage, a relentless campaign in favour of sex between men and teenage boys? Remember, we own Channel Four.

I have an answer to this, we shouldn’t watch this trash programming. We can’t support this garbage. If Tatchell’s documentary is aggressively hateful, he could cause even further security problem for the Pope when he comes to Britain.

 

[Soutane]

Fool brittania

 

[Timothy17]

Dear Channel 4,

To whom it may concern:

I am happy to report that your campaign to encourage succession from the Commonwealth via discrediting Brittain’s reputation and intelligence is succeeding marvelously. Soon the United Kingdom itself will be three independant states once again, and Brittain will be restored to a backwater province of a corrupt, immoral continental European empire. Onward lunacy, and down w/ the Queen my good dear chaps!

Cheers,
One -]English/-] Canadian.

Second Version

Dear Channel Four,

I am highly impressed with your altogether original idea of demonizing the Catholic Church and turning the Pontiff into a boogeyman. Where in England did you ever get such a novel idea?

Best regards.

---

In all seriousness though, I hope this is simply representative of a fringe movement being sensationalized for ratings. My better judgement tells me most people in the UK won’t make much of this junk TV.

 

[Adeodatus]

Why is it that I almost never hear of anything involving the UK that is just, right or good? What has happened to that country?

 

[barb_finnegan]

he is lucky he didnt carry that “sign” in front of me… i sure would have “shown him the love and tolerance” do you think he would have had the guts to carry something like that depicting Mohammed!

You got that right! He wouldn’t gotten away with badmouthing Moslems-they’d put a fatwa on him!

Tatchell is a twit!

I am sooo tired of our Holy Father and the Church being used as a punching bag!

The way I’m feeling today, I’m about ready to smack someone good! And if I ever confronted this guy Tatchell, I’d give it him!

GRRRRR…

 

[Aquinas62]

Oh, you’ve got to be joking. As if they would, can you imagine it. Most gay rights campaigners and atheists are very moderate when it comes to Islam. It’s Christianity, and specifically Catholicism that they have the real problem with. .

The only reason that is, is the fact they are cowards at heart, and they know that there won’t be a version of a Catholic Al-Quida sawing off his head on a video. They are all cowards.

 

[Habesha]

I’ve just been reading more about Peter Tatchell protesting at a Catholic Church on Monday I think.

A large crowd outside St Mary Magdalen’s Church, Brighton, led by campaigner Peter Tatchell demonstrated throughout the night over plans by the parish Priest not to have Benediction this week.

Tatchell, speaking yesterday, said, “It’s about time Our Blessed Lord came out of the ‘closet’ and was exposed for the worship and adoration of the faithful Catholic community. The fact that this Priest wants, this week, to keep Him in the closet is a disgrace.”

With chants of ‘Our Blessed Lord: Out, Out, Out’, and ‘What do we want? Benediction. When do we want it? Now!’ the crowd consisting of young and old men and women, united in their grief that there is to be no Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament this week, held a peaceful vigil outside the Church throughout the night.

The Priest was unavailable for comment but Fr Ray Blake, no stranger to controversy in Brighton, did issue a formal statement: ‘Can you keep the noise down out there, I’m trying to get some sleep. Benediction will be back on next week, for goodness sake. I will hear your Confessions then and yes, Our Blessed Lord shall be placed on the Altar for adoration, I promise.’

thatthebonesyouhavecrushedmaythrill.blogspot.com/2010/06/protesters-camp-outside-brighton-church.html

This man is atrocious, him and his followers have no respect even for people at a Church mass. Tatchell is also the leader of the protest the pope, which I’m sure he’ll be pursuing when the Pope comes to Britain. Has anyone else heard of gay rights activists and secularists in other countries, who continue to bother and pursue protests outside Churches? Has the current Pope been protested before? Have other Popes been protested?

What does this man care about what the Catholic Church thinks about him, or people like him. No one is forced to be Catholic, no one is forced to follow the teachings.

 

[Aquinas62]

What does this man care about what the Catholic Church thinks about him, or people like him. No one is forced to be Catholic, no one is forced to follow the teachings.

No, but they want to force the church to give it’s official blessing and validation for their “lifestyle”. They cannot abide the fact that there is a portion of society that does not fall for their lies.

 

[barb_finnegan]

No, but they want to force the church to give it’s official blessing and validation for their “lifestyle”. They cannot abide the fact that there is a portion of society that does not fall for their lies.

Bingo, Aquinas! You hit it right on the head!

 

[Aquinas62]

Thanks Barb!!

 

[wisdomseeker]

telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/7801076/Catholics-blast-hostile-C4-film-about-the-Pope.html

This is outrageous. Channel 4 have gone way too far this time. Look at this derogatory picture of the Pope that Peter dragged around at a gay rights campaign:

pinknews.co.uk/images/dunacntatchell.jpg

This is a man who is going to present a documentary about the Pope? How can he be impartial. Is this a joke? And what does he really know about Catholicism? I’ve noticed with C4, Muslim documentary let’s get a Muslim to present it, atheist documentary, let’s get an atheist to present it, a Christian documentary, let’s get an outsider, not a Christian, and someone who is not impartial either but someone who hates the Church.

this is not as bad as it was in the of the Apostles, and the Apostles never wined about it.
cant we take persecution gracefully? where is our humility? where did it go?

our Lord is letting all this happened to teach us humility, something that seems to be allien to all of us.

 

[mastersplanX4]

this is not as bad as it was in the of the Apostles, and the Apostles never wined about it.
cant we take persecution gracefully? where is our humility? where did it go?

our Lord is letting all this happened to teach us humility, something that seems to be allien to all of us.

You are so right. People with the ability to discern who have a heart for God can look at the facts and see how wrong the protestors are. I almost never want to side with hard-liners. When they are obviously wrong it makes me question all the positions where I find myself in agreement with them. Maybe this can work to convert our brothers and sisters on the fence? May the HOLY SPIRIT use this event to bring our UK brothers and sisters home.

 

[Habesha]

this is not as bad as it was in the of the Apostles, and the Apostles never wined about it.
cant we take persecution gracefully? where is our humility? where did it go?

our Lord is letting all this happened to teach us humility, something that seems to be allien to all of us.

I understand, but there is a line. Tatchell is being extremely disrespectful to a Church he probably doesn’t even fully understand.

 

[Aquinas62]

this is not as bad as it was in the of the Apostles, and the Apostles never wined about it.
cant we take persecution gracefully? where is our humility? where did it go?

our Lord is letting all this happened to teach us humility, something that seems to be allien to all of us.

Maybe Our Lord is letting this happen to see if we will defend his shepherd and his Church when confronted with the Gods of this world. I am sure the Apostles confronted the attackers in their day.

Humility has nothing to do with addressing the evil that attacks us. Not addressing this is not humble, it is shameful. We have a right/ no a duty to answer back when confronted with this type of in your face evil and misinformation.

 

[Habesha]

Maybe Our Lord is letting this happen to see if we will defend his shepherd and his Church when confronted with the Gods of this world. I am sure the Apostles confronted the attackers in their day.

Humility has nothing to do with addressing the evil that attacks us. Not addressing this is not humble, it is shameful. We have a right/ no a duty to answer back when confronted with this type of in your face evil and misinformation.

Exactly!