"The Catholic Church is a force for good in the world" (8 of 13)

Stephen Fry concedes that his opposition to the motion is a deeply personal and emotional one. He criticises the Catholic Church not only for the horrors it has perpetrated in the past, but also for its ideology, and for its sinister temerity to preach that there is no salvation outside of the Church. With two words he refutes Anne Widdecombes suggestion that the Catholic Church does not have the powers of a nation state: The Vatican. As a homosexual, Fry reflects how bizarre it is to be accused of being immoral and a pervert by an institution that has persistently hushed up the rape and abuse of children under its care, and whose leading members, abstentious nuns and priests, all share an attitude towards sex that is utterly unnatural and dysfunctional.

He concludes by questioning whether Jesus, as a humble Jewish carpenter, would have approved of all the pomp and excess of the Catholic Church, and whether he would even have been accepted by such an arrogant organisation.

Full video available at http://www.intelligencesquared.com/events/catholic-church, audio available to download as a podcast from iTunes.

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[Kevo216666]

Stephen Fry must be knighted immediatly.

[nw10skf]

What a wonderful man.I just want to hug him.

[markusrule]

The draconian wench that is Ann Widdecombe needs to retire from UK politics

[zapopaul]

@Kevo216666 Knighthood has become to common these days. Too many people who didn't deserved it got it making it meaningless. Far better I think if Stephen fry marked his tombstone with "Here lies Stephen Fry, who wasn't anything, not even a night."

[timewilltell7]

watch Roman Empire Rules Today on google vid - see after 11 mins

[pennymerelle]

@Kevo216666 Another backward institution if you ask me...

[Mengzi]

@DieselGreaves Normally I would agree when it comes to celebrity worship and the arbitrary attribution of baseless importance to celebrity opinion, but Stephen Fry is a legitimate journalist, writer, and a genuine intellectual.

[skyzefawlun]

@DieselGreaves so was Ronald Reagan.

Your point?

[redfir9]

@Englishdosser86 Especially when he asked what the Galilean carpenter would think of the church, that he would be horrified. He'd also be disgusted.

[IrishGamingSociety]

@Kevo216666

I thought he was already

[equallyeasilyfuqyou]

of course the church shouldn't let homosexuals in, it's a "sin"

that's the harsh reality of christianity, and it's suppessive as fuck

[ez3usx2]

if the church is interested in doing good,they should close.