Pope under fire

This morning's Telegraph carries an interesting story from Paul Squire in Rome.

He reports that a source within the Vatican is describing Pope Benedict's reign as a disaster and claiming that he is out of touch with the real world.

The Pontiff has not had a great week with his views on Aids and Condoms being banded around the media during his African visit.

These revelations though will surely only continue to harm a reign that has been shrouded in controversy not least over the backtracking of excommunication over a holocaust denying Bishop.

Gordon has papal backing

Gordon Brown has been given praise from the Vatican's favourite economist Ettori Gotti Tedeschi.

Paul Waugh has broken this news at his London Evening Standard blog.

It appears that our Prime Minister's championing of creating a world bank that distributes money from the rich countries to the poor ones

When I came up with the idea for a 'good bank' and wrote about it in 'L'Osservatore Romano', I never imagined that it would be picked up by the head of the World Bank, and even by English prime minister Gordon Brown."

Will somebody rid us of this troublesome priest (Part 2)

Yesterday it was Rowan Williams and today it is the Pope.

This time it is not Gordon Brown's economic rescue package but the world itself that comes under attack as his holiness condemns the same sex relationship and says it is as much of a threat to the world as the destruction of the rain forests.

Benedict has been called the first green pope and the Vatican earlier this year installed solar panels in its papal audience hall.

There us little doubt then that Benedict was not criticizing the green movement but rather was showing his hatred of homosexuality.

An administrator on Gay Cork, an Irish gay forum, writes: "And we thought John Paul II was bad. A sad day for the Roman Catholic church and its members indeed."

reports the Guardian's news blog

Iain Dale reminds his holiness of the papacy's connections to the Nazis and adds that

if he considers it such an abomination, why he doesn't root out the "deviants" (using his own language) among his own Catholic Priesthood. Because let's face it, there are plenty of them. It has been suggested that more than a quarter, and possibly up to half of Catholic priests may be gay, yet the Pope seems to consider it OK to allow them to continue administering to their flocks. Perhaps he thinks it's OK as long as they keep themselves to themselves.

Anyway not doubt the seasonal exclaimations of the moral authority will continue over this festive season

Can the Pope sort out our economy?

Will Hutton writing in this morning's Observer claims that

when it comes to reforming the unstable market economy, the Catholic church is leading where New Labour fears to tread

Pointing out that

Catholicism has outlasted both communism and socialism

and

although the religion's critics are right to point to the paradox of its championing of the poor with its own love of the good life and exquisite art, together with its extraordinary capacity to be as deft as any secular politician in the pursuit of its aims, there is an integrity, appeal and spirituality about its purpose that even an agnostic non-Catholic like me has to concede

His argument is that unlike New Labour

although the religion's critics are right to point to the paradox of its championing of the poor with its own love of the good life and exquisite art, together with its extraordinary capacity to be as deft as any secular politician in the pursuit of its aims, there is an integrity, appeal and spirituality about its purpose that even an agnostic non-Catholic like me has to concede