The visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the UK should reoresent a great opportunity for the head of the Catholic Church to connect with the millions of catholics here in Britain.
However wherever the Pope goes there is sometimes controversy, with accusations of the catholic church covering up abuse often talking points among many.
The Pope has taken certain measures to address such issues although opinions are divided as to whether he has done enough. Pope Benedict has admitted failures on the part of the Catholic Church to act decisively enough, which has been seen by some as too little too late after the recent scandals in Belgium where 13 abuse victims committed suicide.
There's also been negative press regarding the cost to the British tax-payer of the Pope's visit which will cost 12 million pounds.
There gave also been protests by Gay and Women's rights activists who are unhappy with their treatment by the Catholic Church and the cost of the Pope's visit to the taxpayer.
What the Pope did not need when he visited the UK was more controversy created by one of his own aides, yet that is exactly what he got with a rather needless not to mention erroneous comment by Cardinal Walter Kasper a catholic church leader in scotland.
Kasper claimed that Britain was a third world country after flying into Heathrow. Speaking to German magazine Focus Kasper said: "England today is a secularised, pluralistic country. When you land at Heathrow Airport, you sometimes think you'd landed in a Third World country."
These comments are offensive on many different levels. For starters Britain is as far from a third world country as possible, also many third world countries which have real problems regarding poverty, famine and disease would argue that to claim britain is 'third world' merely trivialises their plight.
The other point is that comments like these have no place being made by someone in a position of religious authority who should be doing his best to promote the idea of catholicism in britain- or at least showing a willingness to be welcoming to people of all faiths.
With the whole of the UK looking at the catholic church, Kasper's comments couldn't have come at a worse time. Let's just hope Kasper issues the apology many- including leading Catholics have been asking him for.
Britain is surely not as bad as some third world country, right?
Is that your point?
I think so, Giedre.
Thanks for the comments guys, sorry my point wasn’t clearer but yes you’re both right- I’ve added a couple of sentences in the article to make it clearer. I just cannot believe an educated minister would make such ridiculous comments at such an important time.
Britain is nowhere near a third world country and Kasper knows that.
It’s really unfortunate that online comments cannot entirely express sarcasm and irony. That was what my previous comment intended to do.
That remark was offensive, but not because Britain got offended as it does not like being associated with negative labels. There is no first world or fifth world, there are only poor people, rich people and arrogant people. And the poor are poor because the rich are rich.
Secondly, it is understood he said what he said because he was surprised to see so many people whose skin colour is not white. How are those airport workers supposed to feel, when they’re not being acknowledged as British only because they are not white?
@Giedre: “Secondly, it is understood he said what he said because he was surprised to see so many people whose skin colour is not white” - is that to mean that, indirectly, Kasper believes that a high number of ‘non-whites’ must mean the country isn’t developed? I believe, and correct me if I’m wrong, that’s called racism.
Nope, but not for any good reasons.
thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/columnists/clarkson/article1655505.ece