Media Watch - various relevant articles in the media

[cyclist]

"For covering up crimes of abuse, and by so doing actually causing the sexual abuse of more children ... we ask God's forgiveness," Archbishop Martin told the congregation.

Don't ask for god's forgiveness, ask for forgiveness from your victims!

This is a small step, admitting that there is a problem is the first step to finding a solution. They still have a long way to go, and I feel that this isn't much more than a token gesture, but it is something.

James

[RealityRules]

The archbishop of Dublin washed the feet of victims of clerical abuse on Sunday in one of the most visible acts of contrition for the systemic mistreatment of children that has shattered the Irish Catholic Church.

Applying tokenistic catholic religious rituals seems so tokenistic. Oh, someone pointed that out

"Today was a sham, hollow words," Michael O'Brien, 78, said after the liturgy.

[snip]

He said the church hierarchy continued to treat victims with disdain and were using token gestures as a public relations exercise.

"Why has the Pope not apologised to the Irish people?" he said. "Washing the feet of people in this church will not give us peace."

The pope ordered the Irish church to cover it up, then publicly criticised them for it - hypocritical wanker.

[Sieveboy]

Bureau of Meterology head Dr Ayers tells Cardinal Pell he is misguided. SMH title is a bit less kind to Pell.

SMH

BoM chief lashes Pell over climate stance
The head of the Bureau of Meteorology has rebuked Cardinal George Pell for his scepticism about climate change, insisting the man has been misled.
Sydney's Catholic Archbishop is an outspoken disbeliever in man-made global warming, arguing that it was hotter during the Middle Ages and carbon dioxide levels are not historically high.
Bureau chief Greg Ayers used an appearance at a Senate estimates hearing yesterday to rip into the cardinal's personal views.
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He said the core of his arguments were based on a book by Australian scientist Ian Plimer called Heaven and Earth: Global Warming the Missing Science.
But Cardinal Pell's convictions were misplaced, Dr Ayers said.
"The contents of the book are simply not scientific," he told the committee.
"The cardinal has been misled."
The book has been routinely dismissed by fellow scientists, who criticised it as a "polemic from one individual", including phrases not at all based in science.
It contained gratuitous attacks on climate change campaigners in government, such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Australia's former climate change minister Penny Wong.
Over 10 minutes, Dr Ayers outlined a litany of errors repeated by Cardinal Pell, rubbishing one particular reference to greenhouse gases and nitrogen.
"It's not a greenhouse gas; it's 78 per cent of the atmosphere," Dr Ayers said.
He'll be writing to Cardinal Pell in due course, asking him to come on a tour around the country visiting scientists working in the climate change field.
Dr Ayers believes he has a conversion on his hands.
"Cardinal Pell may well become an ambassador of the quality of the science we do in this country," he said.
Liberal senator Ian Macdonald had earlier tried to shut down Dr Ayers' attack, by suggesting he make his point in a written submission to the committee only.
Neither Cardinal Pell nor Professor Plimer was likely to be given the same opportunity to speak at a Senate hearing, he argued.
But chairman Doug Cameron dismissed his concerns and allowed Dr Ayers to complete his comments in full.

Nice little added point that Prof Plimer gets a kicking as well for attacking the messenger and not the science. (Its a classic example of a scientist in a related field saying the other field has it all wrong because the scientists field is superior [Geology over Climatology]). On topic, as Dr Ayers slapped Pell with one hand, he reached out with the other. I might have to dig up the Hansard/Parlimentary recording for this one.

[Fromm_Nicht]

Originally Posted by The Irreverent Mr Black

ABC Linky

A sly way of washing his hands while others were looking at the feet?

Perhaps some were haunted by memories of the showers?

So they've gone from pedophilia to podophilia?

[Logic]

Just can't stop being all touchy feely can they!

[Dowser]

Good blog entry from Neurologica titled "Atheism and Morality"

http://theness.com/neurologicablog/?p=2884

[DanDare]

Typical, typical, typical for our theocratic pollies to give money to a religious organisation without attaching qualifications and responsibilities or any kind of audit. Anna Bligh and her government are dreadful with this stuff. Of course the LNP would be worse.

[RealityRules]

One benefit of an engage monarchy, and hopefully the sort of engagement we will continue to see for as long as the monarchy persists

Britain froze the assets of Muammar Gaddafi and his five children on Sunday evening at an emergency meeting of the Privy Council at Windsor castle presided over by the Queen.

The chancellor, George Osborne, acted amid reports that the Libyan leader had moved £3bn to Britain last week.

www.guardian.co.uk/world/vgaddafi-family-assets-frozen-queen

In a separate cloak-and-dagger operation, £900m of Libyan currency was impounded in Britain.

[Loki]

They are not acting alone but implimenting a UN sanction.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12589434

[RealityRules]

Originally Posted by Loki

They are not acting alone but implimenting a UN sanction.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12589434

Sure, but Lizzie got right into it and legitimised it.

I have liked her more since she told the Anglican synod in Nov 2010 to respect non-believers

the Queen said the place of religion had come to be a matter of "lively discussion" in a more "diverse and secular" society.