Barry Duke, the Angry Atheist

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   You get drivel about aliens, abduction etc from all sorts of people, not just Christians – there are atheists, agnostics…

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   […] last time I had had occasion to write about Rowan County clerk Kim Davis, above, was three years ago…

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   Whatever is presented on the BBC, and I must admit I do not watch the TV, the fact is that…

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   “The curriculum had already drawn tensions among the county’s religious parents, with some worrying about appropriateness and arguing the material…

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   As someone who produced dozens of nativity plays as a teacher and a Sunday School leader, that title ‘A Gay…

PORTUGAL’S famed street artist, Bordalo II, broke into the grounds of an altar/stage created for WYD 2023, saying in a Facebook post “in a secular state, at a time when many people are fighting to keep their homes, their work and their dignity, millions of public funds have been invested to sponsor the tour of the Italian Multinational.”

Reuters reported yesterday that the artist’s daring stunt, which he dubbed “the walk of shame”, was intended to highlight the huge amount of money being lavished on the jamboree, due to take place from August 1 to 6.

Bordalo II—real name Artur Bordalo—is known for his political art pieces often made from garbage.

According to this report Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas defended the papal visit as an opportunity to promote the city and its values, as well as to welcome pilgrims from different cultures and religions.

He said he respected Bordalo II’s artistic expression and his right to protest, but he did not agree with his message.

Image via Facebook/Bordalo II

I think it is normal that there are different opinions and voices about these events. I think it is part of democracy and freedom.

He added that he hoped the Pope would not be offended by the carpet and that he would appreciate the diversity and creativity of Lisbon’s street art scene.

Official estimates in January showed the event would cost €161-million which will be paid by the government, the Catholic Church, the city council of Lisbon and nearby Lourdes

The stage, created specially for Pope Francis address to young people from around the world, got mired in controversy earlier this year when it was revealed that it would cost in the region of €4.24 million.

Image via YouTube

Back in January the Auxiliary bishop of Lisbon Américo Aguiar, above, said the cost of the altar-stage “hurts everyone”.

Plans for a memorial for clerical abuse victims put on hold

In unveiling plans earlier this year for WYD the Portuguese Episcopal Conference (CEP) promised that the many victims clerical abuse in the the country—almost 5,000—would be would be commemorated during WYD with a memorial.

But it then reneged on its promise.

Aguiar—whom Pope Francis will elevate to cardinal on September 30— said in a joint interview with Público and Rádio Renascença on March 14, that the memorial “is not the happiest way” to commemorate the victims. He admitting that the idea caused him some “discomfort.”

He suggested such a memorial would create a an unwelcome distraction during the event.

I don’t know if it’s the most positive expression of what we can and should do.

In February of this year, the Independent Commission for the Study of Sexual Abuse against Children in the Portuguese Catholic Church announced the validation of 512 testimonies of alleged cases of abuse in Portugal, extrapolating at least 4,815 victims.

Twenty-five cases were sent to the Public Ministry, which opened 15 inquiries, nine of which were filed.

The testimonies refer to cases that occurred between 1950 and 2022, the time frame covered by the commission’s work.

In the report, the commission warned that the data collected from church archives on the incidence of sexual abuse “should be understood as the ‘tip of the iceberg’” of this phenomenon.

Later some dioceses cautiously removed priests from ministry.

According to Religion News Service, Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability, a U.S. group that maintains an online archive on abuse in the Catholic Church, said Portugal’s bishops had expected the independent commission would help them restore trust by revealing the the RCC’s history of abuse and cover-up while allowing them to “apologize, give assurances of reform, and move on.”

Their plan backfired terribly. With its finding of nearly 5,000 victims and its startling claim of accused priests still in ministry, the commission turned out to be more independent than the bishops bargained for … It was a disastrous miscalculation.

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