BBC Says Pope is a "Plaintiff"

The following text was extracted from the BBC UK web site:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11333448

"The plaintiff also said that a 'dictatorship of relativism' threatened 'to obscure the unchanging truth about man's nature, his destiny and his ultimate good.'"

Notice the word "plaintiff" in place of "pontiff". Does this show what the BBC really thinks of our good Pope Benedict XVI? One can hope not, but in my opinion, it does.

Yesterday I was contacted by the BBC World Service with a new invitation to partake in today’s programme World Have Your Say, which clearly intends to focus on recent controversies preceding the pontiff’s visit to the UK and on the Pope's remark on radical secularism. Can we hope for an objective view, or is it liklier that we'll witness the discontextualisation of quotes again?

In speaking to Ben, one of the producers of the show, one finds a level-headed man who admits having no personal experience of the Catholic Church (or religion) and a man who admits the Church is under attack.But why do people fear the Church in progressive countries?

The answer is simple: Because they have little contact with it, they are easily convinced of the demonization of priests and Popes. They do not see the good that the Church quietly pursues in promoting education, health institutions, charity and spiritual solace around the globe. In speaking to Pearce, a jolly techie visiting the studio from Britain, I found that this is a little our own fault for not making a fuss of what we do, but then again, by doctrine, we're not supposed to.

Here comes the key question: Why? Why is the Catholic Church specifically (and religion in general) under attack? Could it be that Catholics stand against socio-economic tendencies that seek to generate and concentrate wealth in detriment of human dignity and world ecology? Could it be that Christian values and morals are contrary to rampant consumerism and offer a perennial form of fulfilment that far outdoes the ephemeral pleasures of an hedonistic society?

If you can honestly answer this question, then you will be well into understanding why religion is under attack in Western Society. You will then understand the motive behind the banner.

Though yesterday's quick discussion over the phone took us through subjects such as why western laws once attempted to ensure freedom of religion and at the same time governments pressure the Church into giving up some of its values. We analysed ever so briefly why there is animosity against Christian thought and its relation to consumerism and materialism among other power driven agendas. Today's show never even touched the subject, which was a little disappointing. Even when I brought it up to Ros Atkins, the host, he just steered away from it.

The truth of the matter is: We're in all of this together. That's the message Pope Benedict is trying to convey. "Respect" and "tolerance" are key concepts if we are ever to build a world-wide community.

Did the show focus on this? Yeah a little, so there's a pat on the back for the BBC. As for the "Third World" slip of the tong by the Pope's Cardinal, well, after the "plaintiff for pontiff" slip of the keyboard at the very BBC, I think it could have been left out.

At least I'm glad the BBC corrected their "typo".