Vatican II- Declaration on religious freedom

Not to mention the fact that he saved Peter Griffin's relationship with his father.

 

lol

 

Heaven check out the book A Moral Reckoning by Daniel Jonah Goldhagen.

 

I am Catholic, and from the Czech Republic. I give him AND REAGAN respect for what they did. Fuck the USSR and those bastards, what they did to my people and every other Eastern Bloc nation was horrendous.

 

Jozak,

I am not suggesting that the Soviet bloc was anything but the horrendous nightmare it had become. It had to go, I am not for one moment disputing that. As a Czech, I am sure you are far more informed about what life was like in those days than I am. Certainly, I wouldn't presume to say my view could possibly be as accurate as yours about how grim it all was.

I just don't think that the type of analysis of the end of the USSR which gives credit to the west for bringing down the system by exerting pressure from the outside is accurate. My own understanding is increasingly that it colapsed from internal pressure. People had ultimately had enough. The system was seriously dysfunctional. The Pope may have had some symbolic role in it, but I think he's been given too much credit by some.

When I said he's anti-socialist, I meant socialism, not the soviet system that masqueraded under that name. Like we had here in the UK back in the 60's and 70's. Democratic socialism. Not necessarily based on Marxism (we had our own home grown 'fabian' socialism)
The so called 'new right' led by Reagan and Thatcher has been identified by Fukayama who I mentioned before, as allying itself as closely as possible with JP II in the early days of his pontificate. Since Mrs. T was the sworn enemy of socialism, and tore the fabric of this country to pieces in order to virtually eradicate it as a serious political force, I assume that the pope who cosied up to her and Reagan shares the same view.
And in the end what is that view or ideology? That money rules all, and everything is to be subordinated to market forces. OK for the afluent western nations, bad news for the majority of the world's population in the 3rd world. And even in the west. or at least here in the uk, increasingly it's a division of society into the haves and have nots.
In short, myself I see some form of socialism in this democratic, non-totalitarian sense as very much in line with Christ's injunction to care for the poor, the sick, the weak. In this country, there have been links between socialist and Christian agenda's, best exemplified by people such as the late Lord Soper.
Global capitalism really doesn't give a shit.
But - it doesn't send you to Siberia either.
Soon, there will be a new pope, and maybe some new energy is needed now.