'Bout time

The Catholic pope is going to start reading the Bible! I think this is a great idea. That particular book needs a rereading with, one hopes, a more critical eye than has previously been employed by the Catholic church.

Perhaps the pope will latch onto one of the lead characters in the second half of the book, a guy named Jesus who unfortunately dies young. He seems to have some radical ideas about love and acceptance of the "other" which the Catholic church might find a refreshing change.

After reading the Bible, perhaps the pope could move onto the Gnostic gospels. Then, if he wants to dig a tad deeper, he could look at the historical remnants of the many pre-Christian religions from which, to speak delicately, the Christian church "borrowed" their major symbols and rites. If he has any energy or time after these endeavors, he could take a look at some basic texts dealing with conception, the rights of women, the rights of the oppressed to liberate themselves, and many other eye-opening topics.

I wish the Catholic pope luck. I'm hopeful that, given the proper attention, his studies will lead him to walk out on the balcony above St.Peter's square and announce that he's dismantling the Vatican, selling off the art, and taking the money to South America where he will dedicate his life to teaching the poor about birth control.