Althouse: "It was the third papal meeting for Laura, 57, a saucy Paraguayan sex worker who, in her realest moments, described herself as 'una travesti'..."

৫ মে, ২০২৪

"It was the third papal meeting for Laura, 57, a saucy Paraguayan sex worker who, in her realest moments, described herself as 'una travesti'..."

"... outdated Spanish slang for 'a transgender woman.' She lived by a code: Tough girls don’t cry. But the first time Pope Francis had blessed her, she couldn’t suppress her tears. On their second meeting, they chatted over lunch. He came to know her well enough to ask about her health. On top of her longtime HIV, she’d had a recent cancer diagnosis. During treatment, the church sourced her a comfortable hotel room in the shadow of the Colosseum and provided food, money, medicine and tests...."

From "How Pope Francis opened the Vatican to transgender sex workers/The outreach, reflecting the most radical stage of his papacy, has prompted backlash while also altering the lives of the nearly 100 people he has met" (WaPo)(free access link).

"'Groups of trans come all the time,' Francis told fellow Jesuits in Lisbon last August. 'The first time they came, they were crying. I was asking them why. One of them told me, "I didn’t think the pope would receive me!" Then, after the first surprise, they made a habit of coming back. Some write to me, and I email them back. Everyone is invited! I realized these people feel rejected.'"

৪৮টি মন্তব্য:

Quaestor বলেছেন...: Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, sir.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.”

Somehow, I suspect Laura hasn't read that. And Francis, that exemplary prelate of the Church, probably didn't mention it.; ৫/৫/২৪, ৭:১৮ AM
tim maguire বলেছেন...: That’s fine, so long as he couples his hospitality with admonishment to change their ways. Jesus welcomed sinners, but he did not ignore their sins.; ৫/৫/২৪, ৭:২৫ AM
Leland বলেছেন...: Real women do cry and there is nothing wrong with it.; ৫/৫/২৪, ৭:২৮ AM
Sally327 বলেছেন...: This doesn't seem noteworthy so I think I'm missing the point of this article. Isn't it just the Pope doing his job as Vicar of Christ on earth, ministering to the lost, lonely and broken? I guess bcause it involves trans and sex, it calls for oohs and aahs.; ৫/৫/২৪, ৭:২৯ AM
BG বলেছেন...: Quaestor, that passage was also my first thought. Whatever happened to the part about “Go and sin no more.”?; ৫/৫/২৪, ৭:৩০ AM
Iman বলেছেন...: This pope seems to have lost his way.; ৫/৫/২৪, ৭:৩৯ AM
Humperdink বলেছেন...: The Lefty pope adheres to the Word of God (re: The Bible) the same way American Lefties read the Constitution. It says what ever you want it to say. No surprise.; ৫/৫/২৪, ৭:৪০ AM
ronetc বলেছেন...: Well, I don't know. Jesus did indeed associate with the outcast in His society, including the self-mutilating: Mark 5:1-20. However, He did not simply smile, pat them on the head, and move along. He recognized they needed hearing . . . and healed them.; ৫/৫/২৪, ৭:৪৪ AM
Chris বলেছেন...: You should have compassion for the sinner. But you should not condone the sin.; ৫/৫/২৪, ৭:৫০ AM
Bob Boyd বলেছেন...: People who have met Pope Francis say he's like an IV drip for the soul.

And not the hundred fifty dollar one. He's like the nine hundred dollar one with all the additives. He'll perk you right up, they say, spiritually.; ৫/৫/২৪, ৮:০৪ AM
tim maguire বলেছেন...: Funny reading the comments that we all have the exact same reaction: he is doing the first half of Jesus’ work, but we have very little faith that he is doing the second half.; ৫/৫/২৪, ৮:১৩ AM
Dave Begley বলেছেন...: I see where the Althouse community went straight to the heart of the matter and called the Pope out for his superficial Catholicism.; ৫/৫/২৪, ৮:২৪ AM
Aggie বলেছেন...: Did he choose them to save them, or to take the picture?; ৫/৫/২৪, ৮:৫৪ AM
Unknown বলেছেন...: Jesus also said “go and sin no more”
If the anti pope is saying that, I’ll eat his hat.; ৫/৫/২৪, ৯:০৬ AM
Paddy O বলেছেন...: The link only gives me a paragraph of text. I do wonder if the article refers to the recent papal declaration On Human Dignity which clearly states a position against the transgender movement and assumptions? That is essential for contextualizing this. The pope's actions here seem very pastoral, validating the real humanity. Christianity fails when it ontologizes behavior (you are what, or who, you do), and that is what it both helped become sadly common but also works more now against. We are all, Christian theology states, made in the image of God. And thus all are deserving of dignity, even if others or even ourselves do things against that dignity.; ৫/৫/২৪, ৯:১০ AM
n.n বলেছেন...: Trans/homosexuality etc is trendy but poorly attended, and Levine's dreams of herr Mengele are green as in profitable.; ৫/৫/২৪, ৯:৩১ AM
Paul বলেছেন...: What else are those 'trans' doing for the Pope?

Does the Pope not read the Bible??

To really believe in Christ you must TURN AWAY FROM EVIL.. REFORM YOUR LIVES.. AND FOLLOW JESUS'S COMMANDMENTS... Faith without works is DEAD. Works without faith is DEAD. You must have both.

1 Corinthians 6:10
"Or do you not know that the unrighteous[b] will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."

Revelation 21:8
"But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Matthew 7:21-23
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ "

Galatians 5:19-21
"Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."

Romans 1:26-32: “Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them."

Timothy 1:8-11, and Jude verse 7, and Leviticus 18:22

The Pope is thinking 'here and now' instead of thinking about their soul! He is judging by human standards and not by Gods.; ৫/৫/২৪, ৯:৩৭ AM
Narr বলেছেন...: They can have each other.; ৫/৫/২৪, ৯:৩৭ AM
Ampersand বলেছেন...: The word "saucy" bothers me. It has so many different meanings and connotations that the adjective tells me nothing.; ৫/৫/২৪, ১০:০৭ AM
The Vault Dweller বলেছেন...: 'una travesti'..."
"... outdated Spanish slang for 'a transgender woman.'

I don't speak Spanish so I don't know for certain, but something tells me the fact that the word has vesti in it means it isn't outdated slang for a transgender woman but means something closer to transvestite. I really loathe manipulative tactics like this. It is absolutely deceitful but it feels fine to the people who use them because to them the larger good is getting people to believe the untruth that those who many commonly call Transwomen really are women and not just men affecting the appearance of women. In order to do that words and even the concept itself of a man who wants to wear women's clothes must be airbrushed away.; ৫/৫/২৪, ১০:১৩ AM
mikee বলেছেন...: Paul (9:37) does something that my hyper-traditional religious family members do: assume a mantle of righteousness backed up by Bible verses to condemn an action of charity and those receiving it. Be nice to people, it won't corrode their souls or yours. Paul should not assume to pronounce God's standards here on earth, he might not get them correct. Paul won't listen, but to hell with that, and to hell with him, very likely, for his lack of care for others.

A family member, discussing future care of our aged mother, noted that "God doesn't send suffering that the soul can't bear" and pronounced that painkillers in hospice settings were therefore immoral. I made sure that person had zero control over Mom's future care decisions both legally and with other family members. But I let her state her horrifying beliefs without argument, because such self-righteousness is impervious to any input.; ৫/৫/২৪, ১০:৫৩ AM
Narayanan বলেছেন...: Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.”
=================
I read Jesus is redefining 'sin' > going her way is not sin; ৫/৫/২৪, ১০:৫৭ AM
Christopher B বলেছেন...: In defense of the Pope, if he was issuing an condemnation of their sexual conduct, I suspect that it wouldn't be reported in much the same way other comments he has made have been presented out of context. In a similar vein, if he were viewed as a theological and political conservative, all you'd hear about would be his condemnations.; ৫/৫/২৪, ১১:১০ AM
Chick বলেছেন...: Jesuits like to be trendsetters.; ৫/৫/২৪, ১১:১২ AM
Joe Smith বলেছেন...: It seems trite but it's true; Saints don't need to go to church...; ৫/৫/২৪, ১১:১৩ AM
Earnest Prole বলেছেন...: Strangely Althouse’s righteous commenters failed to mention Matthew 7:1, Judge not, that ye be not judged.

We’re all sinners.; ৫/৫/২৪, ১১:২৫ AM
PM বলেছেন...: "Suffer the little children unto me."; ৫/৫/২৪, ১১:৩৬ AM
Iman বলেছেন...: “Saucy”? It ain’t even sassy.; ৫/৫/২৪, ১১:৩৭ AM
Ice Nine বলেছেন...: এই মন্তব্যটি লেখক দ্বারা সরানো হয়েছে।; ৫/৫/২৪, ১১:৪১ AM
Ice Nine বলেছেন...: OK, sure, nice Pope story. That aside...

>"Laura, 57, a saucy Paraguayan sex worker who, in her realest moments, described herself as “una travesti,” outdated Spanish slang for “a transgender woman.”"<

Ya know, I did a military tour in Asia and have been around a lot of "sex workers" (no, never partook, thank you - I've always been averse to renting it) and all - I thought - of the associated depravity. But I still can't come up with an answer to this question: Who in the hell pays for that?!; ৫/৫/২৪, ১১:৪৮ AM
Freeman Hunt বলেছেন...: They can't hear the good news if you don't let them in.; ৫/৫/২৪, ১২:০০ PM
Freeman Hunt বলেছেন...: I actually find this story touching. There are a lot of lost people out there, people who feel rejected and alone. Jesus welcomes all of them.; ৫/৫/২৪, ১২:০১ PM
mccullough বলেছেন...: Christianity is a luxury good; ৫/৫/২৪, ১২:৩২ PM
Humperdink বলেছেন...: Earnest Prloe said: "Strangely Althouse’s righteous commenters failed to mention Matthew 7:1, Judge not, that ye be not judged.

We’re all sinners."

That we are .... and then Jesus said go and sin no more. It's no mystery Earnest. We are to judge sin.; ৫/৫/২৪, ১২:৪৬ PM
Aggie বলেছেন...: ...because nothing says "the holy pilgrimage of the devout", like 3 trannies taking duck-face selfies outside the Vatican - a photo chosen for this WaPo story.

Instead of confronting the centuries-long pedophile abuses inside the church, that are continuing today, incidentally, and cleansing the papacy of these odious sins, this pope practices a selection that pulls the perverts out of the masses of the miserable downtrodden, and gives them a parade. It would seem that the church is moving in a direction consistent with its history, not so?

Not judging, just observing. There are still hungry and sick people out there, in the depths of poverty and suffering - right? Because I know there are Catholic diocese out there in the real world, that are still practicing their faith in word and spirit of the Lord.; ৫/৫/২৪, ১২:৫৪ PM
Krumhorn বলেছেন...: I sure hope that the Pope devotes an equivalent amount of time and effort receiving and communicating with the acolytes who were touched up by their priests back in a sticky corner of the sacristy.

- Krumhorn; ৫/৫/২৪, ১:২৫ PM
Deep State Reformer বলেছেন...: Francis probably washed he/she/them's feet too. The Roman Church too pozzed to go on living in all likelihood. WWJD?; ৫/৫/২৪, ১:৩৫ PM
Left Bank of the Charles বলেছেন...: The go and sin no more commenters didn’t read the article:

‘But sex work was something she wavered on. At times she talked about returning to it if her cancer treatments were a success. “I like life. I like prostitution. I like men,” she said in February. “I don’t have to explain myself to anyone.”

But just before her Holy Week meeting with the pope, she felt less certain. Nervously lighting a cigarette at a cafe off St. Peter’s Square, she said Don Andrea and the pope’s almoner, a Polish cardinal, were trying to change her mind. She inhaled the smoke. Let it out. She didn’t want to let them down. Maybe, she mused, she’d go back to Paraguay. Retire.’

Or they did read the article and are bearing fables witness.; ৫/৫/২৪, ২:২২ PM
Jim at বলেছেন...: If I hadn't already left the Church, this 'pope' would've cinched it for me long ago.; ৫/৫/২৪, ২:৩৪ PM
~ Gordon Pasha বলেছেন...: The age old question, Is the Pope Catholic, has a new answer, So much for Canon 915.; ৫/৫/২৪, ২:৫৮ PM
Paul বলেছেন...: mikee said...

"Paul (9:37) does something that my hyper-traditional religious family members do: assume a mantle of righteousness backed up by Bible verses to condemn an action of charity and those receiving it. Be nice to people, it won't corrode their souls or yours. Paul should not assume to pronounce God's standards here on earth, he might not get them correct. Paul won't listen, but to hell with that, and to hell with him, very likely, for his lack of care for others."

You are your brothers keeper. You are to love one another. To love your brother and sister one does not lead them into sin but instead you guide them away from sin.

Great to give them food, drink, or shelter but them to not insist they turn away from their sins is to give the sin a 'stamp of approval', a way to keep in sin.

How many times does it say in the bible, "Repent and turn away from sin?"

Read John 1... read the whole thing.. But I guess that does not appeal to you...; ৫/৫/২৪, ৩:৩৭ PM
Paul বলেছেন...: Earnest Prole said...

"Strangely Althouse’s righteous commenters failed to mention Matthew 7:1, Judge not, that ye be not judged.

We’re all sinners."

Well yes but we are our Brothers Keeper (least if they are of our faith.); ৫/৫/২৪, ৩:৩৯ PM
Earnest Prole বলেছেন...: That we are .... and then Jesus said go and sin no more. It's no mystery Earnest. We are to judge sin.

You’ve apparently confused yourself with Jesus.; ৫/৫/২৪, ৩:৪২ PM
Jersey Fled বলেছেন...: Just to be clear:

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/vatican-blasts-gender-affirming-surgery-surrogacy-gender-theory-rcna146824; ৫/৫/২৪, ৪:২৭ PM
Tomcc বলেছেন...: "Love the sinner, hate the sin". In a society that takes refuge in moral equivalency, there are no sins.; ৫/৫/২৪, ৫:৫৪ PM
Paul বলেছেন...: Earnest Prole said...

"You’ve apparently confused yourself with Jesus."

But St. Paul was not Jesus either....

1 Corinthians 6:10
"Or do you not know that the unrighteous[b] will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."; ৫/৫/২৪, ৮:৪৯ PM
Leora বলেছেন...: Some how I think of the part in "Of Human Bondage" when Philip tries to convince the syphilitic Mildred to give up her sex work. She does not. Does Francis ask them to sin no more?; ৫/৫/২৪, ১০:৩৮ PM
Earnest Prole বলেছেন...: Matthew 7:1 (Revised Version): Judge not, that ye be not judged, but if you find that burdensome just say ‘fuck it’ and do the opposite.; ৬/৫/২৪, ৮:৩১ AM