PONDERING PAPAL PREPONDERANCE…

PONDERING PAPAL PREPONDERANCE…

Engraving Showing an Inca King Bowing To A Conquestador

As religions go one might say that The Catholic Church is doing quite well after nearly 1,688 years since its founding in ancient Rome.  Roman Catholicism is a relatively young religion; in fact, it is only about 357 years older than Islam which was founded around 1,331 years ago. Judaism is nearly 2,325 years older than Roman Catholicism.   Comparatively there is evidence that the Hindu faith began 5,132 years ago nearly 3,624 years prior to Roman Catholicism.  To put this equation into proper context one must look to Africa where the Cushitic or Egyptian culture and religion began to flourish more than 8,000 years ago, nearly 6,325 years before Catholicism or Christianity had even been thought of. 

Inca Gold Artifact Similar To Those Taken Back To Europe.

It is remarkable that in spite of the fact there are still religions far older and larger than Roman Catholicism the media is often ignores them in lieu of even the slightest news of the Pope.  The global preponderance that The Catholic Church has seized in its brief history is largely tied to the fact that it has emerged as a major economic power often leading the march of manifest destiny as nations have fallen under its influence.  In the Ancient world, the wealth of The Catholic Church came from conquests in the Middle East and Europe  but as Islam and Protestantism drove them out of The Catholic Church rooted itself in the new world redoubling its wealth and power from the exploitation of Latin American resources alone. 

The Spaniards Murdered Millions Of Pre-Colombian Peoples  Launching  A Tide Of Genocide.

The Roman Catholic Church has bought its place in the global stage through a bloody and violent history.  Considering barbaric legacy of The Catholic Church having executed the genocide of nearly all the indigenous Pre-Columbian cultures in Latin America, the Caribbean and North America it is more than appropriate that the voice of its last frontier has been raised to the holy altar of Rome.  But one cannot help but wonder if this unprecedented marvel is owed more to a to a deeply rooted sense guilt expressed as if in expiation for sins of the past!  Or is it a last desperate grasp for some kind of manifest destiny now that Europe has turned its back on the church.  Selecting Popes from the ruins of communism in Eastern Europe may not have stirred enough of the souls of the faithful.  Europe is wearied by dogma; it is still haunted by the cold war.  It has been hundreds of years since the Spanish Galleons sailed away with the riches of the new world leaving a broken, corrupt and impoverished Latin America behind.  The price Latin America’s surviving aboriginal populations paid for salvation was hardly an even trade for the obliteration of their culture but at the end of the day, that is all they got, a rosary a gaily painted Santa Maria and a dizzying canopy of sun tanned cherubs set in a crumbling Chiaroscuro, Baroque Basilica.  In contrast, one must visit the fabulous cathedrals of Toledo and Seville in Spain in order to marvel at the vast wealth stolen from Latin America.  Of course, one has also to visit St. Peters, the papal seat, to see how the exploitation of Latin American wealth and resources manifested itself in great works of art and architecture dedicated to the glory of a European god over the gods of savages and to European greed and lust for power.  As its real power wanes in Europe The Catholic Church has returned to the crime scene again, pouring over the bones of old victims, looking for refreshment in a world it has forgotten for nearly three hundred years…

Pre-Colombian Gold Effigies

For this and many other reasons I find the recent selection of the pontiff from Argentina to be an unremarkable and rather desperate move.  Latin America is the last place on the planet that The Catholic Church has not worn out its welcome!  While it weathers out its scandals elsewhere, (a survival skill it has refined down to an art), It anticipates the breaking of new-old ground in Latin America; but will the scandals follow?

Gold Plaque

Like every other continent, Latin America faces issues of overpopulation, poverty and illiteracy.  In a world where there are fewer resources, fewer jobs, not enough money, too many people and not enough civil rights The obvious issues of abortion, women’s rights, tolerance of sexually diverse lifestyles and many others that are common to twenty-first century human culture will challenge The Catholic Church in Latin America to step up to the plate or be relegated to that hallowed and respected but obsolete corner of human consciousness where it is ever and anon finding itself in the minds of progressive men and women. 

A Noble Pre-Colombian At The Time Of The Conquistadors

Save for the purpose of weak, “Coffee Talk,” I have already become bored with the entire media drama surrounding the new Pontiff.  It already appears that this represents an intensification of the conservatism of The Catholic Church in a time of otherwise unprecedented social growth.  The fact that the new Pope is from the lugubriously racist country of Argentina bodes even worse for the cause of global tolerance.  For too many years the Catholic Church has done nothing but blow smoke up the asses of innocent and impressionable peoples and whether it was white or black smoke, the smell was just as foul!  For my part I am utterly bored with the entire affair of pondering papal preponderance…

Gold Mask

Written by David Vollin