Yes— while the Leader of the Free World stumbles when not accompanied by the Teleprompter, the 81 year old Pontiff proceeds quite well without one, in multiple languages.
Witness the Pope’s reply, when asked if the Church’s approach to the AIDS problem in Africa is unrealistic:
Benedict XVI:
“I would say the opposite. I think that the reality that is most effective, the most present and the strongest in the fight against AIDS, is precisely that of the Catholic Church, with its programs and its diversity. I think of the Sant’Egidio Community, which does so much visibly and invisibly in the fight against AIDS … and of all the sisters at the service of the sick.
“I would say that one cannot overcome this problem of AIDS only with money — which is important, but if there is no soul, no people who know how to use it, (money) doesn’t help.
“One cannot overcome the problem with the distribution of condoms. On the contrary, they increase the problem.
“The solution can only be a double one: first, a humanization of sexuality, that is, a spiritual human renewal that brings with it a new way of behaving with one another; second, a true friendship even and especially with those who suffer, and a willingness to make personal sacrifices and to be with the suffering. And these are factors that help and that result in real and visible progress.
“Therefore I would say this is our double strength — to renew the human being from the inside, to give him spiritual human strength for proper behavior regarding one’s own body and toward the other person, and the capacity to suffer with the suffering. … I think this is the proper response and the church is doing this, and so it offers a great and important contribution. I thank all those who are doing this.”
Ok, Barack, don’t try doing this without your teleprompter. You haven’t got a prayer.
Liberals, Listen up…….. because the Head of Harvard’s AIDS Prevention Research Project concurs with the Pope. (You see, the Pope watches the science.) Both Dr. Edward C Green, and Pope Benedict know that studies are NOT showing condom distribution to be causing a decrease in the spread of HIV. A paradoxical increase is seen instead, over the last 25 years of effort, and the cause is behavioral.
Dr Green:
“There is, a consistent association shown by our best studies, including the U.S.-funded ‘Demographic Health Surveys,’ between greater availability and use of condoms and higher (not lower) HIV-infection rates. This may be due in part to a phenomenon known as risk compensation, meaning that when one uses a risk-reduction ‘technology’ such as condoms, one often loses the benefit (reduction in risk) by ‘compensating’ or taking greater chances than one would take without the risk-reduction technology.”
I completely agree with this. Human behaviour has to change, and we have to stop treating each other like trash cans to use and discard. Jesus exemplified what it truly means to be human. Not just by loving and healing and teaching people the right way to live, but also by pointing out what was wrong. We need both the do's and the don'ts – and let he who has the ears to hear listen.