By Da Chipster

My agnosticism is well-documented here, but I’m still a homer for the religion I grew up in, and this Pope gives me hope for Catholicism.

Pope Frank just weiged in – indirectly – on Ferguson, and the poor schmuck in my state who got executed for carrying a toy WalMart gun in WalMart, and Georgie Zimmerman and “stand your ground” and every good-guy-with-a-gun meme:

“‘the death penalty, illegally and to a varying extent, is applied all over the planet,’ because ‘extrajudicial executions’ are often disguised as ‘clashes with offenders or presented as the undesired consequences of the reasonable, necessary and proportionate use of force to apply the law.'”

Not to mention, he took this whack at the so-called “extraordinary rendition” of Kim Jong Bush II and his Reign of Error:

“He also rebuked unspecified governments involved in kidnapping people for ‘illegal transportation to detention centers in which torture is practiced.'”

Finally, he nailed today’s GOP and its TeaBirchers:

“The pope spoke scathingly about the mentality of the typical corrupt person, whom he described as conceited, unable to accept criticism, and prompt to insult and even persecute those who disagree with him.

“‘The corrupt one does not perceive his own corruption. It is a little like what happens with bad breath: someone who has it hardly ever realizes it; other people notice and have to tell him,’ the pope said. ‘Corruption is an evil greater than sin. More than forgiveness, this evil needs to be cured.'”

Holy Halitosis!