You think you know better than the Pope?
The Godfather Part III is terribly underrated, I think, because most of us just can’t get past Sofia Coppola. One of my favorite double easter eggs in it is the character of Michael Corleone’s press agent. His name is Dominic Abbandando and he is the grandson of Don Vito Corleone’s oldest friend and first consiglieri, Genco Abbandando. That’s one egg. But the actor who plays him is Don Novello, better known as Father Guido Sarducci from SNL. I find it engagingly priceless – and nostalgic – when he spits out the line, “You think you know better than the Pope?”
The Donald intends to join all the other great wall builders of history – like Chinese Emperors and East German Communists – in order to Make America Great Again.
But how great is America if we have to cower behind a wall? That’s not greatness. That’s cowardice.
And, according to the Pope, that’s not Christian, either.
~Primo
I’m betting that tRump discovers that there are huge areas of the Northeast and Middle Atlantic states with very large old and well established Catholic populations and for as much as they may have their own differences with Il Papa, they won’t let him get away with badmouthing the man. I’m willing to bet my Sunday contribution on this!
1I love the Pope and I’m not even Catholic. I dont’ care much for Trump. That makes me all the more eager to tackle folks and sit on them and say Have you voted yet in the primaries? It all is so bizarre that I can’t blame them for not wanting to go attack it. Do your research. I accidentally voted for the Tejas guy. Don’t vote for him. His opposition, Wakely, is, I hear, highly regarded.
2Don Hairleone – LOL!!!! That’s good, Primo.
3Yeah, he can dish it out, but he sure can’t take it. I heard on the radio this morning that he’s backed down — in his own smarmy way. “I don’t like fighting with the pope actually — I don’t think it’s a fight, I think he said something much softer than originally reported by the media. I think that he heard one side of the story, which is probably by the Mexican government.”
Yeah, he only heard about the wall from the Mexican government.
Trump totally stole the idea of the Great Wall from China. What a loser.
4This pope is a dimwit like most of them. They SAY a lot of BS to keep things cool, but the RCC does nothing except the same old crap!!! The popes have built walls…look at the vatican! The xtian BS they pore out builds ‘WALL’ around poor people separating them form the birth control and family planning that would help them. Trump is silly, but the RCC has been hurting people from day 1!
5It gets down to this: tRump is a cultural Christian that I don’t like so much. This poppa, whom I like a lot, speaks ex cathedra for the Roman church. So on both this planet and on planet Micr, this poppa by a country mile!
6Trump is just one more of those, mostly Republicans, who call themselves Christians as if they knew what it meant. I’m an atheist myself, but I have read the book (dang, there’s some weird stuff in there) and I can spot those who are and aren’t living by what Jesus is supposed to have said. Pretty much 99.9% of the time, the ones yelling about how Christian they are aren’t. The Pope has problems with birth control, certainly, but even he just said that it may be the lesser evil compared with Zika virus and damaged babies. On most things, especially dealing with poverty, he seems like a much better guy than those 99.9%. If I were having tea and a scone with somebody, I’d much rather it be the Pope than Trump the jerkwad.
7The Constitution speaks on this kerfuffle:
“There shall be NO religious test for any office…
So all the ReThugs and everyone else should shut up about religion and politics.
The USA has NO official religion. None.
8Rhea – just like they call themselves Constitutionalists, patriots and intelligent.
9daChipster, it’s like the bellboy said about the actress who was loudly informing everyone that she was a big celebrity: “If you gotta tell ’em, you ain’t.”
10I may be reading in to it, but I don’t think Pope Francis meant just the physical wall that Trump goes on about. I’m pretty sure he meant the Wall of Hate espoused not just by The Donald, but by the RKlan against the poor, minorities and anybody who doesn’t agree with their warped minds. And of course the bridges he recommends are the programs which welcome, support and allow a path to citizenship for immigrants.
11Just remember the hateful faces which met the refugee children sent to us to avoid the violence of Central America. That there, was your Wall of Hate.
Don Hairleone; that definitely deserve to go viral, Primo!
May we borrow?
12I don’t like the thought of putting walls up around the perimeter of the country; it’s too much like a penitentiary. My country isn’t a jail, and I don’t appreciate all these a**es trying to turn it into one.
13I remember Father Guido Sarducci well. The chain smoking cleric was definitely not so spiritual, often selling knock-off watches and engaging in other questionable enterprises, much like the Repug KKKristians who constantly present themselves as oh-so-holier-than-thou.
14Apparently Trump University is once again in the headlines as the woman who was the named litigant in a class action suit against him reported being repeatedly threatened and asked to have her name removed from the suit. There is also a federal suit against Trump over this scam.
Is this tRump you all speak of the same pMurt I have observed speaking in backward tounges?
15Just had to share this here.
“As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day, the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.” —H.L. Mencken (1880-1956)
16@JaneE
So what does Mencken sya happens in the years after Bush 43 left office?
17JaneE, I know the quote but I thought that happened 16 years ago. Well, before that I thought it happened in 1980….
18speaking of walls built by tyrants, let’s not forget the great Atlantic wall, built by Hitler, to defend against invasion by the allies. that worked out well.
most Christian Churches are based on the “New Testament”‘, the one about loving your neighbor like yourself, etcetera.. it doesn’t always work, but it’s an ideal worth striving for.
19JanE, thanks for the H.L. Mencken reference. He, along with Samuel Johnson, is the definition of curmudgeon. I had a book of H.L.’s essays many years ago but it was lost in a flood.
The Reptilians are running scared; The Don is doing udder devastation to their sacred cows and they are powerless to do anything about it. Apologists like the allegedly former druggie Franklin Graham requesting/chastising/demanding The Pope build a bridge to The Don because he has a remote possibility of being elected was the highlight of my day. The Religious Right is doing everything they can to bend their already twisted beliefs to accommodate the thrift store Bible (He actually claimed “It was my Mothers!” and they fell for it!! ) waving fraudster. After this unreality show is over I can’t imagine what the hangover will be like.
I suggest several Ramos Fizz for the pain. They always worked for me.
20So the Vatican has a wall around it big deal, look at the “Wall of Goons” Trump has surrounding him!
21For Maggie: Your comment is right on time. I am an Italian American lapsed Roman Catholic. You do not mess with Pope Frankie.
22As much as Pope Francis rallies for the poor, it’s interesting that there has been not a peep from the American bishops on the racist and hateful policies espoused by the RKlan. They are so obsessed with the abortion issue that everything else is ignored.
23Admittedly, they are not allowed to support a political candidate or party, but by stressing this one issue, they already are.
You really need to read exactly what the Pope said … nothing was directed exactly at Trump the Stump, but was a broad generalization of anyone wanting to build walls rather then bridges! It’s just like these yahoos and their Bible parts … they pick and choose and forget about what the entire context of a message is! And the Pope’s explainers clarified this but it seems no one has heard that … nothing was stated directly at Trump’s stupidity, but at everyone’s wanting to build walls!
24NicaBrian, curumudgeon was the least of it. Mencken had some very interesting opinions it would seem (not all great or as clever IMHO). Had to do a wiki tour. Interesting person to say the least.
25maryelle @14: You are correct. The Pope was speaking metaphorically. Which means his words were waaaayyyy over the heads of your average snacilbupeR.
And yes, y’all. The Vatican does have a wall around it… except for the front plaza. It was constructed in the early years (10th century through the 15th I believe… maybe earlier) because it was (and still is) small and surrounded by powerful, armed states. Let’s please not equate the past with today without context. And let’s not allow others to do that as well.
26First of all, everyone, shut up about the wall around the Vatican. People who bitch about that don’t know history or much else. Also, Primo, thank you for “Don Hairleone”.
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