It's a very very Mad World

I think this may have been part of what Chazal had in mind when they said, "Let Ben David come... but don't let me be around to see it..."

Head of Roman Catholic Church greeted by head of Secular Zionist Church

The Washington Times had an interesting piece on the Vatican a few weeks ago which I mean to comment on but things have been a little hectic lately. However in honor of "His Un-Holiness" being in town I guess now is as fitting a time as ever. Before I begin, let's do a short word-association quiz. Please take mental note of the very first thing that comes to mind when you think of the following:

1) Buddhist Monk
2) Voodo Witchdoctor
3) Catholic Priest


Let's see if your answers resemble mine at all... 1) orange tunic & sandals 2) doll with a pin 3) child molester. I could be wrong but I'm guessing my personal #3 is a pretty common first answer these days. And indeed the WT's piece speaks about the UN's Torture Committee issuing a special report on abuse cases in the church. The findings themselves didn't seem to contain any bombshells - mainly just that members of the church have problems keeping their hands off the kiddies (wonder how much money was spent discovering that huge revelation?).

However there was one very eyebrow raising suggestion the committee included in its report: "The U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child rebuked the Vatican in February for its handling of the sexual abuse scandal and suggested that the Catholic Church update its canon to approve homosexuality, abortion, birth control and premarital sex."

Now it's nothing new that the UN supports such values, and I could frankly care less what the Church's policy on these things are as no matter what they may claim about their spirituality and holiness, they have a marked history of transgressing the 3 true cardinal sins: Murder (i.e. Inquisition), Niuf (molestation/underage rape), and Avodah Zara (worshiping a guy on a stick). However what is worrisome is that suddenly the UN feels it has a mandate to start dictating to major world religions what their policy should and should not be regarding controversial issues of tremendous moral impact. Just as they feel it's their right to re-write the rules of Catholicism, what's to stop them from attempting to make a few edits to the Gemara or Rashi on Tanach when they discuss the Jewish people's connection and G-d given rights to the land of Israel? Rav Kahane HY"D was branded a racist for trying to pass laws in the Knesset that were based straight out of the Mishna Torah. If the state's participation in certain UN committees, or it's standing in the UN in general was threatened by what the Torah has to say about our relationship to Israel I wonder just how willing today's politicians would be to try and censor rabbinic figures and books who state the truth on these issues? Given that Rav Yaakov Yosef and Rav Dov Lior were stalked and arrested like mafiosos a couple of years ago not even for any sefarim they themselves wrote, but simply for writing a haskama on somebody else's book it's troubling to speculate.

Let's pray the UN and the rest of the world just leave us alone and keep their attention focused on the guy in the bathrobe and Bar Mitzvah kipah.