The liberal HBO show The Young Pope’s fourth episode, aired on January 23, has the Pope suggest that pedophiles and homosexuals constitute a whopping two thirds of the clergy.
In light of a sex-abuse case that has come to the Vatican’s attention, Cardinal Voiello suggests pursuing "all the cases of pedophilia that are infesting our Church." The Pope wants to take that a step further, demanding that they “prosecute all the cases of homosexuality that are infesting our Church. Let’s root out all the homosexuals and expel them, and prevent any new gay priests from entering our Church.” Cardinal Voiello protests that pedophilia and homosexuality are not the same, to which the Pope interjects that the two are “equally unacceptable to the Catholic Church.” He then makes the absurd claim that this will affect two thirds of the clergy.
Pope Pius XIII- The individual case is always an indicator of a larger issue.
Cardinal Voiello- I agree. Let's pursue all the cases of pedophilia that are infesting our Church.
Pope- Let's widen the circle. Let's prosecute all the cases of homosexuality that are infesting our Church. Let's root out all the homosexuals and expel them and prevent any new gay priests from entering our Church. Let's do it for real, without exceptions and without hypocrisy.
Cardinal- Holy Father, pedophilia and homosexuality are two very different things.
Pope- Two very different things that are both equally unacceptable to the Catholic Church.
Cardinal- It would be a war that would leave the ground littered with corpses, Holy Father. Do you want to know how many corpses would litter the ground?
Pope- 2/3 of the clergy.
Cardinal- Then...what becomes of Mother Church's capacity for forgiveness?
Pope- With our abuse of forgiveness, we've become a laughingstock, Your Eminence. As unreliable as some miserable little third world country.
Cardinal- With your methods, on the other hand, we are likely to become as reliable as, say, North Korea.
Pope- No. You want to know what the difference is? We don't imprison ours; we set them free. We pardon every one of them. One second later, we kick them out the door.
Cardinal- All right, Holy Father, as you command.
Later, the show throws in a favorite liberal talking point about colonization. Regarding the very small community of Catholics in Greenland, the Pope makes the analogy to Greenland’s Prime Minister, “In Greenland, we Catholics are like the Native Americans. We got there first and then we were confined to reservations.”
One recurring theme of this show is the Pope’s lack of faith in God. While talking to a nun worrying about doubting God’s existence, the Pope reassures her, “You’re not the only one who doubts.” Later, Cardinal Voiello states, “The Holy Father’s faith isn’t as solid as we like to think.”
Another more "exciting" theme is the show’s obsession with sex. Ester (Ludivine Sagnier), the young woman revealed to have had an extramarital affair in the last episode, is shown naked while praying for the ability to become pregnant. Since befriending the Pope in the last episode, Ester, who claims to be a devout Catholic despite her affair, has been recruited by Cardinal Voiello to seduce the Pope. A graphic sex scene between a reluctant Ester and her husband is shown toward the end of the episode, coupled with the Pope catching a glimpse and smiling to himself before fervently praying that Ester may become pregnant. At the end of the episode, the Pope appears to have a brief fantasy about a naked woman.
With its graphic sex, religion bashing, and liberal bias, the show seems to be fitting in with HBO quite nicely.
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