pope

[stokeace]

why is the pope meeting the parents of poor madelline mcann?to apologise for gods actions?do you think there is a god if he sanctions such pain and suffering on his followers?i certainly dont............

[Pippa68]

The parents have been described as 'devout catholics'..therefore I suppose an audience with the pope means the world to them.

As I am not a Christian I agree with you regarding a God, however the majority of Christians have several answers as to why He allows human suffering.

[THECORBYLOON]

They are both practising Roman Catholics and he is taking an interest in the matter. From reports on Radio 5 earlier to-night, he is having a public audience this week. They said the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster has been in touch wi the Vatican and they will be sitting on the front row.

[stokeace]

hi pippa68 but its just a way of all believers condoning 'gods' treatment of people to justify their own belifs dont you think.................................

[Goodsoulette]

Stokeace, I had a CofE upbringing, and just accepted it until a few years a go when too many bad things happened and I have to say I felt a lot emptier without my faith than I did with it. If it comforts distraught parents then I am do not see the harm. We all deal with life in different ways and hopefully this helps to comfort them in some way.

[stokeace]

goodsoulette i agree with you 100% i must admit i dont really have any sort of faith and i have got along quite well without religion in my life it just seems that if there is a god he doesnt seem to love mankind very much...............

[Goodsoulette]

Christians have all kinds of answers to that. Sometimes these "tests of faith" seem the cruelest.

[stokeace]

well i hope that the little one is found soon but i guess we will never know what gods motives are will we?

[tiggerwoo]

Why would anyone want to blame God for what happened to Madeleine.Did God make the parents go out and leave their children alone.It is mankind that is evil and cruel...not God. Common sense should have told them that they were tempitng fate and taking a great risk. But they made a choice...and it was the wrong one. I don't see how an audience with the Pope is going help them get their litlle girl back...but I suppose it will make them feel better. Perhaps I am cynical but I just think it's all just a bit ott and I feel sorry for all the other poor sick starving missing children in the world who are'nt getting all this attention...surely they are equally deserving.

[NiceCupOfTea]

I wondered the exact same thing. Then I suddenly clicked.

If I was in their position, I'd do the exact same thing. 1) get him to pray for my baby and 2) publicise her abduction

[saintpeter48]

to all you sad god fearing idiots, get a life. you're born, you live you die. the pope was a member of the nazi youth, what example is that.

[gina32]

i really hope that the child is found fit and well and very soon, but, have no other childen ever gone missing, why have charles and camilla, and gordon brown got personally involved? nobody wants anything to have happened to her but how must the parents of so many other missing children feel??

[Neilzulu1]

A nice idea to give the parents a meeting with the pope as the awareness will again be raised to another level in the search for Maddie. I still think good old fashioned police work is the key rather than this media circus.

[Kathyan]

I'm sure I saw an interview with Gerry McCann saying that 'I'm not particularly religious but I have gained strength from attending church' or words to that effect, then we hear that they are both 'devout Catholics'. Something's not right here.

[Le Chat]

In answer to Prophet's question...IVF is not sanctioned by the Catholic Church but I suppose the subject is about Madeline and her disappearance in the now, rather than how her parents chose to conceive her.
I have also noticed how alot of Catholic families have 3 children. It's like saying that 2 shows contraception was probably used (naughty naughty!) whereas 3 may well show that contraception was maybe not used. Anyway, I digress - I know that the McCanns have 3 but obviously not naturally.

[mike1222]

As long as their faith helps them, all well and good.

FAITH is only a belief that is not based on any proof. There are millions of people who have faith in other gods - they can't all be right, and personally I agree with saintpeter48, but I wouldn't have put it quite like that!

[lynbrown]

If i had a child abducted, i would take any means - and i mean any - of keeping her face in the public consiousness. If that child is alive, she will be getting fed by someone, who has to shop for food, pay rent on the house they live in etc. Eventually, the captors may slip up and someone will catch sight of her face. If she is being used in films, someone who views it may get a guilty conscience and report it to the authorities. The more publicity the better. Ask any parent what they would do and it would be the same as the McCanns.

[stokeace]

spot on neilzulu i agree 100% the british police should have been involved much earlier the portugese should really look at their laws so that this NEVER happens again.

[Reverandfunk]

Wilfully neglect your children get an audience with the pope. Sounds about right.

[stokeace]

yes rev it is all a bit surreal dont you think?