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GOD BLESS THE DALAI LAMA, THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY AND THE MODERATOR OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND
By Mal Content
Opining as the atheist son of a former Church Of Scotland Elder (my credentials provided to establish I have no religious affiliations), I cannot understand why any sane, rational and tolerant human being would be offended by a T-shirt bearing the slogan “God Bless The Pope”.
I do, however, fully understand why anti-Catholic religious bigots amongst the Rangers support, Scotland's sporting media and Scotland's general population are offended by Artur Boruc's T-shirt, which was displayed in the immediate aftermath of Celtic's 3-2 humping of the Huns on Sunday at Celtic Park.
The fact of the matter is that those who are offended, are in perma-rage in Hun Cyberspace and are venting their spleens in national newspapers are bigots. What we have here is one man, Artur Boruc, wearing a T-shirt with a positive message on it, as he is well within his rights to do, versus tens of thousands of bigots, who are offended by “all Popery”. End of story.
Personally, I have no idea what Artur Boruc's motivation was to wear and display his ‘God Bless The Pope' T-shirt. Perhaps it was bampottery – a deliberate and pre-meditated attempt to wind-up bigoted Huns (amongst the Rangers support, the Scottish media and Scotland's population)? Or perhaps Artur was retaliating against the bigots who have victimised him because of his faith? Or perhaps Artur was displaying his love and affection for the late John Paul II, who remains a Polish hero and icon. Or perhaps The Holy Goalie is a crusading religious activist and philosopher who is intent on exposing Scotland's endemic and institutionalised anti-Catholicism?
Whatever Artur's motivation, however, the Holy Goalie has succeeded, for he has indeed exposed Scotland once again as being the ‘best small-minded and religiously bigoted country in the world', just as he has done by blessing himself in public.
Had Artur's T-shirt read ‘God Bless The Dalai Lama', ‘God Bless The Archbishop Of Canterbury' or ‘God Bless The Moderator Of The General Assembly Of The Church Of Scotland', would there have been a word said? Would anyone have been offended by the message ‘May The Force Be With You'?
Personally, and if I had a God, I'd thank Him that I was not offended, just as I'd thank Him for Celtic Football Club, which is an all-inclusive Club, a Club open to all.
Only in Scotland would the religiously bigoted supporters of an inherently bigoted football club, Rangers, be “incensed to violence” by the sight of a Catholic (especially a Catholic playing for Celtic) wearing a ‘God Bless The Pope' T-shirt, just as they were “incensed to violence” by Artur blessing himself. Only amongst the Huns supporters would their so-called intelligentsia be ranting and raving in the media, as the Rangers Supporters Trust are doing today. And these arseholes are supposed to be educated?
Only in Scotland would the front page of a national newspaper, the Scottish Sun, feature a football player's choice of sartorial elegance, the headline ‘Pope On A Dope', with the tabloid providing two pages of spleen-venting by bigots and an editorial from Laptop Loyalist Bill Leckie.
Strangely enough, Leckie and the rest of the berserk tabloid columnists are far more reticent about mentioning the messages on the balloons the Huns fans had at Celtic Park on Sunday. Just as they were and have been reluctant to condemn and criticise Rangers Football Club's century-long sectarian employment policies and Rangers fans' chants and songs of religious apartheid, division and hate. It required UEFA's intervention to reveal the truth the Scottish media covered up for nearly a century, while Rangers profited from bigotry.
Only in Scotland would words like “antics”, “controversy”, “storm” and “stunt” be used in the nation's media to describe a football player wearing a T-shirt with a religious message on it, particularly when that message is overtly Catholic. Yet, I do not remember words like “antics”, “controversy”, “storm” and “stunt” being used when Dundee striker Juan Sara repeatedly displayed his ‘Jesus Loves You' T-shirts or when God-fearing, lay preacher and footballer Marvin Andrews repeatedly revealed his religious convictions on cotton.
Ah, but those messages were not openly Catholic, were not worn by a Celtic player and were not displayed in front of the anti-Catholic bigots of the Rangers support and the Scottish media.
For instance, does anyone remember any furore when Liverpool's Polish international goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek dedicated his part in Liverpool's winning of the 2005 Champions League to the same Polish Pontiff – John Paul II?
Whatever Artur Boruc's motivations were, the Holy Goalie's religious crusading, or bampottery, has once again exposed the bigoted core of Scotland's Shame for the world to witness.
May the Force be with you, Artur.
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