My last two blogs have had two main themes: the rise of anticlericalism and the relationship between the media and the courts. The latter was a sub-theme mainly brought to the fore by the comments of Dr Joe Brincat, with whom it is also enriching to discuss. He livened up this blog with his copious comments. I will, in the near future, return to this sub-theme. However, today I wish to have another take but from a different angle on the topic of anti-clericalism.

One could have ignored the small pocket of protests against the Pope’s visit to Madrid. The numbers say it all: one million for the Pope versus few hundreds against him. However, as I noted recently the media have espoused a concept of news value which awards the bizarre, the unusual and what is against the grain. Remember the publicity given to a crackpot from the United States who threatened to burn copies of the Koran? He was a no-body but became an international notoriety by saying he was going to do something stupid. I think that people who promise to do stupid things should be ignored. The present prevalent concept of news values pushes the media into the opposition direction. Same thing happened in the case of the Pope’s visit to Madrid; the opponents, although very small in numbers, made the news.

I cannot really figure out why there was the opposition that there was.

The manifest reason was that during economic hard times it is scandalous to spend over Euro50 million on this international manifestation. Should one just look at what one is going to spend without looking at what one is going to gain?  Will not one million people present in a place for an activity that stretches over a number of days spend more than fifty million euro complexly? And if on top of that one adds the money flowing in from corporate sponsors, would not the sum collected considerably exceed the sum that was spent to organize the event?

Would these anti-clericals have complained had Madrid been chosen to host an international rock concert? So why protest because it hosts the Pope?

Let us leave the money issue aside for the moment. What about the great positive publicity given to Madrid and the whole of Spain as a result of the visit? Has anyone quantified the value of that free air time on TV stations; hours of commentaries on the radio and so much free space on newspapers and the Internet? Were these anti-clericals ready to throw all that out of the window just to spite the Pope and one million youths along with him?

The World Youth Day celebration is characterized by the participation of hundreds of thousands of young people who celebrate in peace and tranquility. The police do not have to care about drug trafficking or drug taking because there is none around. The neighbours do not have to worry about rowdiness or violence because the event is very orderly. So why was there a protest?

Not just an old, frail man

Is it not something exceedingly interesting that one million young men and women come from all corners of the world to salute an eighty year old man?

They do so because for them – and for all of us – that man represents Christ and His teaching of love, solidarity and caring for others. That old man represents a way of life that believes so much in human dignity that it believes that humans share in the dignity of God. That old man represents hope in a world suffering from anxiety bordering on despair. That old man points towards the Rock of human security in a world shaking to its foundations.

These are some of the things that that old man told the one million youths in front of him:

“Be sure not to pass by on the other side in the face of human suffering, for it is here that God expects you to give of your very best: your capacity for love and compassion. … Christ’s passion urges us to take upon our own shoulders the sufferings of the world in the certainty that God is not distant or far removed from man and his troubles.”

“When mere utility and pure pragmatism become the principal criteria, much is lost and the results can be tragic. … The authentic idea of the University, on the other hand, is precisely what saves us from this reductionist and curtailed vision of humanity.”

“You are now about to go back home. Your friends will want to know how you have changed after being in this lovely city with the Pope and with hundreds of thousands of other young people from around the world. What are you going to tell them? I invite you to give a bold witness of Christian living to them. In this way you will give birth to new Christians and will help the Church grow strongly in the hearts of many others. Bring the knowledge and the love of Christ to the whole world. He wants you to be his apostles in the 21st century and messengers of his joy. Do not disappoint him!”

Was this a message that merited boycotting?