Pope washes feet of Muslim prisoner

Great gesture you say? What, a public display of washing the feet of a "muslim" infront of 300 witnesses and 30 cameras ready to be streamed to every home world wide? Uhhh, what a pope man this is! He really cares doesn't he! Uhhh look at him washing the feet of those people... Uhhhh...


Edited by Rational - 21 April 2013 at 6:36am

I'm puzzled, Rational. Do you prefer a pope washing Christian feet only?

Matt Browne wrote: I'm puzzled, Rational. Do you prefer a pope washing Christian feet only?

I'm puzzled you came to this assumption. Even though I clearly stated several times that the main issue I have is the abnormal fact of him including young women in this feet rubbing session. Call me old fashioned, but it's not something I'd allow happen to my daughter, and so I don't like seeing it done to other daughters.

Many muslims would commend the pope for doing this. but ask them, would they allow the pope to wash the feet of their daughters? Ofcourse they wouldn't. But as long as it's not their daughters it's fine, the pope is doing a good thing. Sorry, that's not right. I don't like seeing it being done for christian or muslim daughters.

I would prefer it if the pope man would not wash anyones feet in a public gathering display with cameras recording and having everything staged in that manner. Having women involved in this washing business goes against the christian tradition. But more importantly, I would prefer it if the pope man would not "wash" the feet of any young women.

I hope that clears things up for you.


Edited by Rational - 24 April 2013 at 1:54pm

nospam001 wrote: Hi Rational I think I understand where you're coming from. According to Islam, any person who tempts another (even passively and unwittingly) is more guilty than the one who responds impulsively according to his or her God-given urges. So by washing a young woman's feet in public the pope is forcing sexual guilt upon her, assuming that someone (anyone) might be aroused by the sight of her naked foot. Outside of Islam there is no such excuse for inappropriate behaviour. That is, any sane adult who gives in to temptation would be entirely accountable for their own actions.

Hi nospam,

I have a different take on this.
I believe rational sees foot washing as an act of intimacy, which I agree, it rather is (I would feel uncomfortable having a strange man wash my feet)...
and this act of intimacy between a male and a female in islam is unacceptable.
Which, as I think about it, seems odd since everything sexual in islam is treated pretty clinical according to what I read earlier.

"Muslim and Catholic sexual morality are poles apart. In Catholicism, the ideal is to remain completely celibate. In Islam, that is severely condemned. In Catholicism, divorce is a sin, while it is allowed in Islam, and it is also permitted to have temporary sexual partners.
In Catholicsm polygamy is a sin, while it was something practiced by the Prophet and the Imams . In Catholicism, the main purpose of sexual activity is procreation, and even between husband and wife, stepping outside of that is sinful. Meanwhile, in Islam there are no such restrictions. Sex for it's own sake is seen as good. There are many ahadith on the practice of withdrawal, which would be seen as sinful by Catholicism."