Published: Wednesday, 3rd February, 2010 10:00pm
Catholic backlash against MP's "slur"
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READING MP Martin Salter came under fire today (Wednesday) when he enraged Catholics by attacking the Pope in an internet blog.
The Labour MP sparked lively debate on a national newspaper website with his near 700 word defence of the Government's Equality Bill in which he described the Pontiff as "a bloke in a dress".
Mr Salter accused Pope Benedict XVI of being deliberately misleading in his argument against the proposed legislation, adding: "I find the hypocrisy of the Pope reprehensible, especially in a leader of a Church that internationally covered up its own institutionalised abuse."
Comments posted in response to the blog have been overwhelmingly negative towards the Reading West MP. For the full story, including reaction from Reading's Catholic community and Mr Salter, see tomorrow's Chronicle.
To see the blog visit http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/msalter/ and let us know what you think.
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Edward
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Feb 4 10 07:41
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Mr Salters' counter view with the pope is demoralizing. He is a typical modernist, perhaps to twist the institutionalized civilization into a world without LIMIT and without God. The pope is not a legislator but he merely spoke moral wisdom and conscience judgement on issues at hand. The pope does what God wills . . .
Ray
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Feb 4 10 09:04
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Like many others I was amazed at the blog by my MP. I cannot say I am sad to see Martin stand down and he has shown, more than anything with this one post, how controlling Labour want to be. Should we never take into consideration the religious views of people when creating legislation? The Labour party seems to feel it can just brush away all tradition, views and moral of a significant group of people in the UK to create it's ideal society which clearly is not working. Multi-cultureism is one of the single biggest failings of this party and to now start to marginalise religious groups in this way because they have a set of moral and ethics that go against the Labour party show their dismissal of all things that are not nu-labour.
Ian
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Feb 4 10 11:46
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I am pretty disgusted by this.
All the talk about an equalities bill! Some people are still stuck in 1690!
I would be interested to see if he were to refer to a member of another faith in such derisory terms.
Pointer
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Feb 4 10 12:45
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The Pope's comments were a disgrace, Salter's merely humourous.
Adrian Windisch
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Feb 4 10 13:03
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Its fine to disagree with what a religious leader says but to go for such insults says a lot about Martin Salter.
I have written more here http://greenreading.blogspot.com/2010/02/martin-salter-mp-insults-pope.html
Katie Transsexual
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Feb 4 10 13:15
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Ironic that NuLab's Martin Salter should defend his government's 'Equality' Bill by dismissing the Pope as a hypocritical 'bloke in a dress' because that's exactly how their con-trick (um...sorry, 'Bill':) arrogantly dismisses the 70 per cent of transgendered people whom it deliberately excludes from its provisions as a mere 'lifestyle choice', too.
M.Pollek
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Feb 4 10 15:22
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Martin was correct in what he said. The throw away remark about a man wearing a dress is just that. Now if he had said that he was not suprised that a former member of the Hitler youth was homophobic....well?
Katie Transsexual
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Feb 4 10 16:03
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If Martin Salter had tried to put the pope down by describing him as 'an ex-Hitler Youth member who now wears a hat like a Jew' I think the Press and national reaction would have been one of outrage (and rightly so). Yet, he chooses to pick on another minority and likens the Pope to a transvestite in order to put him down and everyone is more outraged that he has likened him to a transvestite. Yes, NuLab definitely consider transpeople as a minority whom they can afford to 'throw away'.
jim martin
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Feb 7 10 23:31
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To M.Pollek,
Keep repeating the Pope/Hitler Youth attack line. You know it distorts the truth of history and falsely accuses another of grave evil but why let that stop you huh. Keep spreading the hatred, lies and false accusations just like Mr Salter does. But remember.....
"A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will perish."
jim martin
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Feb 8 10 15:21
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To M.Pollek,
Keep repeating the Pope/Hitler Youth attack line. You know it distorts the truth of history and falsely accuses another of grave evil but why let that stop you huh. Keep spreading the hatred, lies and false accusations just like Mr Salter does. But remember.....
"A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will perish."
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