“As a mother, I cannot bear to watch their suffering. The children of the world belong to everyone. You are the only one of us who cannot be denied entry,” Madonna wrote in an Instagram post on Monday.
“Politics Cannot affect Change. Only consciousness Can. Therefore I am Reaching out to a Man of God,” Madonna wrote in the caption of her post.
I don’t know. The new pope is american, so where do his interests lie? /s
That’s a very good question.
What possessed that conclave to come to that swift decision? What was the motivation?
The conclave states that they elected Pope Leo XIV because he is moderate, he has good administrative skills and the time he spent in the Americas will hopefully make him a unifying figure for the church.Meanwhile, I still haven’t gotten over the fact that the cardinals elected an American for a pope. I didn’t think that would ever happen. Ever.
Let me be clear, I mean no disrespect to anyone (the church, it’s allies and enemies). Like it or not, that position yields power and there are approximately 1 billion Catholics in the world today.
Pardon the long rant. The short answer is: The pope serves the church.
Look, I know her name is Madonna, but I don’t think she has the same power over the vatican that the actual madonna would have.
Just what the situation called for, Catholics!
I commend Madonna for sending this message and I have such deep respect for her.
May this genocide come to an end. And how I wish it never happened.
In this moment, perhaps we’re all just material girls…
In this case, she wants Papa to preach
Life is a mystery.
Everyone must stand alone
Everyone loves bringing up how stupid or was that TRL called Ja Rule during 9/11, how is this any different?
One time terror attack vs ongoing genocide.
Any more questions?
The point still remains. Why should we be listening to celebrities about anything regarding politics? If you take your political beliefs from rich famous ppl you’re a part of the problem
I’m guessing the IDF would love to add a pope to their list of victims.
I hate to say it, but if that’s what it takes to get Nettanyahu and his Zionist cronies turned into red mist, it might be worth it. But also in 2025 I’m not entirely sure anything would happen outside of some “condemnation.”
Unless the Vatican decides to reboot the Crusades, which also sounds about right for this Indiana Jones timeline we’re all living in.
Bullshit, if they bomb the pope and kill him, half the world would be furious. I thinks its stupid one person matters so much more than millions though
I don’t know about you guys, but I didn’t have “Madonna asking The Pope Formerly Known As Bob to save Gaza” on my 2025 bingo card…
These are strange times for Berry Club. Strange times indeed…
As the head catholic leader, what authority will he realistically have there?
The Pope speaking out on the ongoing genocide can help build support among Catholics to pressure political leaders to do something over than empty words.
I don’t think it’s about authority, but if Israel is stupid enough to kill the Pope, I imagine most of the catholic world would immediately turn on them. That could be enough to pressure other nations to finally get involved and put a stop to the genocide.
The last time a Pope was known to be killed was 1303, and only as a technicality as he died after being released.
Someone also tried to kill John Paul II.
It would be unprecedented if a Pope died in a war zone.
“As the head of a religion that claimed your religion as our own and made it all about the gentiles, stop, mmkay?”
Absolutely none.
He is a religious leader who greeted the people with his Message of Peace when he first became pope. Perhaps now is a good time to express that message outside of Rome along with a message of goodwill toward all.
Many Christians feel that he should visit Gaza anyway because of the church that was damaged from an Israeli airstrike and the recent bombing of a church where people claim sanctuary.
They won’t kill the pope. He’s white.
They’ll kill almost anyone who brings help and food. The Pope would be a bigger gamble.
They’ll see a cross and they’ll treat is as a target, like they usually do with paramedics
I wouldn’t bet that the IDF won’t use him as target practice.
the AIPAC has all the western countries by the balls, both in blackmail and using thier 'anti-semitism" shield to hide behind.
Why would the Pope have any greater sway in Gaza than Madonna? Perhaps she should be the solution she seeks in others?
The pope has more ‘fans’ than Madonna. Do you seriously think that Madonna has as much political influence as the head of the Catholic Church?
No, but she probably has as many fans in Gaza or Israel. But that’s not really the point I was hoping to make.
My original comment is not because I think she has more pull, but because I resent celebrities pulling the “Oh, me and my wealth cannot change anything because the problem is too big! Instead of investing my time and money, I’ll just kick the can up to governments so I don’t have to commit any serious effort myself.” My attitude goes back to an interview I heard with Bono of U2. He was traveling Africa at the time with U.S. diplomats to encourage spending of U.S. taxpayer money to solve problems there, and it was/is a worthy cause. However, when asked by an interviewer, “You’re very influential and your concert tours make millions. Couldn’t you put on a charity tour to raise money for this cause?” " Oh, no," he responded. “This problem is much too big for any single person. It requires the kinds of investments only governments are capable of.”
So yeah, got it. My taxpayer money can fund a very wealthy Irishman’s dreams of how to improve the world (again, they were good dreams), and all he wants to do about it is travel the world doing publicity with diplomats, spending other people’s money. Couldn’t be arsed to put any actual work time in. Only believed in the dream enough to make others pay for it.
I see Madonna making a similar play here. “Hey, look at me, guys! Now go tell the Pope to tell Israel to stop!” I mean, I don’t know what sway she thinks the Pope has in Israel, or why the Pope should care what a former Catholic thinks he should do, and I’m not going to complain if he makes a plea for the end to this Palestinian Holocaust, but she’s wealthy and has her own influence. I’d like to see more effort on her part before she starts telling world leaders what to do in public forums. Based on her long history of courting controversy for publicity, her message to the Pope is just pandering to her dwindling fans until she invests more effort than a social media post. If the wealthy lady wants that kind of power to call on world leaders, then I need to see her making big donations publicly, marching with protestors, making public rally speeches. Not this “I was a big deal 30-40 years ago” vibe.
so first of all: fair points.
but also to consider:
- the Vatican is the only not-country with a permanent seat at the UN (this in itself is somewhat insane)
- the Pope’s direct influence might be limited, but the cultural influence the catholic church holds should not be underestimated. if the pope gets killed or injured or simply stubs his toe in gaza, europe will, absolutely, go berserk. it’s pretty dumb, as you’ve pointed out, but it will happen.
- beyond religious influence, the cultural influence of the catholic church is actually incredible! (consider: every settlement, from village with population 5, all the way to metropolitan cities has at least one church in all of europe! every single one!)
- the pope is held in high esteem, even among other religions and their leadership. killing a pope is, effectively, a declaration of war to the entire world. that’s the kind of shit that makes north korea go “wait, that’s insanity, wtf?!” (and this isn’t pure admiration, it’s simple survival instinct: the leadership of all major religions is smart enough to realize “if it can happen to the pope, it can definitely happen to us”, and that includes jewish leadership)
- even most people that feel contemptuous about the church as an institution (which i definitely am one of) would be extremely upset by such a blatantly hostile action against a major foreign dignitary. even just harming a pope is unthinkable to most europeans raised in christian households. even if we’ve become firmly atheist later…
- imagine the president of germany, france, italy, poland, spain, or really any other european country being assassinated in gaza. all of europe would revolt. it would cause absolute mayhem in geopolitics and most likely result in immediate International intervention, i.e. severe sanctions. (because israel has nukes, although they would most likely be forced to relinquish or severely reduce their capabilities and they would definitely be subjected to international oversight.)
- the US cannot, i repeat, can not ignore hostilities against the church. there will be riots, and it will unite people like basically nothing else could, because even conservatives would get severe whiplash from those news. trump claims to be christian, and even the nutty american christians would be upset enough to force a reaction out of the white house. yes, even this white house. because, as someone else has pointed out, not ever in history was a pope killed in a military conflict. never.
or to some it up:
✅: fuck the catholic church and fuck the pope!
🚫: but never, EVER, fuck with the pope!
Madonna really, truly, has a point here: the pope could probably end this genocide!
because as you’ve pointed out; having fans in gaza isn’t really important!
…but the leader of THE most influential religion in the entire world?
hell yeah, that guy has influence! and hell yeah they could definitely throw their weight behind this cause!
and Madonna drawing attention to that fact is actually solid strategy to get the church to respond:
no response means complicity, but virtually any response other than a resounding renunciation will be seen as weakness.
she is putting them on the spot, forcing a reaction. that’s how politics works, and this is a political move, and an honestly pretty great one at that!
edit; forgot this bit:
this is why Madonna pointing at the pope is more than just a rich person that could do more being cheap; nobody in the world has the sheer support of the pope and the catholic church. she’s acting as a force amplifier. that’s something that goes beyond mere monetary influence, although you are absolutely right that she could do more.
Agreed.
She also mentioned politics and there’s this:
The previous leader of the Catholic Church, late Pope Francis, maintained daily contact with Gaza City’s Holy Family Church before his death, the parish priest of the region’s only Catholic church told ABC News after his death in April.
Dang, I have water wars, nuclear wars, eldritch invasions … but what I don’t have on my 2025 conflict bingo card is the Crusades.
What the hell, dewit, might be interesting, something do disperse all the monotony of rising fascism, rapid climate change, and genocides.
The Crusades were dark times especially with the Knights Templars at the Pope’s disposal. The height of their power and tragic end is incomparable to anything that I know of today.
The current Swiss Army guarding the Pope and the Vatican may be photogenic, but they wouldn’t be capable of invading anything except Lichtenstein, lol.
Much love and No disrespect to the Swiss and their army.
Dang, just took the whole war romanticism out of by sarcastic remark about the renewal of the crusades :(.
So you are saying Vatican doesn’t have holy hand grenades, holy dove fighter jets, holy cherub bombers, holy drones dispersing holy water & holy napalm, etc?
Ugh, sorry. I wasn’t trying to crush your groove. FWIW, I do admire your sense of humor and bringing up the Knights Templar was romanticizing war…
So you are saying Vatican doesn’t have holy hand grenades, holy dove fighter jets, holy cherub bombers, holy drones dispersing holy water & holy napalm, etc?
Seriously?!? I have so much holy water from the Vatican replenished each year that it may be enough to end the drought in Gaza. You want a holy machete? You got it! You want a holy cow? You got it! But not on Fridays. You want an aerial assault with holy water balloons? You got it.
Better yet, I can send you some holy water to make your own holy 💩! Be warned: sprinkling your doors and windows each night with holy water will not stop vampires from entering your home! 😂
bringing up the Knights Templar was romanticizing war
Lol, yes but fake romanticising ofc, the whole thing was always just individual money-grabs & war profiteering (you can clearly see where the war support stops - once they get them out the gates, unprepared but equipped). Like any war really.
And no, vampbros are chill. And holy water probably makes them sparkle or some shit like that. They are too hot as is.
… do you think Vatican has a giant holy mecha pope wielding dual nunchucks (that is two pairs of nuns tied together with a heavy duty chain)?
No, it’s not Twilight - it’s Dracula (Bram Stoker read through by chapter). Enjoy.
what I don’t have on my 2025 conflict bingo card is the Crusades
Literally the title of the US Secretary of Defense’s book.
Shut up Madonna.
Has Madonna been to Gaza?
TBH, I doubt that she would be allowed in…
Awww… she thinks it’s not already too late…
It’s not too late. The death that is coming dwarfs the death so far.
No, send the Dalai Lama instead. If it all goes pear shaped he can respawn.
Jokes about genocide are my favorite. It’s this sort of internet attitude of who can find the best one liner that makes people so goddamn complacent. We read news about people literally being slaughtered and starved and people are still trying to make fuckin jokes.
I’m fully convinced this framing and attitude is why we aren’t doing a goddamn thing about our generation’s fucking holocaust.
By all means board the next flotilla, i’ll cheer you on.
I’m fully convinced this framing and attitude is why we aren’t doing a goddamn thing about our generation’s fucking holocaust
And what exactly have you done to stop it?
You act like we all have this power to stop it but just choose not to use it but the reality is there isn’t much a normal person can do on their own.
The best we could have done was to vote for someone who didn’t support what’s going on and I think the majority of us here probably did and it still failed.
We could all have a revaluation but we aren’t even doing that for our own domestic issues so why would we do it for something happening on the other side of the world? That kind of thing needs a leader or a catalyst that just hasn’t stepped forward yet.
Gallows humour has been used as a coping mechanism for a long time before the internet.
Bluesky -------->
