Dirty Italian Politics Slings Mud at Pope's Observation of Rome's Degradation

Like that title? Well, it's an odd story, to be sure....

Yesterday, Pope Benedict, in keeping with his role as the Bishop of Rome, met with local Roman officials and made some pointed observations about problems plaguing the eternal city, including the continuing poverty and overall "urban decay." All valid observations prompted by old problems and exacerbated by recent events.

To anyone who has been to Rome, there's nothing inflammatory about noting that the city is sub-par compared to other European cities in terms of cleanliness, etc. Well, what do you expect? It's Italy. Pope Benedict may have lived in Rome for over twenty years, but I'm sure he hasn't forgotten his Bavarian standards of spick n' span.

Anyway, back to the narrative: Roman and Italian politicians had a field day with the Pope's comments, as CNS reports, to which the Vatican expressed surprise and dismay, as reported by Zenit. Furthermore, Lombardi issued a clarification in today's Bulletino, and DPA summarized it. I don't see what needed clarification.

Sadly, many anti-catholic politicians in Italy used the Pope's observations as an opportunity to criticize the papacy and its influence in Italy. Frankly, that's astonishing to me, especially as I sit back and try to think of a single good thing to come out of Rome in the last 1,500 years that wasn't directly or indirectly related to the Vatican, the Papacy or the patronage of the Catholic Church.

Really, after the Colosseum, historically and civically speaking, it's all been downhill.

(Too cruel? I'm sorry. I just can't believe Italians got mad that the Pope told them to clean up their city.)